Hon Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Mr Mninwa Mahlangu, hon Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Dr Joe Phaahla, the hon Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education and Recreation, Ms Wendy Makgate, and members of the committee, hon delegates to the National Council of Provinces, representatives of the SA Local Government Association, MECs for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Director-General and senior managers of the Department of Arts and Culture, our agencies and institutions, ladies and gentlemen, it gives us great pleasure to present the Department of Arts and Culture's 2011-12 Budget Vote to the National Council of Provinces. In about six months from now, the oldest liberation movement in Africa, the African National Congress, will celebrate its 100th anniversary. This will be a celebration by all the people of South Africa, Africa and the world, because the ANC was formed to unite South Africans in particular, but also Africa and the diaspora. This celebration will be an acknowledgement of the many years of selfless struggle toward freedom, dignity and equality for all. The 100th anniversary of the ANC is an important part of our liberation heritage which we must preserve for current and future generations.
As we preserve this part of our heritage, we must also be reminded of that seminal document of our people, the Freedom Charter, which to this day continues to guide the work of the ANC inside and outside government. We must continue to strive towards building the kind of society envisaged by those visionaries who adopted the Freedom Charter in 1955. Indeed by 2055, the centenary of the Freedom Charter, we must have made significant strides towards achieving the objectives of the Charter.
Part of what needs to be done to build the kind of society envisaged by those visionaries in 1955 is to continue strengthening efforts aimed at nation-building and promoting social cohesion. An integral part of these efforts is to advance the economic empowerment of our people. In particular, we will continue to strengthen the contribution of the arts, culture and heritage sector to the national goal of creating more decent jobs and building sustainable livelihoods, especially for practitioners in this sector.
It is for this reason that our National Consultative Summit on the contribution of the arts, culture and heritage sector to the economy, held in April of this year, took a number of far-reaching resolutions. These resolutions seek to ensure that this sector contributes to the economic advancement of all South Africans.
In this regard, I wish to refer to the declaration of that historic summit, and I quote:
Our culture and heritage is key to nation-building and social cohesion, and these are the ingredients for creating a climate of social stability and economic growth.
This declaration was made in recognition of the reality that societies with a greater degree of social cohesion are often more economically prosperous.
The more than 1 000 delegates at the summit resolved that we should create an art bank, launch a public art programme, and establish cultural precincts in all provinces, starting in Mangaung, the birthplace of the ANC in 1912.
A tour company will be established to support exhibitions and performances to tour locally and internationally.
The summit also resolved to continue with the implementation of the National Liberation Heritage Route project, which will tell the stories of our liberation struggle, from across the length and breadth of our country and beyond.
The summit committed itself to initiating a process that will lead to the establishment of a National Skills Academy for the arts. We reiterate that the National Skills Academy for the arts will not replace existing training initiatives in provinces, but will strengthen them and co-ordinate their work.
We are delighted to announce that the implementation of some of the resolutions of the summit is well under way. This includes the establishment of multistakeholder task teams and ongoing discussions with provinces and municipalities to ensure joint implementation of these resolutions.
As agreed at the summit, and in order to ensure the buy-in and co-operation of all provincial stakeholders in the implementation of summit resolutions, we urge all MECs for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation to hold provincial report-back sessions on the outcomes of the summit.
The summit resolved that we should work with the Department of Basic Education to develop interventions in the education system to bring arts education back into our schools. We are in discussion with Minister Motshekga in this regard. These interventions will include the provision of resources and support for both learners and educators in the arts. They will also identify and nurture artistic talent at an early age and promote the arts as a career of choice, as well as develop an appreciation of the arts by learners, thereby contributing towards audience development. We look forward to working with all provinces as we implement this important resolution that will contribute to the sustainability of our sector.
The path we have crafted for the arts, culture and heritage sector requires that we re-evaluate the manner in which we fund this sector. In this regard we will be readjusting our budget to fund the outcomes of the summit. We will do this because the priorities we identified at the summit speak directly to job creation, which is a primary focus of the work of government in the next five years.
In the coming months we will submit detailed plans to receive funding from the R9 billion jobs fund announced by the President earlier this year. We will also take advantage of the support measures for our sector, particularly in regard to crafts, music, jewellery production, clothing, leather, footwear and textiles, made available in terms of the Industrial Policy Action Plan 2, Ipap 2. In addition, we are working with the National Lotteries Board to streamline funding for our sector from the National Lottery.
We are mentioning all of this to encourage provinces and municipalities to budget adequately for the arts, culture and heritage sector. We must work together to prevent arts, culture and heritage infrastructure from either becoming white elephants or becoming dilapidated due to lack of maintenance.
Just over a week ago we convened a national workshop on geographical names. This workshop marked an important milestone in the ongoing process of our developing, as a nation, a common identity, as defined by the places we live in and how we name them. We are encouraged that the workshop reiterated that the process of name standardisation does not seek to obliterate the history of a certain section of our society. Rather, this process is aimed at building a society that all South Africans can call home, a society at peace with itself. The Freedom Charter says that "South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white". Going forward, we will continue to work with all Provincial Geographical Names Councils to ensure that the process of name standardisation is inclusive and reflective of the will of the people as a whole.
We now have a new Director-General in the department, Mr Sibusiso Xaba. The appointment of the Director-General is part of our ongoing work to strengthen the capacity of the department and its agencies, to deliver on our mandate.
We have also inaugurated the boards of the National Arts Council of South Africa, the National Film and Video Foundation, the Nelson Mandela Museum and the South African National Geographical Names Council. We are moving with speed to inaugurate all the outstanding boards of our institutions. Our intention is to appoint all outstanding boards by the end of this financial year. We thank all provinces for contributing to the nomination and appointment process of board members. However, we caution that provincial nominations to boards must be guided by the need to ensure equity in all our structures, including women's participation.
This year the Department of Arts and Culture will work with the Office of the Chief Whip, the Limpopo provincial government, and the Nelson Mandela Foundation to host the commemorations of Nelson Mandela Week, with the main event being Mandela Day on 18 July. This year, in celebration of Mandela Week and Day, we once again call upon South Africans to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to make a change in somebody's life and in their communities.
The Mandela Week and Day celebrations will also contribute to our goal of nation-building and the strengthening of a common national identity and patriotism. As part of these celebrations the Department of Arts and Culture will donate books to schools and libraries, beautify public spaces and promote the flying of the national flag at all public schools and public institutions. Indeed we also encourage private households to fly the flag. We trust that all provinces will join in these celebrations as we pay tribute to and defend the proud legacy of our icon, uBab' uNelson Mandela.
As I conclude, I take this opportunity to thank members of the Select Committee on Education and Recreation for their oversight work with regard to the Department of Arts and Culture. I also wish to thank MECs from the various provinces and provincial Departments of Arts and Culture for working with us, as we together build this nation and promote social cohesion.
I would also like to thank all our boards and councils, and the CEOs and staff of our agencies and institutions for their hard work. Last but not least, I wish to thank the Deputy Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, the Director- General, Mr Sibusiso Xaba, and all the managers and staff of the Department of Arts and Culture for their hard work and for ensuring that we remain focused on the tasks at hand. I thank you very much.
I now present our budget to the NCOP. Siyabonga! [Thank you.] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Minister of Arts and Culture, hon Deputy Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, members of this august House, ladies and gentlemen, policy priorities for 2011-12 devote particular attention to job creation, skills development and building a unified nation. My input on Budget Vote 14 seeks to address how the budget is aligned to meeting the policy priorities set out in the state of the nation address. In delivering the state of the nation address, President Zuma encouraged government departments to align their programmes with the job creation initiative and skills development. Therefore, skilling in arts and culture remains a priority.
It is against this background that I will reflect on matters which underpin the mandate of the Department of Arts and Culture, and find expression in the department's documents, namely: skills development in relation to arts and crafts; budget; nation-building and national cohesion; investing in culture; legacy projects for the youth; language; and the name changes.
