Chairperson, esteemed members of this auspicious House, our friends and leaders of various federations from our country, especially those leaders who come from the Fdration Internationale de Football Association, Fifa, led by the Secretary-General, Mr Jerome Valcke. I am sure by now, he is no stranger to the South African public. I would also like to welcome the leadership of the local organising committee, led by its Chairperson, Dr Irvin Khoza, sometimes called Colonel Irvin Khoza, together with the CEO, Dr Danny Jordaan, and all the officials from the Local Organising Committee, LOC, sport and recreation and other formations that came to give us moral support.
After South Africa failed to trounce Iraq by at least five goals on 14 June, one newspaper dubbed Bernard Parker "Pariah Parker". His sin was that he had accidentally knocked a sure South Africa goal away from the Iraqi net. The following week he scored two brilliant goals against New Zealand. That very newspaper dubbed him as "St Bernard". What can denote the fragility, frailty and fickleness of our sport-loving nation better than this sudden change of heart? A few days earlier he was a pariah and a few days later, he became a saint. A nation that easily uses hyperbole declared after the game against Brazil on 25 June, "We outplayed. We beat and outfoxed Brazil tonight!". In fact we had lost by one goal to Brazil, but that did not matter to the South Africans.
This is obviously anecdotal. It clearly signifies the power of sport in society. It is shows how sport is capable of evoking national solidarity in mourning, like when Bernard Parker knocked that ball away from the net, but also how it is capable of lifting the spirit of a nation to unprecedented heights, like when we scored two goals against number 3 and another two against number 1 in the Fifa rankings of world soccer. Indeed, an effective catalyst for social cohesion. This fact was clearly understood by President Nkrumah when he donated 400 guineas towards the establishment of the Confederation of African Football in 1957, "to unite Africa through sport". Of course, hon Spies will not understand the value of the guinea. It is an old currency which would not make sense to the younger generation, but it was a lot of money during those days.
The same truth inspired Chief Albert Luthuli to take time off his teaching and political activities, as well as his activities as a choir master, and becoming a very active organiser of a nonracial sport in both soccer and lawn tennis. The young Mrs Albertina Sisulu was driven by this passion for sport to contribute to community development in her time, to the extent that she became a champion high jumper. So there is more value in sport than meets the eye and many people miss that because it is not easily discernable until you contemplate it.
As we celebrate the success of our athletes and national sport teams, let's be mindful of the lessons we could derive from their participation and the impact that sport has on young people. We should also not forget the role played by those who support them, whether they are administrators, professionals or their parents. They all contribute to the wellness of the nation, both at psychological level as well as at socioeconomic level.
Sport is therapy, and it promotes leadership and discipline. Nowadays, sport is a big contributor to the economy of individuals as well as that of the country. Within this context, we can, without any fear of contradiction, declare South African sport well and alive. Not exactly what it should be, perhaps, but very well on the way, anyway. Major events that our country continues to host such as: the Fifa Confederations Cup; the Super 14 Rugby competition; the Indian Premier League Championship; the Netball Tri-Nations; World Championships in swimming; fresh water angling and many more in various sports codes, all positively contribute towards change and unity.
We were talking to the management of the Blue Bulls just before the finals, and they were boasting about the role played by sport at Loftus Versfeld via the Blue Bulls, SuperSport and Mamelodi Sundowns who have changed the demographics of the spectators for sport in that very important field. Sport is a catalyst for change. We hope that, as we hold our breath for the announcement of the winning bids for the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups, South Africa will emerge victorious and get an opportunity to once again bring the world together on our shores. We know about the preliminary report of the technical committee, but that is not the final decision. The final decision on this issue will be taken by the International Rugby Board, IRB, on 27 July.
Our support to the bid as government is informed by our belief in our teams and people, and also the need for development in sport, which must take place in our communities. When we win one of the bids, we should do so as a country and not as a specific sector within our country. This is already taking shape. It was visible at the Netball Tri-nations when a team of rugby players as well as a team of hockey players came to give support to their sisters. At the Confederations Cup, I don't know if some of you noticed, many rugby administrators and players were there to give support to Bafana Bafana. South Africa had indeed become one country and one nation.
The legacies brought about by these championships go a long way towards bettering the lives of our people and for this to continue, we as a nation must also continue to give our time, expertise and where possible, other resources to ensure that our country remains a respected global player. This year we present this Budget Vote at a time when one of our sons landed in hospital after a gruesome bike accident. The young BMX rider, Sifiso Nhlapo, has proven time and again that, given a chance, the previously disadvantaged athletes can also rise onto the bigger stages. We wish him well and a speedy recovery. We are hoping that he will soon be winning trophies again and again. His mother needs that money because we were told how she mortgaged her house in order to make it possible for Sifiso to go to Beijing last year.
