Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, director- general ...
...re a le dumedi?a. Re a lot?ha, mohl Tona. Mohl Tona, ge e ka se rage, e tlo tlat?a kgamelo. Ge e ka se rage, e tlo tlat?a kgamelo! [... I greet you all. Greetings to the hon Minister. Hon Minister, I sense trouble here! I sense trouble here!]
It is true that sport has the power to change the world, to inspire and to unite people. And sport can also build a sustainable relationship and friendship between individual participants from different sporting codes.
The Department of Sport and Recreation has a huge responsibility in ensuring that powers assigned to the department, which are in line with the Constitution of South Africa, develop and implement policies regarding sport and recreation.
In his state of the nation address, the President said that sport can contribute to the following: the development in rural areas, strengthening skills and human resources, improve the health of all South Africans, build cohesive, caring and sustainable communities and enhance international co- operation.
Re a tseba gore bjale ka Ma-Afrika Borwa re ikemi?edit?e go swara thonamente yeo e bit?wago gore ke Mogope wa Lefase wa 2010. Gape re bont?hit?e ka dipapadi t?a maloba gore thonamente re ka e swara. Bjale ga re belaele gore Kgoro ya Dipapadi le Boitapolo ?o ya rena e eme malala a laot?we gore e tle e kgone go swara dipapadi t?eo ka bokgwari bo bo makat?ang bo e lego gore lefase kamoka le tla makala - ba tla ?ala ba jele makeba makalo. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)
[We know that as South Africans we are ready to host the World Cup 2010 tournament. We proved in the previous games that we can host the tournament. So we have no doubt that our Department of Sport and Recreation is ready to host the games in an excellent way - a way that will surprise the whole world.]
Indeed, if we are a country which is serious and we want to be a shining country amongst the countries in the world, we must take sport very seriously. We must also go all out in a talent search in sport and nurture that talent. We can't attain the power to inspire and we cannot unite the nation if we don't strengthen mass participation.
With regard to school sport, during my school days, every Wednesday of the week was dedicated to sport. I must declare in this august House that I was a soccer player during my time. And I was a star! [Laughter.] [Applause.]
The Department of Sport and Recreation must ensure that they speed up their service level agreement with the Department of Education so that we can take sport to the schools and realise the talent search that I am referring to.
Ka gobane ge re sa dire ka mokgwa woo, re tla be re fenya goba re gatakela ditokelo t?a bana ba rena. Re tla be re gatakela polelo yela ya moswana a rego kgakakgolo ga ke na mabala, mabala a na le kgakana. Re tla ba re gatelela polelo yela ya moswana ya gore, mmala wa phala o bonala phalaneng. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)
[If we do not do that, we will be violating our children's rights. We will be going against the old expression that states that the good deeds of adults are always visible in their offspring.]
We cannot talk of talent search in improving sport without providing facilities. If you go to rural areas like GaMatlala and GaSekhukhune, in all the schools in those areas there is not even a single tennis court...
... e agilwego, mapatlelo kamoka ke mobu feela. [... that has been constructed; all the sports fields are full of mud.]
There is not even a soccer field...
... yeo o tla e humanago e le gore e na le bjang mo go yona. [... with grass on it.]
Therefore, we can't talk of improving sport while we don't provide facilities. But we hope that with the budget allocated to the department ...
... ba tla kgona gore di ditlabakelo t?eo di be gona mafelong ao kamoka. [... they will be able to provide those facilities to those areas.]
The department has set five objectives for itself. Each objective has more than five key strategic areas.
Ke moo ke bolelang ka tshepho e felet?eng ke re, go ya ka kabotekanyet?o yeo ba e abet?ego kgoro, ge e ka se rage e tlo tlat?a gamelo. [That is why I am saying confidently that, with the budget allocated to the department, I sense trouble.]
On behalf of the Select Committee on Education, we support the budget. Let that budget ensure that sport is being elevated to a higher level.
Ge ke felelet?a ke re: Go kga morogo ga se go tlat?a boleke. Ke a leboga. [Legofsi.] [I would like to stop here. Thank you. [Applause.]]