In regard to skills development, the department plans to build a national creative industrial skills academy that will provide a platform for artists to perfect their skills. This will also contribute to the New Growth Path.
However, the question is how the National Skills Academy will link with the existing arts centres in the provinces, for example the North West Mmabana Cultural Foundation. Also, how will it be cascaded down to the local level and still produce stars such as we find today. Many of them are currently in the entertainment industry, such as the award-winning Presley Chweneyagae, Keabetswe Motsilanyane, known as "KB", and modern dancers Tebogo and Kagiso, who are products of the North West Mmabana Cultural Foundation.
The department continues to promote the development of the economic potential of cultural industries for job creation, poverty reduction, and skills transfer through the programme, known as Investing in Culture. The objectives of the Investing in Culture subprogrammes are: to provide empowerment opportunities for unemployed people; job creation and training; small business development; and broad-based black economic empowerment.
The worrying factor is that most of our artists are not organised. We would like the department to come up with programmes that will encourage people in this sector to form organisations, unions and, in particular, co- operatives, which will protect them against exploitation by well established companies. For instance, in rural areas and small towns women and men do beadwork and crafts, and sell them to big companies for literally nothing. This is due to a lack of management skills and industrial knowledge. To this day our musicians and actors also remain exploited, due to their fragmentation.
We are happy to note that the department has renewed its funding model and reconceptualised its structures, which will have a positive impact on the aforementioned objectives of this programme. We must recall that poor monitoring of projects under this programme has led to a decrease in the budget allocation from R131,2 million in 2010-11 to R119 million in 2011- 12, this financial year, due to an unfavourable forensic audit.
In regard to legacy projects, as we celebrate Youth Month we should be investing in the youth of South Africa as our legacy. The essence of leaving a legacy is not immediate individual gain. It is a collective effort to make certain that others are empowered, even though we may not reap the fruit of our efforts in our lifetimes. Yes, the greatest legacy is to impart knowledge to others.
Therefore we should not only be seen to be celebrating 16 June, but also have programmes that will empower the youth economically. Through the Investing in Culture programme we should be able to divert a certain percentage of the allocated budget to youth projects. It is noteworthy that even the department's own strategic plan is silent on youth projects to be implemented. No details are shared as to which and how many projects relating to young people will be undertaken during the current financial year.
Under nation-building and national identity, according to Zandile Kunene- Mbeje at the Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance, social cohesion refers to those factors that have an impact on the ability of society to be united for the attainment of a common goal.
The department has strategies to ensure celebration and commemoration of national days to bring about social cohesion, but we still see racial divisions on these days. In certain instances, the days do not have a meaning to some, and are not worth observing. There is nothing wrong with the fact that people celebrate differently, but we should all value the days. One question to ask is: When are we going to break these racial barriers? We can achieve this by changing the way we do things, like taking rallies or activities to predominantly white areas, but also by taking into consideration our diversity in culture.
At times one wonders whether we are serious about nation-building. I am asking this question because, as we are all aware, the Department of Arts and Culture should be leading in this. It worries me to note that some provincial departments are budgeting for different activities which are attended by different racial group. We should discourage these kinds of practices, as this divides the nation even further.
Let me also take this opportunity to appeal to the private sector to contribute positively towards nation-building, so that we can achieve a rainbow nation in its totality. Together we can achieve this goal.
We should encourage the department to work closely with provincial departments so as to broaden the approach to the project of nation-building and social cohesion. Instead of focusing mainly on public holiday celebrations, more work could be done to foster unity through practical activities and other public platforms.
In regard to languages, South Africa is a multilingual country. The country's Constitution guarantees equal status to 11 official languages to cater for South Africa's diverse peoples and their cultures. In order to achieve this the department has a programme called the National Language Service, which aims to promote access to services and information for all citizens in the official languages of their choice and to promote the use of all official languages. The budget allocation for this programme has increased from R94 million to R101 million in this financial year.
Seeing that we still have a challenge in promoting indigenous languages, due to a lack of relevant reading materials, a shortage of educators in this field, and community libraries which are not well equipped and easily accessible, we call upon the department to see to it that citizen participation is in the true sense and not just window-dressing. Let there be enough mobilisation of the communities to take part when these initiatives are taken, so that they can have a sense of ownership and benefit from the projects.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended the renaming of geographical features as a form of symbolic reparation to address South Africa's past, as many of the existing names of geographic features were not reflective of South Africa's society and its quest for national unity.
Geographical names committees have been established in all nine provinces. Those committees play an important role in standardising geographical names. The issue of name changes has created many challenges, and in some instances we have seen municipalities being taken to court, resulting in huge financial loss as a result of legal processes and hardened attitudes. It is therefore, critical for the department to clearly outline strategies in place to address these challenges. It is also important for the committees to engage communities in this regard by mobilising and educating them in regard to the processes that are being followed in regard to name changes.
Regarding national symbols, it is important that South Africans know and understand the signs that appear on the national coat of arms, which was launched on Freedom Day, 27 April 2000. It is also of the utmost importance to teach the public about other symbols which are not usually mentioned, for example the national bird, national flower, national fish, and so on.
The community library conditional grant is intended to attract non-readers to libraries by using 21st century gadgets that are most loved by the youth. The youth will get a range of tools and skills which will ultimately give them the edge in order to effectively participate in the workplace.
The other objective of this grant is to transform urban and rural library infrastructure, facilities and services, targeting previously disadvantaged communities through recapitalised programmes at local and provincial government level. The budget for this programme has increased from R512,7 million in 2010-11 to R543,4 million in the current financial year.
However, we must indicate that with regard to conditional grants ... [Time expired.] [Laughter.]
Hon members, there is a slight change on the speakers' list. I think you do have the new amended list.
Ms V V TAMBO (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Minister of Arts and Culture, Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Deputy Chairperson, members of the executive Councils of provinces, other deputies, and hon Members of the NCOP, it gives me immense pleasure to reflect on the national Minister's Budget Vote, and to share with this respected Council the synergies that exist within the plans of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture.
The budget of the national Minister of Arts and Culture is extremely refreshing at a time when every effort is being made to use the arts to bring about greater economic leverage for the arts and culture sectors in the country. The policy statement presented by the national Minister of Arts and Culture is a detailed plan to grow the economy and simultaneously build a socially inclusive society. The comprehensive plan has definitely taken into cognisance the voices of the people, provincial departments and other stakeholders so as to propel the arts and culture sector on a course towards recognition and unprecedented economic growth.
This compels me to really take an in-depth look at the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture in order to see the level of its alignment with the national Minister's budget commitments. I can state that there are hard-hitting interventions which open dialogue, stimulate creativity and contribute to developing a consciousness that gives the artistic footprint of our culturally diverse nation. The networks, social platforms and links amplified in the plan are part of the artillery to build a permanent space for a comprehensive social, cultural and economic development of the land.
This speech is being delivered at a time when the 1976 youth of our nation are being recognised for their decisive action in the student uprisings which pushed us further along the road to our democracy. Unlike the youth of then, the young people of today find themselves in a more challenging environment, where economic emancipation is still not a reality, and poverty accompanied by unemployment is slowly destroying our political gains.
Coming to arts for prosperity, it is within this context that the Department of Arts and Culture has chiselled its plans with a vision of "prosperity and social cohesion through arts and culture". Through this it aims to set the course for measurable, productive and meaningful transformation to swing into action, with human capital assisting in bringing sustainable economic growth and job creation. In order to achieve this, cultural industries are some of the critical sectors identified to improve tourism and achieve the national objectives of economic growth.
In addition to the above we are also developing an appreciation of the arts, as well as aesthetics, so that the stereotypes of the past - which view art as being only for the elite and as being an add-on - can be done away with. The programmes engineered by the department foster behavioural change, nation-building and social cohesion, particularly among the youth, who are the critical architects of change.
