Hon Deputy Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers and hon members, one of the very important structures of the national lottery is the distribution agencies. Part of the objectives for amending the Lotteries Act is to professionalise the distributing agencies, to make the them accountable to the National Lotteries Board and to shorten the turnaround time for adjudicating the applications for grants and distributing the funds to the NGOs, the community-based organisations, CBOs, the arts, cultural, heritage and sports organisations.
The Bill provides that the Minister shall appoint the members of the distributing agencies to serve on a full-time basis. It further provides that such persons must have a suitable combination of qualifications, skills and expertise to consider, evaluate and adjudicate applications for grants and make recommendations to the board for funding of worthy, good causes.
These provisions will make the distributing agencies a lot more efficient and prompt in carrying out the task of considering and adjudicating the applications and in submitting their recommendations to the board. They will also be able to alert the applicants timeously when their applications do not meet the requirements and assist these applicants where necessary.
There are self-appointed advisers to the small community organisations, especially in rural and historically disadvantaged communities - organisations which my friend hon Hill-Lewis said are organisations that submit applications on behalf of these organisations. However, what he forgot to mention is that those who act on behalf of these organisations charge a fee out of the allocated funds. We are convinced that this task should be performed by the full-time members of the distributing agencies at no fee. It is for this reason that we have directed that the regulations must provide for this free service to these disadvantaged community organisations and that the application forms must be made easy and less cumbersome for these small but deserving good causes.
Kuzosiza kakhulu-ke lokhu, kusize futhi nezinhlangano zemiphakathi yakithi esezindaweni zasemakhaya ezenza imisebenzi ebalulekile yokusiza abantu njengezinkulisa, izinhlangano ezinakekela izintandane lapho iMinyango kaHulumeni ingakakwazi ukufinyelela khona nezinye izinhlangano ezifana nalezo. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[This will help us a lot, and it will also assist those community-based organisations in our rural areas, which are doing very important work in helping people by providing crche facilities, as well as the welfare organisations that look after the welfare of the orphans in areas where government departments and other organisations of that nature do not reach.]
The amending Bill mandates the National Lotteries Commission to do proactive funding of good causes. The commission will conduct research and identify a need to fund projects which address the urgent needs of communities that are aligned to government priorities. Some of this proactive funding might attend to emergencies caused by natural disasters.
Lezi zidingo eziphuthumayo ezinjengamabhuloho azosiza umphakathi nezingane zesikole ukuthi ziwele uma ziya noma zibuya esikoleni, isikole esiyisakhiwo esingaphephile, izikole ezingakabi nezindlu zangasese, nemizi edilizwe yizikhukhula, nanoma yisiphi isidingo esiphuthumayo esizoxazulula izinkinga ezikhungethe umphakathi zibaliwe kulo Mthethosivivinywa. Kodwa lokhu kuzokwenzeka ngokubambisana nabaPhathiswa besiFundazwe noHulumeni baseKhaya.
Kuyasijabulisa-ke thina bakaKhongolose ukuthi abaHoli beNdabuko ngokumelwa yiNdlu kaZwelonke yobuKhosi beNdabuko bafika emhlanganweni weKomidi bezokwenza iziphakamiso ezibalulekile futhi bezokweseka lesi siChibiyelo salo Mthetho. Futhi abaHoli bezwakalisa ukuthanda nokuzimisela ukusebenzisana nezinhlaka ze-National Lotteries ukuze kusizakale imiphakathi eyakhele izindawo ezingaphansi kobuKhosi beNdabuko. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Emergency facilities, like bridges, which the community and school children use to cross rivers to get to and from school, unsafe school buildings, schools without proper toilets, houses that were destroyed by natural disasters, and any other emergency that can solve the community's problems are catered for in this Bill. But this will only happen with the co-operation of the MECs and local governments.
It makes us as the ANC happy that the traditional leaders, represented by the National House of Traditional Leaders, attended the committee meeting to make a very important submission and also to support this amending Bill. The traditional leaders have indicated that they are committed to working with the structures of the National Lotteries Board of South Africa so that the communities that reside in areas under the traditional authorities can be served.]
We must also mention that the traditional leaders made their Traditional Council offices available to the commission and the distributing agencies for the purpose of conducting research and for facilitating the proactive funding of urgent good causes.
It is worth mentioning that in addition to many NGOs, CBOs and other interest groups, at least two national youth formations - one of which represents the SADC region as a whole - representing the wide range of youth organisations our country, made valuable recommendations to the portfolio committee and expressed their support for the amendments of the Lotteries Amendment Bill.
The amending Bill sets out no less than eight criteria which empower the Minister to decide not to appoint a person to serve as a member of the distributing agency. For instance, a political office bearer, a person who has been found by the court of law in the Republic or elsewhere to have acted fraudulently, dishonestly and unprofessionally, etc, may not be appointed.
In addition, a member of the distributing agency must submit to the Minister, the board and the commission, before being appointed, a written declaration stating whether or not he or she has any direct interest, financially or otherwise, and whether or not such interest may constitute a conflict of interest.
We, as the ANC, are satisfied that, if passed into an Act, this Bill will better serve our people. We therefore support the Lotteries Amendment Bill and request Parliament to pass it. I thank you. [Applause.]