Chairperson, I would like to start by commending the Minister for the steps she has taken to address corruption in her department. Minister, this has been long overdue and it is encouraging to hear that you have taken action to institute forensic investigations and to dismiss and suspend officials.
It is hoped that there will be real action and results and that the officials found guilty will be dealt with accordingly, and that we do not have a situation where they are merely redeployed elsewhere. The arts and culture community cannot afford a situation where the limited funds available are mismanaged.
We are, today, 35 days away from the greatest sporting event on the globe - the 2010 Fifa World Cup - an event that could hold tremendous advantages for the arts and culture practitioners of South Africa.
I also have to thank you at this point, Minister, for your intervention following the outcry of our local artists when they were, to a large extent, excluded from the kick-off concert for the World Cup, and we look forward to seeing South African and African artists making us proud on the world stage. This outcry, indeed, also again highlighted the plight of South African artists in terms of opportunities and support. The great expectation of 2010 is that it will provide a wonderful opportunity for our artists and cultural practitioners to showcase the rich and diverse variety of what our country has to offer the world.
The question is, however: To what extent will these expectations and promises be fulfilled? As I have mentioned, we applaud the Minister for ensuring that our artists will be performing at the kick-off concert, but the question is: What has the Department done up to now to fulfil the promises made to the arts and culture community? Now Minister, up to this point, a few minutes ago, my answer would have been that I don't know.
Today is the first time that we do have some detail of what is going to happen with arts and culture in 2010. And I don't just say this; we have reasons for this.
In February this year, the DA asked questions about the allegedly missing R150 million promised to arts and culture projects and productions for the World Cup. To date, we have not received any response.
In October last year we asked questions about the department's involvement in the opening ceremonies, and we were assured in a reply that the department is very closely involved in the planning and execution of these ceremonies, but, once again, no detail.
At a parliamentary portfolio committee meeting on 10 March this year, it was announced that 43 proposals from the arts and culture community were approved for 2010 and that the list would be made available to the committee within two weeks. It is two months later and to date no such list has been forwarded. I have also not received any replies to my requests made to the department officials.
It is, therefore, also not strange that we have heard on television and on radio, from representatives of the arts community, for example, the Creative Workers Union of South Africa, that they had no idea which projects and performances would be included. We only heard today and we are 35 days away from the World Cup.
This is unfortunately also the case with many matters in the department and this portfolio. We do not get answers from the Minister and if we do eventually, like for example last year, we only receive replies right at the end of the year. This seriously impacts on our ability to fulfil our oversight duties as required by the Constitution. The same goes for the portfolio committee, where we have not yet undertaken a single oversight visit.
But let's return to the World Cup. We have to realise that the World Cup is a once-off event. We also have to look beyond 2010 if we want to address the needs of South African artists. It is, therefore, a major reason for concern that the transfers to the National Arts Council have been reduced by R15 million in 2010-11 and R15 million in 2011-12.
At first glance this is not good news for our artists who are struggling to obtain funds for their projects. However, what makes it even worse is the reason for this cut in the budget. It is because of the council's large accumulated surpluses, mainly due to unallocated grants over a number of years. This is totally unacceptable.
We constantly hear of the dire need for funds in the performing arts community. A number of performing arts are literally on the verge of closing down. Emergency steps have to be taken by the performers themselves to save their art. Examples of this are dance, including ballet, and philharmonic orchestras; this while the National Arts Council has not been able to allocate the funds available for this purpose.
Minister, this situation cannot continue. We owe it to the arts community to ensure that the funds made available to promote and support it, are indeed used for this purpose. And in this regard, we have to promote and protect all the different forms of art and not only a select few.
Minister, in your budget speech last year you spoke about the department's Investing in Culture pprogramme. As you said, this programme has the aim of providing empowerment opportunities for unemployed people through skills development, training, and job creation in the cultural industries. It is important that rural communities, the youth and vulnerable groups benefit from cultural industries. It is thus indeed a programme that one would expect to be given priority attention in its implementation, given the high level of unemployment in our country.
This programme was, in fact, meant to be a driving force in terms of a poverty alleviation strategy in government. However, the reality is that the Department of Arts and Culture is anticipating underspending on this programme. By the end of the third quarter of 2009-10 expenditure, it has only spent 33% of the R93 million allocated to this project. Surely this is not in the interests of the people who have to benefit from this programme. Hon Minister, this programme can actually make a difference in people's lives and therefore it should be a main priority with proper utilisation of the allocated funds.
The main priority, however, should not be international trips. In this regard the department has not had problems in spending money. And although this was not during your term of office, Minister - I acknowledge this - the expenditure on international trips for this department increased from R19 million in 2007-08 by 111% to R40 million in 2008-09.
One had hoped that this trend would not continue, but the worrying fact, however, is that the department has reported a high spending of 87% at the end of the third quarter of 2009-10 in current payments due to international travelling expenses and that overspending is in fact envisaged.
It is clear that the department has a challenge in terms of financial planning and it also seems as if the department uses the adjustment period to address financial planning capacity problems.
Minister, although, as I mentioned earlier, your efforts in trying to root out corruption in the department are commendable, you will have to ensure that the financial challenges are addressed and that the suspension of officials does not impact negatively on service delivery.
It was also encouraging to hear from the director-general yesterday at a portfolio committee meeting that senior positions in the department will be filled in the near future and that the problem of acting senior officials, such as directors, will be a thing of the past. It is, however, not yet clear whether this also includes the position of chief financial officer, a position that has been vacant since early 2008.
Agb Minister, een van die belangrikste oogmerke van u departement is nasionale versoening en sosiale kohesie of samehorigheid, soos wat u ook na verwys het. Dit is egter twee sake wat die afgelope tyd ernstige skade gelei het deur onverantwoordelike uitsprake en die sing van kwetsende liedjies. Op Vryheidsdag het die President ook verwys na Suid-Afrikaners wat nie mekaar se tradisies, kulture, godsdiens en gebruike ken en verstaan nie. Dit is inderdaad belangrik as ons in vrede as burgers van die land wil woon en werk.
Dit is egter ook so dat dit nie voldoende is om sodanige stellings van 'n verhoog tydens nasionale dae te maak nie. Dit is belangrik genoeg dat die regering daadwerklik leiding moet gee deur dade en dit is waar u departement voor moet loop.
Alhoewel daar baie aspekte verbonde aan kultuur, tradisies, godsdiens en so meer is, is taal waarskynlik een van die meer prominente aspekte wat aandag moet geniet in hierdie verband. Dit kan gesien word in die heftige debat rondom taal. Voorbeelde hiervan is die kommer oor die voortbestaan van Afrikaans se status as onderrigtaal hor onderwys, die afwesigheid van ons inheemse tale aan horonderwysinstellings, die behoefte aan moedertaalonderrig op skool en gebrekkige toegang tot dienslewering as gevolg van taal, byvoorbeeld by polisiestasies, hospitale, klinieke en munispaliteite waar landsburgers nie in hulle eie tale bedien kan word nie.
'n AGB LID: Hoor, hoor!