Concerning the provincialisation strategy, the department is in the process of developing a new museum provincialisation policy in order to accelerate transformation of the heritage sector landscape in the province. Transforming our museums and art galleries will entail specific research to ensure that there is representivity and an attempt to correct numerous stereotyped distortions and omissions of the past.
In 2011 we anticipate finalising the Provincialisation of Museums Strategy. This will address the aspects of Schedules 4 and 5 of the Constitution, which focus on competencies regarding museums. Extensive work will be done to complete the development of the KZN Museums Act to replace the existing old ordinance. This year, 35 affiliated museums in KZN will be supported with subsidies in the amount of R3,88 million.
The Time Travel project examines the teaching of history through the enactment of a chosen historical period. This is considered an important resource tool for educators and learners. This programme opens up new artistic and creative spaces for re-enactment to take place and will target the youth. It will therefore be done in collaboration with the Department of Education. This concept entails having mobile museums containing exhibitions, artefacts and resources relating to the themes studied in history at schools.
Regarding libraries, the department is ensuring that libraries become extremely interactive and inclusive in society. The Department of Arts and Culture in KZN has introduced the following programmes which are all aimed at addressing the needs of the youth.
On the New Literacy Initiatives for the 21st Century Programme, this programme aims to keep the youth gainfully occupied and to raise interest levels. Sir, 21st century literacy is the ability to use a range of tools and skills - technological, interpersonal and communication - to participate effectively in the workforce. It includes print, visual media, ICT, multimodal, scientific, technical and other types and modes of literacy. Young people are becoming nonreaders and there is a need to create alternative options and ways of spending their leisure time that are constructive, sociable, competitive and fun.
The Gaming and Wii @ your Library Project is the next aspect. A pilot study is to be conducted in 20 libraries, targeting those in previously disadvantaged communities. Computer game platforms such as Nintendo, Play Station and Wii Sport will serve as a drawcard for nonreaders by involving them in group game-playing in a social and competitive format.
I am delighted to announce that the Department of Arts and Culture has pushed the envelope in regard to the provincialisation of libraries, and has become the front runner in the country. The department received additional funding for the 2011-12 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, for the continued provincialisation of public libraries. It is proposed to use the funding to provide a subsidy of 50% of the staffing costs of the libraries, based on provincial salary scales, in all areas including uMgungundlovu and eThekwini Metro, with the latter only receiving funding from 2012-13 onwards. It is planned that from 2013-14 the subsidy paid to all districts will be 100% of the provincial salary scale, which will contribute to addressing the unfunded mandates and simultaneously build capacity.
The purpose of the Community Library Conditional Grant of R45 million in the 2011-12 budget of the KZN Department of Arts and Culture is to enable communities to gain access to knowledge and information that will improve their social, economic and political situation.
While the department is expanding its infrastructure capacity to build new libraries, a significant increase over the 2011-12 MTEF relates to a transfer to the eThekwini Metro for the building of the new state-of-the- art mega library ... [Time expired.]
Thank you, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, hon Mninwa Mahlangu; our Minister of Arts and Culture, hon Paul Mashatile; the chairperson of the Select Committee on Education and Recreation, Mme Makgate, and members of the committee; hon members of the NCOP; Members of Executive Councils, MECs, who may be here; our Director-General and senior managers from the department; board members, chief executive officers, CEOs, and other managers of the department and our entities; ladies and gentlemen, earlier this month the nation bade farewell to one of our icons of the liberation struggle - a mentor and teacher to many of us, and a mother to the nation, Mama Albertina Sisulu.
Some of us had the privilege at some stage of working with her in many structures, including the National Executive Committee of the United Democratic Front in the early 1980s, where she was the copresident, together with two other copresidents, the late Comrade Archie Gumede from Natal and the late Comrade Oscar Mpetha from here in the Western Cape.
Among her countless fights with the oppressive apartheid system, Ma Sisulu took part in the launch of that seminal document upon which our democratic Constitution is largely based, the Freedom Charter. She was part of those who participated in adopting the charter in Cape Town in 1955. She was also a key player in the launch of the Women's Charter and in the mammoth 1956 Women's March to the Union Buildings.
Ma Sisulu was part of that generation of freedom fighters who many years ago believed that the goal of a free, democratic, united, nonracial, nonsexist and prosperous South Africa was possible, and was also something worth sacrificing for.
As we bid her farewell and she lies peacefully in her final resting place, Mama Sisulu and her generation of freedom fighters will be proud that despite the many challenges that still lie ahead we are making progress in the building of the kind of society they envisaged those many years ago.
They will be proud that a year ago our country was overwhelmed by an unprecedented wave of patriotism generated by the hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. I hope, as we celebrate and remember this year, that we can still feel it; I hope it's not gone.
Indeed, at around this time last year South Africans - young and old, black and white, rural and urban, men and women - collectively flew the national flag and sang the national anthem with pride. In our diversity as South Africans we were united behind the common objective. Our sense of ourselves as South Africans came before everything else.
Our department will continue to take the lead in ensuring that as a nation we sustain this momentum which we picked up during the World Cup, building one nation united in our diversity.
It is for this reason that, guided by the resolutions of the Social Cohesion Colloquium which was held in 2009, we continue to conduct community dialogues in all provinces on the issue of social cohesion. These dialogues are aimed at ensuring that South Africans enter into conversation on what it is that makes us unique as South Africans. The dialogues will also seek to imbue our society with the authentic values of ubuntu - I am because you are. They will form an integral part of the national effort to build a humane and caring society.
Also of significance is that these dialogues will contribute to ongoing efforts to develop a vision of the kind of South Africa we want to live in and to secure the future of our generations to come. It is therefore critical that our efforts as the department in this regard be linked with the work currently being done by the National Planning Commission in order to develop a shared long-term vision of our country.
We will continue to rely on the leadership and co-operation of our partners in the provinces and municipalities as we engage in this important task of social cohesion and nation-building.
As part of instilling a culture of patriotism among our young people, we will this year also be launching the Trendsetter Initiative in all nine provinces, working together with the National Youth Development Agency. This initiative is aimed at creating a cadre of young people who will contribute to the wellbeing of our communities through the arts. As these young people engage in this task, they will grow and develop their careers as artists and contribute towards making better citizens.
Linked to our ongoing efforts to build a socially inclusive society is the need to pay attention to issues of moral regeneration. This is particularly significant since next month, July, is Moral Regeneration Month. The theme for this year is, "Together Nurturing the Good in Everyone through the Charter of Positive Values".
Moral regeneration is central to the objective of instilling in our communities the charter of positive values as part of building a humane and more caring society. It is for this reason that our department will continue to work with the Moral Regeneration Movement in promoting a more inclusive society that appreciates our diversity and sees it as a source of strength rather than one of weakness.
The hon chair of the select committee has already referred to the valuable role of national days. Part of building an inclusive society is ensuring that the commemoration and celebration of our national days are reflective of and embraced by all South Africans. We concur with the hon chair.
The celebration of national days must never be seen as the exclusive preserve of certain sections of our society. It must be used to strengthen efforts to build a society that is truly united in its diversity.
It is for this reason that as a department we will continue to work with other government departments and community-based organisations to encourage the participation of all South Africans in the celebration of our national days. To ensure success in this task we will continue to rely on the greater involvement of the provinces and municipalities in organising these events. The structures of provincial governments have the responsibility to assist us in mobilising all our people in greater numbers to participate in this regard.
The Constitution of our country directs that all official languages must enjoy parity of esteem and be treated equitably. Our Constitution further urges the state to take practical and positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of indigenous languages whose status was undermined under the previous dispensation.
It is against this background that we, as the ANC government, will continue to encourage the use of all official languages, especially indigenous languages. Part of what we are doing in this regard is that we will this year be tabling in Parliament and the NCOP the South African Languages Bill. Through this Bill we will, among other things, strengthen efforts to promote multilingualism in our society. We note the progress made by a number of provinces in their language policies, and we urge those who have not yet passed language policies to do so.
