Sports and Recreation Budgetary Review and Recommendations Report

Sport, Arts and Culture

21 October 2014
Chairperson: Ms B.Dlulane (ANC)
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Meeting Summary

Members were told that the budget for the SA Institute for Drug-free Sport (SAIDS) was contracting, and yet the challenges were increasing.  The budget had been R1 billion, and now stood at R970 million. It was suggested that SAIDS could introduce fines to those found guilty after the testing, as a measure to boost its coffers.

Members were asked their view concerning the unfunded National Sport and Recreation Programme (NSRP).  In discussion, it was said that although there was a need for funding, it had to be done over time, given the unavailability of funds from the National Treasury. The NSRP related to the National Development Plan (NDP), so there was a need for the government to support it. However, if the Committee was to be the champions of additional funding for the NSRP, it had to take firm decisions on funds that were being misappropriated.

The Committee deliberated on the budgetary review and recommendation report (BRRR) that had been presented on 14 October. The following recommendations were reviewed and adopted:

- Continue to persuade the National treasury through innovative ways to fund the full implementation of the NSRP.

- Ensure that all vacancies are filled as contained in the establishment and are funded in order to improve its capacity to implement its programmes.

- Monitor the usage of funds by provinces in line with the priorities of the NSRP, as approved by the National Treasury.

- Continue to lobby the National Treasury for a transfer of the 15% MIG funds intended to build sport and recreation facilities back under control of the Department so that it can facilitate the building of sport facilities within the municipalities.

- Ensure that the facility audit be completed as a matter of urgency in order to develop a proper national sport facility plan.

- Ensure that the entities implement the recommendations of the AGSA and are able to avoid irregular expenditure.

- Ensure that governance within the public entities is strengthened to achieve good corporate governance in sport.

- Ensure that all amendments to the legislative framework of the entities are resolved in the current financial year.
 

Meeting report

Consideration of Outstanding Minutes
The Chairperson tabled the minutes dated 14 October for consideration. The Committee went through the document page-by page, and endorsed the minutes with grammatical amendments.

Sport and Recreation Budgetary Review and Recommendations Report
Mr TebohoThebehae, Content Adviser, read through the Committee’s draft Budgetary Review and
Recommendations Report (BRRR) to enable Members to make recommendations before endorsing it. He asked Members to bear in mind whether the allocated finances would have an impact on the targeted sporting population.

Discussion
Mr D Bergman (DA) said that there was need for supervision over the expenditure allocated to schools. The SA Institute for Drug-free Sport (SAIDS) could introduce fines to those found guilty after the testing, as a measure to boost its coffers. The Minister could intervene on behalf of Boxing South Africa by talking to the South African Broadcasting Cooperation (SABC) about marketing boxing country-wide. There was a need to engage with SAIDS, to find a way to assist them

The Chairperson requested clarity on the SAIDS code of conduct

Mr S Ralegoma (ANC) said there was need to engage with other committees. It was a good idea to introduce fines for those found guilty, but there was need to engage with them, to ensure they had a fair hearing. There was a need for staff development at SAIDS.

Mr Mphumzi Mdekazi, Researcher, replied that SAIDS would continue to be vulnerable when conducting tests at schools due to issues of jurisdiction, so the Committee needed to interact with other committees. The budget was contracting and yet the challenges were increasing -- it had been R1 billion, and now stood at R970 million. There had to be coordination on departmental boards.

The Chairperson asked Members their view concerning the unfunded National Sport and Recreation Programme (NSRP).

Mr Ralegoma replied that there was a need to engage the Treasury to fund the programme

Mr M Malatsi (DA) said that although there was a need for funding, it had to be done over time, given the unavailability of funds from the National Treasury. The NSRP related to the National Development Plan (NDP), so there was need for the government to support it.

The Chairperson said the Committee had the right to talk to Treasury to seek clarity on the funding. There was a need to prioritise visits to learn how sport was being used to enhance social cohesion.

Mr S Mmusi (ANC) said the NSRP was supported at the indaba, but he wondered why it was not being funded. The Minister needed to be given a direct mandate to speak to the Treasury.

The Chairperson said there was need to see something happening in the rural areas, and agreed there was a need to call the Minister concerning the funding of the NSRP. She had previously talked to the Minister on the phone and the Minister had said he was engaging with Treasury.

Mr Malatsi said that if the Committee was to be the champions of additional funding for the NSRP, it had to take firm decisions on funds that were being misappropriated. He asked for a timeline of targets in response to the financial issues raised by the Auditor General.

Mr K Sithole (IFP) said that though Members called for radical transformation, it had not been written into the report. He requested clarity on the summary of reporting request.

Mr Thebehae replied that the summary of reporting request was for the Committee to highlight the issues it had to focus on.

Mr M Filtane (UDM) asked what could be an appropriate plan for implementing the monitoring.

The Chairperson replied that the Committee had a limitation on oversight, citing section 76 on conducting oversight.

Mr M Mabika (NFP) said had seen programmes in the newspapers that were being carried out by the Department, and yet he as a Member of the Committee, was not aware of them.

