Chairperson, on behalf of Cope I would also like to extend our condolences to the family of director-general Petersen and pay tribute to him for the outstanding work he did with the department.
In the 2009 Budget Vote debate, I told then Minister Stofile to strive to maintain the funding so that the strategic plan and goals of the department could be achieved. Sadly, the budget for 2011-12 is R802 million, compared to the R5 billion allocated in 2007-08, as the Minister quite rightly pointed out. Admittedly, this fund was for 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup infrastructure. However, Cope firmly believes that the department is now hopelessly underfunded to achieve its goals.
Chairperson, Minister Mbalula has brought a fresh and energetic approach to sport in our country. His passionate commitment to school sport, transformation, infrastructure development and our being leaders in global sport is commendable. He has also encouraged local governments to grant leases to sports clubs that are progressive. The above objectives that the Minister is pursuing emanated from the roadmap outlined in the department's strategic plan of 2011-15. Cope supports these initiatives.
As an active sports administrator, I understand the critical issues facing people on the ground and the demands they are making. The department must address the lack of opportunities, facilities, funds, transport - and by that I mean getting to practices or fields to participate - and adequate nutrition in the rural and previously disadvantaged areas.
South Africans want to be the best sporting nation in the world. We want to create a winning nation that can achieve social cohesion and nation- building. To allow the people what they want and to achieve the objectives that the department has set out, a comprehensive and fully inclusive plan of action must be created.
Cope supports the National Sports Indaba to be held later in 2011, which will map the way forward. Minister, we request that the strategic outcomes of this indaba remain sports related and do not have an ideological slant. If that happens, it will impede nation-building and deter potential sponsors from investing in South African sport, and also impede our quest to be the number one sporting nation.
Cope proposes a plan to help transform sport and at the same time create opportunities for all our young people in rural, township and developed areas. Currently, we have the legacy programme from the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup rolling out sporting facilities, and the department has its objective of creating high-performance centres. Cope would further propose that an indaba be called where government, multinational corporations, sports federations and other stakeholders seek consensus in developing and funding centres of excellence and academies in identified areas of our country, and on the co-ordination of the abovementioned programmes currently under way. Our young people need them to develop their full potential and in order one day to represent our country.
We envisage that these centres of excellence that are strategically located will initially support the major sports codes in the main, and develop coaches, first-aid personnel, sports managers and nutritional advisers. These centres, created through public-private partnerships should, in our view, use the Zululand Rugby Academy as a model, which we believe is unique in both development and in transformation in South Africa. Minister, I will send you a copy of that model. We believe that the kind of indaba that we are proposing will identify where some 50 or so centres should be developed within the next three years, which is the term of office of this government.
The budget of 2011-12 in the main addresses most of the issues with the limited resources available to the department and the Minister. However, Cope has serious concerns about the following - the problem with being the fifth speaker is that a lot of these issues have been covered. Firstly, loveLife has been allocated R30,4 million. This is a disgrace! This is a third budget debate, Minister, in which I have argued against this particular issue. Cope demands an audit of how these funds have been spent.
Secondly, Boxing South Africa and the SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport together receive R18,4 million. That is R12 million less than loveLife.
Thirdly, school sport this year is allocated R27 million. This is R3 million less than loveLife. School sport remains a priority for the department, the Minister and the portfolio committee, and yet funds allocated to school sport have been decreasing progressively over the past five years.
Fourthly, the oversight of Boxing South Africa is another matter deserving attention. Cope believes that the appointment of members to the board needs to follow a process similar to the one used for the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa and the SA Broadcasting Corporation.
The smaller federations, and not only the big three all the time, ie tennis, basketball, hockey, etc, need intensive oversight. Some three years ago, basketball was named in the Auditor-General's report for some corrupt activities.
Virtually nothing is being done to audit the existing facilities in both rural and urban areas. The department has allocated R8,2 million in the budget for this purpose. There are areas such as Hanover Park and many others that are in dire need of facilities and the above allocations fall far short of improving facilities.
There needs to be a follow-up audit on the municipal infrastructure grant to provinces and municipalities. Cope is not satisfied that these grants are being utilised according to the legal mandates that exist. The mass participation programme which accounts for the bulk of the budget must be monitored more closely to ensure that the funds are giving us the desired outcomes and value for money.
Finally on the budget, club development has decreased from R5,4 million in 2007-08 to R3,1 million this year.
Chairperson, Cope would like to see a fundamental overhaul in the way funds are distributed by the lotto. Furthermore, Cope believes that the portfolio committee should have a role in nominating who should serve on the lottery board. Currently, there is a massive surplus of unused funds. The Minister has rightly said that school sport need to be revived, particularly in terms of facilities in the previously disadvantaged schools. The foreign funding of E7 million is a start, but with additional lottery funds huge strides can be made in the battle for transformation.
Chairperson, on the global stage, South Africans have been disappointed with the performance of our athletes, cricket team and football team. Our oversight responsibilities require that we ensure that going forward there is a marked improvement in the fortunes of our international teams. The SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee needs to be held accountable for the success particularly of our athletes in the 2012 Olympics. Nothing short of a significant improvement from the previous Olympics will satisfy the public and ourselves.
Our football side needs to qualify for the 2014 Fifa Soccer World Cup on its merit and not via a free ride as in 2010. With the huge amount of money pouring into football, we expect major progress by the national team. The Proteas promised much but failed at the knockout stage. Perhaps if they properly developed ...