With regard to the promotion of the use of sign language, we are delighted to report that through the Pan South African Language Board, PanSALB, we have established a national language body for sign language. We have also appointed a South African sign language practitioner to serve this national language body.
PanSALB has also concluded workshops and basic training in sign language in the provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo, Northern Cape, North West and Mpumalanga to capacitate public servants in the use of sign language. In the Free State, PanSALB is funding the training of 10 sign language interpreters, who will receive accreditation and be placed on the PanSALB database of sign language interpreters for the province.
With regard to the language development of the San and Khoi communities, PanSALB is currently funding an initiative to translate a Khoekhoegowab- English Dictionary into an Afrikaans version. Working together with hon members, we will strengthen and monitor the work of PanSALB as it drives towards promoting sign language.
Hon Chair, it looks like my time is up! I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank hon members of this committee for their oversight and support. Guided by the mandate of the electorate to the ANC, we pledge to continue to work with you as we together pursue the noble vision of Mama Sisulu: working together we can do more. We do believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, as the Freedom Charter declares. We, too, feel that it feels good to be an African, as former President Mbeki declared in 1996. I thank you. Re a leboga, Modula Setulu. [Thank you, Chairperson] [Interjections.] [Applause.]
Hon members, I am the only chairperson here in the Council now. You are tending to act as chairpersons also. I have the discretion while I am sitting here.
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, members and guests, as a representative of the Northern Cape province in the NCOP, I need to start off with issues close to home and to my heart.
The Namaqualand and Namib Deserts are both named after the people who first lived in this particular area. Today the Nama people, also called the Bushman people, have become forgotten in a complex world. The indigenous people from the greater part of the Northern Cape, although the first people who lived in the area, now receive second-class treatment across South Africa. These people have seldom acquired any meaningful degree of wealth, nor gained access to political power. The political nexus continues to exclude the interests of these dispossessed and traditionally exploited people.
For interest's sake, for those of you who didn't know, Madiba has been shown to have a significant Khoisan lineage. Moreover, historical records show that the Khoisan people have been established throughout the Northern Cape and South Africa for at least the past 25 000 to 50 000 years. This is far longer than any of the other groups, who only migrated to the southern reaches of Africa around 1 000 years ago. Now, I would like to ask Mr Malema: Who took whose land?
The !Kung and Khwe Bushman served the apartheid South African military forces as trackers before 1994, and were initially resettled at Schmidtsdrift near Kimberley, and later at Platfontein, also near Kimberley.
The reason for my holding this history session today is to make us all aware of how we have forgotten to take care of the history of the longest living tribe of South Africa. We should be ashamed of the lack of effort, the effort not being made, to keep this rich history alive.
The vision of the Department of Arts and Culture is actually to develop and preserve South African culture and to ensure social cohesion and nation- building. After raising this issue with the department a year ago, nothing has been done to date, except what I have just heard from the Deputy Minister on the dictionary. I am happy to hear about that.
If you look at the new budget it is obvious that even our Department of Arts and Culture has decided that these forgotten tribes are out of sight, out of mind. I would ask the Minister to please take note of my plea and make a greater effort in regard to the !Kung and Khwe tribes. [Interjections.] Can I please continue? Thank you.
Order! Order, hon Tau. Can we give the member a hearing please? [Interjections.]
It therefore remains a great concern that the National Language Service continuously receives the lowest amount of our budget.
On declared cultural institutions, such as museums, the budget is set to be R323 million. The problem is that some get R58 million, others get R30 million, and others still get as little as R4,9 million. What is wrong? There must be some system to be able to allocate these funds in a better way, as it is currently being done by thumbsuck.
Museums with rich histories, such as the Magersfontein Memorial Museum and the McGregor museum in the Northern Cape, don't get a cent from this department. I can see that in the budget.
PanSALB's projects in the past financial year have been hampered by the fact that the chief executive officer, CEO, has been on suspension with full salary benefits, and that has been going on for the past two years. This is shocking, as they now want even more than the R56 million which was budgeted for 2011-12.
The Department of Arts and Culture's spending in provinces is also a cause of concern to us. Gauteng is getting 40%; provinces like Mpumalanga are getting a fraction of that, only 3%; North West is getting 4%, and the Northern Cape, 7%. To me the point that most activities are run from Gauteng does not hold water. I only have to look at the allocated budget for this department and some of the above facts and I smell a rat!
It is a great concern to the DA that this department was found by the Auditor-General to have had irregular expenditure of over R60 million. There were also a number of forensic audits which led to the dismissal of several employees. These forensic audits have cost the taxpayer millions of rands over the past few years.
How much money was really lost through this corrupt behaviour which led to the dismissal of the nine provincial co-ordinators of the Investing in Culture Projects? How does the department intend to recover such money from these dismissed officials? Will the department lay criminal charges against these employees? There are still stacks and stacks of questions that remain to be answered, Minister.
In conclusion, Nelson Mandela's dream of a rainbow nation with one future needs to be nurtured by all of us. We have to send a clear message to our nation, of unity and citizens living together harmoniously with a sense of belonging. Thank you. [Applause.]
Mutshamaxitulu, Minister Paul Mashatile, Deputy Minister Dr Phaahla, hon members, avuxeni, dumelang, sanibonani [good day]. I'm deeply honoured to take part in this very important debate today, seven days after the commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the Soweto uprising under the theme, "Youth Action for Economic Freedom in our Lifetime". Also, it is four days before the 56th anniversary of the launch of the historic Freedom Charter in Kliptown by the Congress of the People, championed by the ANC.
Through you, hon Chairperson, the great-great-grandfather of hon Faber displaced the Khoi and the San on their own land, colonised them and stripped them of their dignity. [Interjections.] The ANC-led government is currently clearing up the mess and the bad legacy that we inherited from the apartheid regime.
At its 52nd conference in Polokwane the ANC resolved that we should develop a policy that clarifies the approach to the naming and renaming of geographic places, such as streets, towns and public facilities.
These guidelines should include principles such as the need to change offensive names representing colonial conquest and apartheid statehood, the need to restore the proud heritage of the indigenous people ... [Interjections.]
Hon members, can you please allow the member to be heard? You have howled enough. Continue, hon member.
There is a need to accommodate diversity in our national heritage, and there is also a need to have inclusive and democratic processes.
It is a pleasure to note that the South African Geographical Names Council will be a subprogramme, as a focus intervention, in this financial year.
We hope that the conference held two weeks back will culminate in this envisaged policy which will guide municipalities, communities and the provincial committees so that we lower the number of cases which result in municipalities' and the department's being challenged in court. We therefore envisage that it will be advisable for communities to be educated on the processes and procedures to follow when embarking on geographical name change processes. This will help the communities of Gugulethu with "Native Yards" terminology and Mdantsane with "Native Units", and us with "Western Cape", "Northern Cape" and "Eastern Cape", which remind us of the Cape colonies and colonisation.
Something must also be done about the statue in front of our Parliament. We cannot leave it to the Western Cape legislature or the Cape Metro.
The bulk of the department's budget is disbursed to the public entities or agencies. Some of them are getting public exposure for the wrong reasons, for example, the Robben Island Board and the Pan South African Language Board, PanSALB, because of a lack of clarity regarding accountability. There have to be close monitoring processes by the department in regard to all entities and agencies through regulation, over and above accounting to Parliament, in order to minimise risks.
The mandate of PanSALB is to promote the official languages of South Africa and enhance all official languages, including the Khoi, San, and sign languages. The founding provisions in the national Constitution provide that PanSALB shall:
promote and ensure respect for -
(i) all languages commonly used ... in South Africa,
However, little or no progress has been made in this regard. African languages to date have not been developed into languages of science. Instead, African languages in independent and former white, coloured and Indian schools and tertiary institutions are facing extinction. Worse, you find that 95% of learners and students are Africans but still the medium of instruction is English. This is because of the lack of a strategy for the promotion and development of African languages. Conditions are not changing.