Let us also congratulate our world champions in rugby football. Both the sevens and the fifteen-a-side teams are world champions! The SA Freshwater Angling team are world champions! The Blue Bulls are Super 14 champions! The netball team are tri-nations champions! Khotso Mokoena has recently also out-jumped the world in Germany. Team Shosholoza, our cricket team, and our young swimmers and athletes all show a resolve to keep our nation at the top echelons of sport in the world.
Our own Bafana Bafana have also confounded the critics and left a legacy that has made all of us feel proud to be associated with them. [Applause.] We should always be magnanimous in victory and respectable in defeat. After all, that is what sport does to us. It does build very good citizens. It teaches us how to handle defeat and success. Fair play and respect for others are very important ingredients for a person leading a well-rounded life.
As far as sport and the economy are concerned, the hosting of major sporting events brings economic activity and employment opportunities into the country. The significance of the economic and social successes of small- scale sporting events should not be overlooked, as every year all over the world supporters travel significant distances to watch their favourite sport on a regular basis. Increasingly spending money on sporting events have also become part of a broader strategy aimed at raising the profile of a city or a country and therefore success cannot be judged by the size of the federation, but by the frequency and the quality of the contribution.
South Africa has demonstrated the capability of staging major events, ably supported by the willing and welcoming assistance of many volunteers and also support from government. It is imperative that South Africa develops a proactive strategy aimed at hosting more major international sporting events after 2010. The investment made by the South African Government for the 2010 Fifa World Cup needs to be sustained. This is a legacy we will bequeath to our country and local municipalities long after 2012 - eThekwini, Durban, clearly seems to understand better than anyone else the importance of sport in the strengthening of the tourism capacity of a city.
While we will continue supporting the hosting of major international events in our country, we have realised the need for better co-ordination in scheduling such events. This also applies within sports codes themselves. We cannot continue having competing events only a stone's throw away from one another. Neither can we afford to have competing events helping to divide our communities instead of uniting them.
Encouragingly, we have at least seen some co-ordination within football, where their Premier Soccer League, PSL, matches are scheduled in consideration of the Bafana Bafana matches. This is what should be happening in all national federations. What still needs to happen, is to have such co-ordination across all codes through integrated seasons' planning. Although this might be difficult in some instances, our federations should be able to identify major events that they could plan their programmes around.
In striving to create an active and winning nation, our department commits to keep on doing whatever it takes to have a significant and positive impact on the entire South African nation. Our scope is clearly one of nationwide impact with the implication that despite the delivery of sport and recreation at three different spheres of government, all of the actions and initiatives within Sport and Recreation South Africa will be optimally integrated and co-ordinated for maximum impact. It is sincerely believed that Sport and Recreation South Africa can achieve this ideal of making a difference in our nation. We will not tire in our attempt to maximise access, development and excellence at all levels of participation in sport and recreation in order to improve social cohesion, nation-building and the quality of life of all South Africans.
Since 2005 our flagship has been the mass participation programme. We have repeatedly reported on the success of this programme. Our goal is to see funds being used properly and leading participation to increase to 20% of the total population of people who participate in sport and recreation, with more sports festivals being held and legacy projects being supported.
While the hub system has had its successes, the creation of employment and skills development for unemployed youth has also made a contribution to the creation of jobs in our country. It has become clear in implementing this system of sports participation that we would achieve more if the hubs were aligned with municipal boundaries. Working together with the South African Local Government Association, Salga, we should be able to sharpen organisation and co-ordination in this respect. It was pleasing talking to the Executive Mayor of eThekwini about this. He is very passionate about it.
Sport and Recreation South Africa is supporting development in sport through club development, community sport and school sports programmes. In areas where all sectors are involved in sports development, there is evidence of increased participation in competitive sports programmes. To sustain the many programmes that have been initiated, an integrated approach to delivery is being developed by the different directorates of our department, because we must deal with the problem of athletes who fall off the radar after passing matric and do not get into tertiary or community sport.
In areas where there are no sports facilities, schools are being identified as sport delivery centres for the development programmes of community sport. The existing infrastructure in schools provides a platform for the launch of sport and recreation activities. The revival of school sport and community clubs minimises the loss of talent when learners leave school. This approach also serves to intensify and build community links, thus building stronger communities. A classical example of this was witnessed last weekend when I responded to an invitation by the Ziphozonke Netball Club of Empangeni, a model club which is not just talking about the possibility, but which has developed from a school and expanded to the community and other neighbouring communities. It has produced some of the best players at national level, both at the senior and under-21 level. It has also produced some of the umpires and coaches that South Africa needs so desperately. Of course, it has also produced top administrators at national level.
The establishment of clubs and community sports programmes also provides access to learners from schools where there is little or no sports programmes largely due to inadequate resources. We must emphasise that these efforts will not succeed if some of our schools still see themselves as islands in our democratic country. There is a tendency, and I saw this in the North West, where some schools and educators think that sport is an interference with the academic programme, which is the biggest nonsense I have ever heard, because what I have heard since I was young, was that mens sana in corpore sano ...