The Chairperson proposed a date be set to discuss this.  She had been invited by SAIDS, and the Director General (DG) had invited the Committee through the office of Minister. The DG had since apologised after learning that the Committee was not aware of the invitations.

Ms D Manana (ANC) said that the DG had to account to the Committee. Members did not have to revisit issues they had discussed in previous meetings.

Mr Mabika said his concern was how the Committee could manage to monitor events at the provincial level if they were not even informed of events in the Department happening at the national level

Review of recommendations made on 14 October
Mr Thebehae said the recommendations were on critical issues of policy. He had avoided many recommendations, to ensure that the Departmental operations were not limited.

1. Continue to persuade the National treasury through innovative ways to fund the full implementation of the NSRP.

Mr Malatsi asked for the word ‘commit’ to be added to the recommendation, “Continue to persuade the National Treasury to commit to fund the full implementation...”

Mr Thebehae replied that no minister could instruct another minister what to do, therefore the approach to this should be persuasive than be an instruction.

Mr Ralegoma said ministries worked as a collective, so it was necessary to allow the Minister to follow his manner of doing things. He said the recommendation was best left as it was.

Mr Sithole said that there was need to add a timeframe to the recommendation

Mr Mmusi said that it is was question of semantics. He suggested the recommendation be written as:“To continue to persuade the National Treasury … to commit itself to funding the full implementation of the NSRP.”

Mr Mdekazi asked if the Members could ask the Treasury on what progress it had made on the request given to it by Boxing South Africa. This would be a starting point for asking for the funding of the NSRP.

Chairperson said no changes were to be made on the first recommendation.
Mr Thebehae said that the only mandate the Committee had was to request the Minister to follow up with the Treasury, and not for the Minister to give another Minister a mandate, otherwise it might never happen.

2. Ensure that all vacancies are filled as contained in the establishment and are funded in order to improve its capacity to implement its programmes.

Mr Ralegoma said the Department had introduced a new organogram. The Committee had to give it a timeframe as to when these vacancies would be filled.

Mr Bergman said that the Department should make an audit of what is needed and what is not. He asked how best a timeframe for the Department on the filling of vacant posts could be made

The Chairperson said that the Department had been able to employ staff during the FIFA World Cup, but had been unable to recruit of late.

Mr Ralegoma said that Members had to guard against trapping themselves. They had to avoid the Department blaming the Committee for limiting its number of staff as an explanation for poor performance

Ms Manana supported the need for a deadline.

3. Monitor the usage of funds by provinces in line with the priorities of the NSRP, as approved by the National Treasury
Mr Malatse said the statement needed more bite, as the Committee already knew that some provinces were not accounting for their expenditure.

Mr Ralegoma said that the Committee might have its own programme to assist the Minister with monitoring. The Committee should ensure that provinces were committed to their mandated task.

Mr Thebehae said that the Minister should ensure that the Department developed and strengthened the monitoring mechanisms for the usage of NSRP funds by the provinces.

Mr Filtane asked if the time had arrived to implement legislative processes.

4. Continue to lobby the National Treasury for a transfer of the 15% MIG funds intended to build sport and recreation facilities back under control of the Department so that it can facilitate the building of sport facilities within the municipalities.

Members expressed concern about the use of finances by municipalities, stating that municipalities tended to prioritise other programmes, more than they did to sport.

Chairperson said there was need for an audit and timeline.

5. Ensure that the facility audit be completed as a matter of urgency in order to develop a proper national sport facility plan.

Mr Filtane asked if there could be a timeline for the audit.
Mr Thebehae replied that the timeline existed, and was at the end of each financial year

6. Ensure that through the Ministerial outreach programme, the Sport Trust continues to build more facilities in rural areas

Members, through the Chair, agreed to remove this recommendation, as they needed more information on the matter.

7. Ensure that the entities implement the recommendations of the AGSA and are able to avoid irregular expenditure

8. Ensure that governance within the public entities is strengthened to achieve good corporate governance in sport

9. Ensure that all amendments to the legislative framework of the entities are resolved in the current financial year


Members adopted the recommendations.

Committee Strategic Plan
The Chairperson asked Members if they would review the strategic plan or endorse it.

Mr Ralegoma said that the Committee could endorse the plan, but room should be given for contributions from other Members who had been absent from the two-day workshop.

Mr M Malasti(DA) asked if they could submit their views to the Committee, and whether there would be a time allocated for them.

The Chairperson said that if there be any contributions to be made, there were to be tabled for the Committee to discuss, and would not be submissions

Mr Thebehae replied that as the term progressed, there would be a need to make amendments to the strategic plan to maintain the plan’s relevance to changing events in the near future.

Oversight Visit
Mr Thebehae read through the oversight schedule.

The Chairperson expressed concern on the travelling and accommodation arrangements of the Committee during the oversight visit to Limpopo. A request was then made that a team be sent to gain insight of the areas to be visited, and to finalise the accommodation, safety and travelling plans during the time of oversight.

Meeting with German Delegates
The Chairperson said that the Members present should be available to attend the meeting, since Thursday was a caucus day for parliamentarians.

The meeting was adjourned.


 

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