The strategy has to be linked with the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Higher Education and Training, and - more importantly - also with the communities. Parents have to be educated and conscientised about the importance of their own languages. There have to be clear strategies and programmes, and progress has to be made by PanSALB nationally and in the provinces in delivering on its mandate, as the budget keeps increasing annually.
At its 52nd conference the ANC resolved that indigenous languages such as the Khoisan and Nama languages should be promoted at all schools, with the intention that the learner be taught in his or her mother tongue. Provincial boards of PanSALB could work with the Department of Basic Education to realise this. However, once again the stumbling block for schools which choose mother-tongue education is the nonavailability of textbooks in the various subjects.
Hon Chairperson, allow me to give an extreme example. In the committee rooms where we sit every day there is not a single interpretation gadget to enable members to express themselves the way they would like to, in their own languages. You only find them in the chambers. The Constitution expressly recognises 11 official languages.
Also, hon Minister, the old practice where English and Afrikaans are used exclusively in our courts undermines the spirit of the Constitution. Ordinary South Africans interacting with the legal system still experience difficulties in communicating in their language of choice.
The interpretation services are in many instances inadequate, even in police stations, where people have to write their statements. There are many examples where interpreters not only misinterpret the evidence given to the accused person, but at times openly harass accused persons. That speaks to skills development and enhancing the linguistic diversity of the country.
Working together with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the Department of Police, and other departments, we can do more. On the national heritage symbols, we commend the work and efforts of the department regarding the promotion of the national symbols during the Fifa Soccer World Cup in 2010. It gave meaning to the nation, as we were all flying the flag as the Rainbow Nation; and we flew it with pride and dignity. The strategy envisages having 6 000 national flags installed in the period 2011-12. We would love to have all government buildings flying the South African flag, not only the schools.
More work still has to be done in educating South Africans on how the National Anthem has to be sung. We need to have a campaign and educate our national teams from different sporting codes, as they have been found wanting when it is sung. This includes high-ranking officials. What is worse is that they appear on national television! We welcome the identity passport and wish that it could reach all South Africans and be translated into other languages.
We would like to have access to heritage sites, and that access has to be available to all the poorest of the poor. For instance, we have heritage sites such as Robben Island. It is very expensive for an ordinary person coming from Khayelitsha to take a boat from the Waterfront to Robben Island. If you ask them how much it costs and whether they have ever gone to Robben Island, they'll tell you that they have never been to Robben Island. They've never been there because of the high prices of the mode of transport that takes them to Robben Island. The creation of the database and policies in the arts, crafts and performing industries is essential and highly welcome. These sectors are not organised, and are highly vulnerable and open to abuse. Talent identification, nurturing, promotion and exposure are key, as part of sustainable, decent jobs. This will prevent people from becoming victims of unscrupulous and fly-by-night managers and institutions. We also welcome the establishment of the skills academy.
We would like to see the department promoting women and youth in the townships and rural areas who do crafts, arts and beadwork, by linking them with malls and tourist attractions such as God's Window and Freedom Square, and also exposing them abroad.
The ANC supports Budget Vote 14. Mina ntombi ka Mzilankatha, Malandela, Langa. Khombule, ngiyabonga, ndza khensa, ke a leboga. [I am Miss Mzilankatha, Malandela, Langa. [Clan names.] Thank you.]
Chairperson, let me take this opportunity to welcome hon Minister Paul Mashatile to his new portfolio. His appointment has already created a renewed enthusiasm in the arts and culture bodies in South Africa.
Core departments, such as Education, Health, Housing, Transport, and Safety and Security, no doubt require huge budget allocations. The Department of Arts and Culture, while perhaps not a core competency - hence the budget cuts - is, however, no less deserving of adequate attention. Without the arts, a society has no creative spirit or means to express itself. Without culture, a society is faceless.
The Western Cape welcomes and supports the Minister's commitment to making it possible for a career in the arts to become a career of choice among our young people. His focus on youth development mirrors the drive in the Western Cape provincial government to promote our youth and empower them wherever possible. There is no doubt that today's youth are tomorrow's future.
Arts and culture precincts are the places at which this vision can become a reality. The Western Cape is already in the process of developing one such precinct in the area of the Artscape Theatre. This precinct will complement the theatre and provide a permanent platform for our youth and up-and- coming artists to live their dream and share their creativity with the rest of society. I hope that the Minister will be encouraging other provinces to introduce arts and culture precincts of their own.
What concerns the Western Cape, though, is that with all the troubles that have faced the Robben Island Museum over the past few years, further budget cuts to his department may continue the downward spiral that this museum has been caught in, and prevent the youth from enjoying such a rich chapter of South Africa's history and heritage. Forensic reports were produced under his predecessor, but it took many months before they were revealed to the public. We wish the new chief executive officer well in his restoration of the museum's image. However, we have concerns that, should the First Lady of the USA, Mrs Michelle Obama, arrive at the V&A Waterfront only to find a ferry out of order, embarrassment of the highest order will fall upon the country in general, and the Western Cape in particular.
Hon Minister, MEC Meyer would like to request that in the near future you and he travel to the Robben Island Museum together, to see what progress has been made, and find out if the ferry is at last sustainable, with the necessary parts on standby without the need to fly them in from overseas. This causes weeks of inactivity, significant losses in tourism revenue and the loss of an experience for tourists, who prize it as one of the main attractions when visiting Cape Town.
One of the primary purposes of the Department of Arts and Culture is to foster social cohesion and promote nation-building. Sadly, the Robben Island Museum fails to do this. Instead, the result is a negative image of mismanagement and corruption. The appointment of a new board and managing committee has hopefully put an end to this.
In order to establish a renewed focus on nation-building and the promotion of social cohesion, the department has started to reposition the arts, culture and heritage sectors as major contributors to the economic emancipation of the people of South Africa. The National Consultative Conference on the contribution of the arts, culture and heritage sectors to the economy, held earlier this year, was the key driver of this goal. The Western Cape MEC of Arts and Culture, Dr Meyer, attended this conference and was indeed pleased with the outcomes.
The Western Cape has much to offer in terms of heritage tourism, with some of the jewels in the nation's crown on our doorstep. These include Robben Island, Table Mountain, the Castle of Good Hope, the Bo-Kaap and District Six. Numerous films are shot here in Cape Town, with the brand-new Cape Town Film Studios opening their doors recently. We host the annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival, through which the Western Cape Provincial Parliament empowers our talented youth with music development lessons. We are also positioning Cape Town as the design capital of the world. We host the annual Cape Town Book Fair for aspiring writers, publishers and creative minds, the Design Indaba and various other creative events. With your assistance, hon Minister, these events can grow even bigger, and our vision can become a reality.
Delegates at the conference highlighted all of the above industries as drivers of economic contribution, and further indicated, as you mentioned in your budget speech, that:
... societies with a greater degree of social cohesion are often more economically prosperous.
Delegates also declared that:
The creative economy in South Africa has the potential to be a leading sector in generating economic growth, employment and trade, as is the case in many advanced economies
The Western Cape Department of Arts and Culture asks for the Minister's assistance in this matter, as our theatre houses continue to be underfunded. These institutions are vital components for our creative minds and conduits for our artists to express themselves. Stories need to be told, plays need to be produced, and concerts need to be staged. However, all of these need funding, not only from the government, but from private donors and business too.
The Western Cape calls on you to add your voice to urge the South African business sector to invest more in our arts. Without them, our artists will continue to struggle, and a career in the arts will remain a second choice to one in the business world.
Reports of the initiatives taken by the Lotto Board to expedite the allocation of funding to sporting bodies and cultural organisations have been welcomed. We call on the hon Minister to ensure that this body follows through on its promises and ensures that the funding does indeed reach the bodies in need.
