Muchaviseki Mutshamaxitulu, Yindlu ya wena yo hlonipheka, Muchaviseki Holobye, Mupfuni wa Holobye, mufambisikulu na hofisi ya wena na vayeni hinkwenu, ndzi ri riperile.
Muchaviseki Mutshamaxitulu, u ta pfumelelana na mina leswaku ku tumbuluxiwa ka mitirho i xin'wana xa leswikulu leswi rhangisiweke emahlweni eka mfumo lowu rhangeleke hi ANC. Eka mbulavulo wa yena na rixaka hi 2011, Presidente Zuma u endlile xikombelo xo hlawuleka eka tindzawulo hinkwato, mihlangano na mabindzu ya mfumo ku kongomisa maendlelo hinkwawo eka ku tumbuluxa mitirho. Ndzawulo ya Vutshila na Mfuwo i xiphemu xa ntirho lowu. (Translation of Xitsonga paragraphs follows.)
[Ms T L P NWAMITWA-SHILUBANA: Hon Chairperson, august House, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, director-general and your office, and distinguished guests, I say, good evening.
Hon Chairperson, you will agree with me that the creation of jobs is one of the priorities for the ANC-led government. In his 2011 state of the nation address, President Zuma made a special request to all departments, financial institutions and state-owned enterprises to direct all approaches towards the creation of jobs. The Department of Arts and Culture is part of this process.]
Hon Chairperson, as we speak today, the contributions towards job creation made by the Department of Arts and Culture and its entities are beginning to bear fruit. The creation of about 150000 jobs by the Department of Arts and Culture, with a considerable contribution to the GDP of the country, is worth mentioning before this House.
However, for the purposes of this debate, my focus will only be on Programme 6 of Vote 14, which is National Archives and Library Services. This programme is in line with the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act, Act 43 of 1996, the objectives of which are to provide for a National Archives and Record Service; the proper management and care of records of governmental bodies; the preservation and use of our national archival heritage; and for matters connected therewith.
The main purpose of this programme is to provide efficient management of archival resources and to ensure more equitable access to library resources over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. This is a very important programme without which vital heritage resources and information in the arts and culture sector will simply go undocumented and be lost.
The programme consists of four subprogrammes, namely the National Archive Services, the National Library Services, Community Library Services and Capital Works of Libraries. Some of the key objectives of this programme, which deserve mentioning, include increasing understanding, use and appreciation of archival library and information services; providing an infrastructural budget in support of quality library and archival services; and developing and implementing policy and legislative frameworks for archives and libraries.
The National Archives and Library Services programme is not only the biggest of the arts and culture programmes, it really is also crucial. This is demonstrated by the fact that it receives the biggest chunk of the Arts and Culture budget allocation.
Due to increased spending specifically on Public Works libraries and capital works of libraries, the expenditure for the programme increased from R456 million in 2008-09, to R720 million in 2011-12 at an average annual rate of 16,4%. Over the medium term, expenditure in this programme is anticipated to grow to R834,9 million at an average annual rate of 5,1%.
Some of the key projects that account for the massive increase in expenditure in this programme include the R302 million spent on the construction of 10 libraries and the upgrading of 56 libraries in the 2010- 11 financial year.
In his 2012-13 Budget Speech the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, identified the public sector infrastructure programme as one of the key levers of economic change. It is within this spirit that the capital works of libraries is expected to increase from R8 million in 2011-12, to R50 million in 2014-15, at an average annual rate of 84,2%. This is largely due to the upgrading of the National Archives fire system and old libraries.
While this programme has recorded some remarkable achievements in the past, it is still faced with major delivery challenges and backlogs such as the construction, upgrading and resourcing of community libraries, especially in the deep rural areas of our country like the area where I come from; expanding the South African Library for the Blind and Braille production projects; and enhancing the recording and archiving of oral history, which is very important.
You heard the Deputy Minister telling us about the conferences that are being held. This is very important because our old people in the rural areas, who cannot read or write, die with their information unrecorded.
The approved budget cut of R6,2 million for the community library services grant is of great concern to us. The transfer of conditional grants to provinces, based on business plans, for the construction of libraries, is another challenge because drawing up business plans for construction would in all probability be a difficult task for our deep rural communities that so desperately need libraries.
Tindhawu leti pfumalaka tilayiburari ti tele xikombiso, Mthatha, Bushbuckridge, Ritavi, ku hlaya i ku xurha. A hi veni na ntirhisano na Ndzawulo ya Dyondzo na tin'wana tindzawulo. Ematikoxikaya hi na vanhu lava nghenaka Dyondzo ni Ndzetelo wa Masungulo eka Lavakulu, Abet. Xana loko vanhu lava va lava ku yisa tidyondzo ta vona emahlweni va ta ti kuma kwihi tibuku to hlaya? (Translation of Xitsonga paragraph follows.)
[There are many places that lack libraries, for example Mthatha, Bushbuckridge, Ritavi the list is endless. Let us co-operate with the departments of education and other departments. In rural areas we have people who have enrolled for Adult Basic Education and Training, Abet. Where will these people get the textbooks if they want to further their studies?]
That is why we need community libraries.
Hi kombela swifundza swi lava ni ku lavisisa xivangelo xa ku pfumaleka ka tilayiburari hi ku hetiseka. Ku nga ri hi ku hetiseka ntsena kambe ni ku hiseka. Hi ririmi ra mina hi ri: "Endzhaku ku vuyela singe". Hina tanihi ANC hi ya emahlweni; a hi tlheleli endzhaku. (Translation of Xitsonga paragraph follows.)
[We request the provinces to find and effectively investigate the cause of the lack of libraries, not only effectively but also efficiently. In my language we say: "Backwards never". We, as the ANC, are going forwards; we don't go backwards.]
It is against this background and given these challenges, in particular, that the ANC supports the Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]