Minister, the DA government in the Western Cape requests that you confirm that no taxpayers' money will be used in celebrating the ANC's 2012 conference to celebrate a political party's birthday. Rumours have it that the Free State provincial government has already budgeted for this political event. I thank you. [Interjections.]
Chair, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members in the House and guests, South Africa is a hub of talent. We see how gifted our people are on reality television and at arts festivals throughout the country. Yet our young performing artists and students have to endure great stress to secure jobs in their industry due to barriers and challenges.
The arts and culture industry is small, yet there is immense talent and the potential to expand and create lucrative markets and platforms for all our local artists.
There is a lack of funds for all aspects of our arts and culture sector. It is clear that the arts are underfunded in South Africa and we have to find ways to increase the funding so that our artists and heritage foundations can truly express the unique diversity and perspectives of our great nation. A pressing concern is the lack of music and performing arts schools in the country, especially in the rural areas, where potential musicians and performing artists and even young writers can be trained and groomed for greatness and to become the legends that Africa as a whole is so well-known for.
While many parts of this sector are unlikely to ever be financially self- sufficient, it is clear that we need to integrate business practice and capacity to make arts and culture financially viable, without compromising the integrity of the artists' creativity.
Arts and culture must be the most powerful tool we as nation could use to bridge the gap of inequality in South Africa. The reason is simple: Art is universal and it knows no boundaries. As a social tool it knits together racial and cultural divides and blurs differences in our society. However, this is often very difficult, as poor South Africans cannot, for instance, afford the cost of an excursion to Robben Island or even to Table Mountain.
South Africans should be encouraged to support local artists to focus on nation-building, a common national identity, pride and social cohesion, while at the same time appreciating our rich diversity.
Die Departement van Kuns en Kultuur speel 'n baie groot rol in ons mense se lewens. Ek wil u vra om rrig aandag te skenk aan ons kinders op skoolvlak, sodat hulle kan leer hoe belangrik kuns en kultuur is, dat dit werk kan skep, dat dit kinders 'n beroep kan aanbied, dat dit kinders 'n toekoms kan gee, en sodoende ons land uit armoede kan red.
Ek weet die uitdagings is groot. Ek weet dit is baie om te doen, maar Lotto bestee geld op baie onnodige dinge. Ons bestee geld op dinge wat nie nodig is nie.
Ons kinders het dinge soos biblioteke nodig. Ons biblioteke moet beter daarna uitsien en moet beter boeke kry. Ons biblioteke se boeke is nie goed vir die kinders om te lees nie. Ons kinders moet die ware geskiedenis van Suid-Afrika kan lees, en nie geskiedenis wat vir hulle voorgeskryf is nie en wat sommige kere nie die waarheid is nie. Ons kinders moet reggehelp word sodat ons kinders regte dinge kan doen hier in Suid-Afrika, want ons kinders kan die geskiedenis van Suid-Afrika verstaan.
Ek was byvoorbeeld bevoorreg gewees om familie te h in Zimbabwe en in Zambi wat die ware geskiedenis van Suid-Afrika geken het, terwyl ons kinders dit nie geken het nie.(Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[The Department of Arts and Culture plays an important role in the lives of our people. I would like to ask you to pay serious attention to our children at school level, in order for them to learn how important arts and culture are, that they can create job opportunities, that they offer children a vocation, that they provide children with a future and in this way pull our country out of poverty.
I know the challenges are considerable; I know that there is much to be done, but the Lotto spends money on many unnecessary things. We spend money on things that are not needed.
Our children need things such as libraries. Our libraries should be in a better state and should stock better books. The books in our libraries are not suitable for the children to read. Our children should read about the true history of South Africa and not the history that is prescribed to them and which, sometimes, is not the truth. Our children should be given guidance in order for them to do the right thing here in South Africa, because our children would have an understanding of the history of South Africa.
I had the privilege, for example, to have family in Zimbabwe and in Zambia who knew the true history of South Africa, whereas our children weren't familiar with it.]
I thank you.
UMntwana M M M ZULU: Sihlalo wale Ndlu ehloniphekile, mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe nePhini lakho, amalungu ahloniphekile ale Ndlu, izikhulu zoMnyango wezoBuciko namaSiko, uma sikhuluma ngobuciko besizwe, sisuke sikhuluma ngeciko lokumpompoloza komuntu ngayedwana ecula bese kuba nemikhutshana yethu njengezwe lase-Afrika lapho sinothe khona. Sinothe emasikweni ethu, sinothe ekuziculeleni lowo mculo wesintu yingakho abanye baze bathi iNingizimu Afrika yisizwe sezizwe ezixubile ngoba bonke laba bantu bahlukahlukene.
Ngilizwile iPhini likaNgqongqoshe lithi kukhona enizama ukukwenza ngale mikhakha yaseNyuvesi okuthiwa ngeyama-African Languages - iziLimi zaBantu. Akusikhona eMelika lapha noma eNgilandi, kwelika-Queen Victoria, sikwelabantu - kwelethu leNdabuko - lapho kumele sikhulume izilimi zethu zokuzalwa ngoba asiqoqi amaphuzu. Yilezi ziNdlu zombili okufanale zibe yisibonelo esizweni sonke saseNingizimu Afrika ngokuthi izilimi zabantu zithathelwe phezulu futhi zikwazi ukusetshenziswa ngokulinganayo kuyo yonke iNingizimu Afrika jikelele. Uma kungeqale thina kule Ndlu, kuyoba yishwa ezweni lakithi ukuthi lokhu obabamkhulu abakulwela kungasenzeki ngenxa yokuba ngamavaka kwethu.
Kulezi zinhlelo eziqhubekayo futhi esizibonayo emphakathini, njengokwakhiwa kwemitapoyolwazi - yize noma kukhona ongqeqe abakwazi ukweba kulezo zindawo futhi ongeke Ngqongqoshe wakwazi ukuba neso lokufinyelela khona ukuze ubone ukuthi kuqhubeka kahle yini. Ngangikhalile ngokuthi imvama ahlupha kakhulu emadolobheni, lapho uthola ukuthi kunesikole esisodwa samabanga aphezulu kanye nezimbili zamabanga aphansi, bese uthi uma udlulela ngaphandle emakhaya uthole ukuthi akukho nesisodwa.
Imvamisa ukusuka emakhaya uya emadolobheni kucishe kulinganiselwe kumakhilomitha angama-40 nama-50, ngeke-ke uthi ingane yesikole ingakwazi ukuphuma ntambama iphuthume kuleyo ndawo. Yizo zonke izinto lezi okufanele zibhekwe ukuze kubonakale ukuthi omasipala bahlinzekani, iMinyango ezifundazweni zonke zosishiyagalolunye yenzani ukubhekelela izindawo zasemakhaya.
Akukho okunye esingekwenze ukuze siseseke lesi Sabiwomali ukuze sikwazi ukufeza izidingo ezikhona. Labo okuthiwa yiBhodi leziLimi zase-Afrika kufanele ubabhincisele nxanye ukuze baphumelelise zonke lezi zilimi zikhulunywe yonke indawo ngisho nasemigaqweni emikhulu yalapha eNtshonalanga Kapa, silukhume nje olwaseKoloni, sithi 'Molo.' Ngiyabonga. (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Prince M M M ZULU: Chairperson of this august House, hon Minister and your Deputy, hon members of this House, officials from the Department of Arts and Culture, when we speak about art we refer to the art of a soloist, a person singing alone; and we are rich in our customs as Africa. We are rich in our cultures; in singing traditional music, and that is why others refer to South Africa as a diverse nation.
I heard the Deputy Minister saying that there is something that you are trying to do with the faculties of African Languages at the universities. This is not America or England - Queen Victoria's- we are in Africa, our native land, where we have to speak our mother tongue, because we are not trying to score points. Both these Houses need to set an example for the whole country by recognising African languages and ensuring they are used equally in rest of South Africa. If we were not to set an example in this House, it would be very unfortunate for our country and all that our ancestors fought for would not come to pass, because of our cowardice.
There are ongoing programmes that we see in the communities, such as the building of libraries - even though there are clever people who steal from those places, which the Minister is unable to visit to see if they are progressing well. I have raised my concern that this is common in urban areas, where you find that there is one high school and two primary schools, and when you go to rural areas you do not find any schools at all.
Normally the distance from urban to rural areas is approximately 40-50 km, so you cannot expect a child to finish school and rush to that place. These are all matters that need to be looked at so that we can see what the municipalities are delivering, and what the departments in all nine provinces are doing in serving the rural areas.
We will do everything in our power to support this Budget Vote so that we can accomplish all that is needed. The Pan South African Language Board, PanSALB, must work hard so that all these languages can be spoken everywhere, even in the big streets of the Western Cape - we can speak the language from the Cape, and say "Molo" [Hello]. Thank you.]
Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, the Department of Arts and Culture has the task of using arts and cultural activities to bridge the gap between the first and second economies through the Investing in Culture Programme. We are aware that this programme has been negatively affected by corruption and mismanagement of funds over the past few years.
The national call for job creation must stand at the centre of all arts and culture projects. Thousands of marginalised poor are not working. They cannot find decent jobs. They live on welfare grants and are engaged in unscrupulous activities just to keep body and soul together.
The question is: For how long will this be the fault of the apartheid system? For how long will we keep playing the race card that damages our social cohesion initiative?
Every tourist wants to take something away from the country visited to make their visit memorable. Honestly speaking, the celebration and commemoration of our important days such as 16 June, Human Rights Day, and those celebrating other important historical events, remain divided along racial lines. Cope therefore urges the department to act with the necessary speed to address this challenge. We cannot continue to politicise these important national events.
Whatever the reasons the President had for putting the party ahead of the nation, the youth of South Africa have vowed never to attend Youth Day celebrations again. One young person from Bloemfontein was quoted as saying, "It's meaningless. It's a waste of my precious time." He was not alone. A furious young woman from Polokwane believes Youth Day in 2011 was a waste of her bloody time and she regretted travelling to Soweto. The majority of young people are extremely despondent.
Given the historical inequalities in our society, deracialising arts and culture activities is a challenging task. However, Cope supports the plan to hold a provincial dialogue that will culminate in a national dialogue on social cohesion.
The roots of our society's inequality in terms of class and race are so deep that even the social cohesion programme finds it difficult to heal the wounds. Whites are always reminded of the brutality of apartheid while, on the other hand, blacks are reminded of their revolutionary duty not to forget. Public and school libraries are the key facilities where young people can receive knowledge to bolster their education. Libraries are more than buildings where books are kept. They can be the nerve centre of the community, where young and old can socialise and learn. Cope challenges the Department of Arts and Culture to conduct a serious audit of libraries that have been built and that are in the process of being built.
Cope therefore supports the budget. Thank you.
Hon House Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister Joe Phaahla, hon Minister Paul Mashatile, members of the NCOP, special delegates who are here, ladies and gentlemen, ...
... pele ke tsena ditabeng t?a ka t?a let?at?i, ke rata go gopot?a batho ba t?e ba di jelego mohla wola wa maloba. Di sa ba bipet?e le gonabjale. Go tloga ka 1994, mokgatlo wa DA ga o bone lesedi le ge e le ga nnyane. O rutha ka gare ga bodiba bja leswiswi leo ba le tlogelet?ego ke borakgolokhukhu ba bona kgalekgale. Ke bolela se ka lebaka la gore t?e botse t?e di dirwago ke mokgatlo wa ANC ga ba di bone. Di a bonagala dilo t?e, eup?a bona ga ba di bone.
Gona bjale mohlomphegi Mncube o bolet?e ka taba ye botse ya gore batho ba ga borena ba kua Khayelitsha ba palelwa ke go fihla Robben Island. Eup?a bona ba a e gana taba ye, gomme ga ba na mabaka a gore go reng ba e gana. Bona e sale ba t?ea mahumo a naga ye kgale gomme ba kgona go ya, eup?a set?haba sa ga borena sa Khayelitsha se palelwa ke go ya go rutha Robben Island. Re dira boipilet?o go Tona le Motlat?atona bja gore taba ye e diragale.
Ke tsena ditabeng t?a ka t?a let?at?i. (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)
[... let me start by reminding these people about their past. They are still stuck in their past. Since 1994, members of the DA have never seen the light. They are still in the darkness that they inherited from their forefathers long ago. I am saying this because they do not see the good things that the ANC is doing. These things are visible but still they cannot see them.
Hon Mncube raised the point that the people from Khayelitsha cannot access Robben Island and they are against it without valid reasons. They are able to access Robben Island because they inherited the wealth of this country long ago. Our people in Khayelitsha cannot access Robben Island. We are appealing to the Minister and the Deputy Minister to make it possible for them to access Robben Island.
I am now switching to the issue of today.]
Hon Chairperson, the ANC rises to express its support for this Budget Vote. We do so because this Budget Vote remains an integral expression of our commitment to continue in our national path of building a united, nonracial and nonsexist South Africa. It expresses our resolve to break away from our tragic past where colonialism and apartheid neglected, distorted, and suppressed the cultural and linguistic rights of the majority of South Africans.
Allow me to take this opportunity to pay tribute to cultural icons such as the late Miriam Makeba - Mama Afrika - Thandi Swaartbooi, Sindiwe Magona, Nadine Gordimer, who was the first South African to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991, and many more who used arts and culture to express their discontent with the apartheid regime's discriminatory policies and legislation. These women joined the masses of our people in leading the fight against apartheid and they made a decisive choice to speak against the suppression and destruction of their freedom of expression, cultural identity and linguistic expression.
The apartheid regime used various discriminatory legislative, policy and systematic efforts to stifle the cultural identity of our people and the cultural creativity that they had inherited from past generations.
Apartheid ensured that the practice and promotion of languages, the performing arts, rituals, social practices and indigenous knowledge of the various groups in our country were discouraged and, in many instances, projected as inhuman, primitive and unacceptable. Ge re phasa badimo ba re re dira dilo t?e di se nago botho. [When we talk to our ancestors they say we are acting in an inhuman way.]
Our communities were denied resources and facilities to develop their own cultural expressions. It is this legacy that our society was confronted with after the demise of apartheid in 1994. It is this legacy that we undertook to destroy in its form, content and manifestation when we adopted the ANC's National Cultural Policy as part of the policy imperatives that we adopted at our first national policy conference after the unbanning of the ANC in 1992, and outlined our vision and policy imperatives when we adopted the document, Ready to Govern. I don't know whether hon Faber has used that document.
HON MEMBERS: No, it doesn't matter.
Hon Chairperson, the advent of democracy in South Africa has provided unique and exciting opportunities for our people. For the first time our people's cultural rights and linguistic diversity are recognised, acknowledged and protected. In 1996 we adopted a new constitutional framework, which lays the foundation for the protection and promotion of the cultural rights and linguistic diversity of our people.
Section 16(1) of our Constitution says:
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes -
a) freedom of the press and other media; b) freedom to receive or impart information or ideas; c) freedom of artistic creativity; and d) academic freedom and freedom of scientific research.
Section 30 says:
Everyone has the right to use the language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice, but no one exercising these rights may do so in a manner inconsistent with any provision of the Bill of Rights.
Section 32(1) states that:
Everyone has the right of access to -
a) any information held by the state; and
b) any information that is held by another person and that is required for the exercise or protection of any rights.
Hon Chairperson, the 52nd national conference of the ANC expressed concern that the central and most pressing challenges facing the country were unemployment, poverty and inequality. We reiterated our determination to ensure that we use the heritage and cultural expressions of our people to expand our fight against unemployment and poverty.
We reiterated our acknowledgement that arts and culture and the creativity of our people represent one of the most important opportunities to further our goal to continue in our quest to crystallise a developmental state. We said this because arts and culture, and the creative expressions of our people, serve as one of the most practical measures to take the fight against poverty to our communities.
Hon Chairperson, this Budget Vote expresses our commitment to developing the cultural expressions of our people to fight poverty and unemployment. It shows the Department of Arts and Culture's commitment to developing robust skills development and training programmes that are targeted at vulnerable groups such as women, youth and the disabled.
Overall, Arts and Culture expenditure grew from R1,58 billion in 2007-08 to R2,44 billion in 2010-11, mainly due to additional spending on capital projects, such as developing Freedom Park as a commemorative facility, upgrading and maintaining museums, and improving public and community library services.
Over the medium term, expenditure is expected to grow from R2,44 billion in 2010-11 to R2,78 billion in 2013-14, mainly due to increases in transfers to provinces, as well as transfers to departmental agencies and accounts. These increases are mainly due to upgrading and maintenance of public entities, and the continued allocation for the community library services grant.
This budget also shows that it is in line with our commitment to promote and protect the linguistic rights of our communities, especially marginalised languages such Khoisan, Nama, siSwati, Xitsonga and Tshivenda. This is reflected in the increase of expenditure on the National Language Services programme, which grew from R87 million in 2007-08 to R111,1 million in 2013-14.
In regard to this paragraph, hon Chairperson and hon Minister, I have indicated that ...
... lehono ge re bolela ka set?o re be re swanet?e go bona Vatsonga ba apere"tinjovo", Vhavenda ba apere "minwenda" le Bapedi ba Ga-Sekhukhune ba apere ditsiba. Re swanet?e go bona gape le dirampha?ana. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)
[... when we speak of culture today we should be seeing the Tsonga people wearing "tinjovo" [attire made of animal hides], the Venda people wearing "minwenda" and Bapedi from Ga-Sekhukhune wearing "ditsiba". We should also see "dirampha?ana".] Hon Faber, do you know what "rampha?ana" means?
[Inaudible.]
You don't know. [Laughter.]
We are humbled that the department has made a formidable commitment and allocated resources to continue supporting the establishment of sustainable business sectors through its entities in support of the development of small arts, culture and heritage activities in our communities.
The increase in the budgetary allocation and spending under the Performing Arts programme shows that the Department of Arts and Culture is continuing to focus on promoting the performing arts, developing the local film industry, and maintaining and upgrading playhouses.
We are indeed happy that over the medium term, cultural development spending will focus mainly on consolidating and expanding job creation and skills development projects, through the Investing in Culture subprogramme and through mainstreaming creative industry practitioners and creating international exposure opportunities for South African cultural practitioners.
Hon Chairperson, at the turn of the 21st century the relations of production are shifting significantly across the globe. Traditional sectors such as manufacturing, mining and agriculture continue to decline. The new economy that is emerging is based on information, and the competitive advantage is human capital, creativity, innovation, and knowledge.
Hon Chair, in conclusion, the ANC is the embodiment of the history of our nation. It is the oldest political movement of our time. Next year we will take part in the historic centenary of this great movement of our people. [Interjections.]
Hon member, can you please just hold on? Hon member, can you just hold on? You see, the Chairperson of the NCOP appealed to us earlier on to respect the person presiding and not to attempt to dictate to that person. For that reason I am giving you, Mr Mashamaite, an extra three minutes to conclude your speech. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, apartheid affected the distribution of public funds in support of arts and culture activities and institutions. It created imbalances in the geographical location of physical arts and culture infrastructure, and the dissemination of culture knowledge. It is no surprise that some of our areas have no museums and archives to preserve the culture and educate young people about the rich cultural diversity found in many of our communities. This is one aspect where we would like to appeal to the Minister to ensure that it receives the highest priority. We need to ensure more resources for the building of cultural institutions such as museums and libraries.
We want to make an appeal to our government, particularly through the Department of Arts and Culture, to establish more government-sponsored activities and seminars to educate our people about the struggle for liberation in our country and the impeccable role played by the ANC in leading the fight against apartheid in the country. This is not about politics; it is about our history as a nation and the path that we have travelled to building this great nation.
Hon Chairperson, the ANC supports the Arts and Culture Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, firstly let me take this opportunity to thank members of the committee and all the hon members for supporting the Budget. We are very pleased that you are supporting this Budget.
Clearly all the views expressed in the debate indicate that arts and culture are at the core of our human endeavour and are the soul of our nation. Therefore, all of us must work together to ensure that we bring people together, unite the nation and develop social cohesion. We are very pleased that members expressed their views in that regard.
We may have differed on one or two things, but it is also quite clear that we all agree on what needs to be done. For example, we need to develop new museums and upgrade the older ones.
There are those who are concerned about access, particularly for ordinary people, citing the example of Robben Island. Although the people of Khayelitsha are very close to it, they are not able to reach Robben Island. Therefore we need to look at the issue of affordability. How do we make it affordable for ordinary people to reach all these institutions and all our museums, including schoolchildren, to make sure that they can learn our history? Access is therefore very important.
All of us agree on the need for more libraries in our communities. We will work with provincial governments to ensure that we accelerate the programme of libraries' being provided for by provincial governments and municipalities. That is quite important.
I can say that everybody here is passionate about language. We have institutions whose role it is to promote all official languages and those beyond them, including the Khoi languages, Nama and sign language - it is not only the 11 languages. There is PanSALB and we are going to make sure that we strengthen it so that we can develop all languages.
We will soon be bringing a Bill to Parliament to ensure that all the national government department institutions have programmes to promote official languages. The Bill is going to help regulate and monitor the use of official languages. It was approved by Cabinet today. I think it will take care of the work that needs to be done through legislation to enforce the use of the official languages.
There is a lot of work that is being done, but of course we can't replace the development of languages through usage right from when children are young. If they don't speak these languages, they will never know them. One does not only learn the languages in libraries. In fact, the best way to learn languages is at home.
Ntate Mashamaite, ge le bolela dipolelo t?e kua gae, le ruta bana gomme ba tla di tseba. [Mr Mashamaite, if you speak these languages in your homes, your children will learn and master them.]
That's what we must do. Let's work together as Members of Parliament to ensure that we give priority to the development of our languages.
For our part, we are looking at the history of the Khoi people. We are not going to neglect them. We are currently looking at creating heritage sites, including a possible museum for Sara Baartman. We are looking at all other icons as we go forward. We just recently declared most of the graves of our icons as heritage sites. We have also included places like the Voortrekker Monument, which we have declared a heritage site. We are not discriminating against anybody, because when you preserve history, you must preserve it correctly. Then it can be interpreted as to whether it is bad or good, but it is still history. We are not going to run around and look for things to destroy.
We will put things in museums where our children can see them. We even have to go and find that statue of Verwoerd in Midvaal from whoever stole it, bring it back and put it somewhere in a museum so that it can be seen.
Chairperson, we are pleased at the support of members. We are going to ensure that we implement the resolutions of the summit. Most of you who were there will recall that very good resolutions were taken by that summit.
At the moment we are busy with task teams that will ensure that we come up with concrete plans. Some of those plans are going to require additional funding, but we can't go to the National Treasury without concrete plans. We need concrete plans. We will then be able to go to the National Treasury and say, for example, that we have plans to create an outback touring company and we need to look at the funding for the film industry so that we can have films that tell our stories, the South African stories.
At the same time we must develop skills so that we have more young people who participate. I know that there is a concern that we don't have many programmes for young people. That is something that we are going to look at, because we do have a programme that addresses issues of youth development.
At the core of what we are going to do is to ensure that we grow the economy and create jobs.
With those few words, hon members, we would like once more to thank all of you for the support. We will continue to work with you as we take arts and culture to a higher level. Ri khou livhuwa. Inkomu. [We thank you. Thank you.] [Applause.]
Debate concluded.