House Chairperson
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Hon Gayton McKenzie
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee for Sport, Arts and Culture, Hon. Joe McGluwa
Honorable Members
The acting Director-General of the Department, Ms. Stella Khumalo and her Executive
Representatives of the various sporting, arts and cultural bodies
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentleman

Myself, together with Minister Gayton McKenzie, represent the broad electoral outcomes of our 7th democratic election, wherein, the electorate, has sent a strong message of cooperation, accountability and unity.

We carry the joint responsibility, under the banner of the Government of National Unity, to steer our Sports, Arts and Culture sectors, towards creating a truly non-racial, non-sexist, prosperous and united South Africa.

Our immediate priority is the development and sustenance of the various sports, arts disciplines and cultural offerings that represent and bear evidence to us being a country ‘united in our diversity.’

Over the last 30 years we have seen commendable progress in promotion of inclusiveness and transformation in sport, in the promotion of the Arts across racial lines and in the recognition of our diverse cultural groups and beliefs.

South Africa has truly shown, that we are a melting pot of talent and that despite our justified exclusion and isolation from the global stages during apartheid, our abilities and talents have persevered.

The South Africa we preside over today, is one recognized across the globe in the Arts, in Sports and in Cultural Diversity. We are worthy torchbearers and a host nation of many international award winning sportsmen and women, artists, musicians, productions and many more

We are indeed a country and a department that is ‘inspiring a nation of winners.’

House Chair, 5 years ago today our country lost one of its most revered sons.

A cultural activist and rebel, an epitome of our country’s cultural diversity, an unconventional songwriter and anthropologist. A recipient of the National Order of Ikhamanga, the legendary and late, Johnny Clegg.

We would all agree that Johnny Clegg in many ways represented a truly South African contradiction and spirit. A white male who at the height of apartheid grew to become a renowned musician and performer of Maskandi. A predominantly Zulu musical genre that is celebrated worldwide.

I wish to share with you a verse from one of his famous songs – Love in the time of Gaza:
‘These are my father’s people,
This is where the human tree once grew
We are the children of a new world
We have a new dream pushing through’

House Chairperson, the Government of National Unity signals ‘a new dream pushing through.’ A moment imposed on all of us by the electorate. A new world where the achievements of the last 30 years are the foundation upon which we build and accelerate our programmes to extend opportunity, promote inclusiveness and consolidate ground roots development in Sport, Arts and Culture.

SPORTS
Ahead of us, lies a busy sporting year. A year wherein Team South Africa will be proudly flying our flag when they compete at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which take place in Paris, France.

We have also approved a variety of international sporting events for hosting in our country over the next financial year. These include;
The Nelson Mandela Boxing Cup;
All Africa Junior Teams Golf;
Asia/Pacific Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships;
World University Squash Championships;
World Cup Masters Hockey; and
in December we will see the incoming cricket tour by Pakistan.

The department has, in this financial year, increased the ring-fenced Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) for sport infrastructure allocation from R252 million in 2023/24 to R452 million in 2024/25 financial year.

This has allowed us to increase the number of infrastructure projects from 20 in 2023/24 to 52 projects in 2024/25. This has been achieved through engagement and consensus with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, which is the transferring department of this Grant.

The identification and prioritization of sport infrastructure projects remains the mandate of DSAC as the custodian of sport and recreation in the country.

As a department we will continue to closely monitor these projects and to play a technical and project management oversight role.

Consistent with the mandate of the National Development Plan regarding promotion of healthy lifestyles and physical activity, the Department will continue to install Outdoor gyms and Children’s Play parks in municipal open spaces.

About one-hundred young people certified as fitness instructors will also be engaged through a National Youth Service Programme to coordinate communities and engage them in physical activity using these facilities and a budget will be availed to offer a stipend for their services.

House Chairperson; As a government, the creation of equality in sport is a major priority. We are unequivocal that the days of discrimination against women’s sport on pay and allocation of resources must be a thing of the past.

Support to Banyana Banyana, Women’s Cricket and Women’s Boxing amongst others must be improved as a transformation imperative and to acknowledge the achievements of these sporting codes both on the continent and internationally.

Netball is also a sport that finds resonance, particularly with African women and continues to enjoy popular support across the country. However, the investment by government in the sport neither matches the growing interest in the sport nor the success realized over the last few years.

We must invest in all these sports as an investment in the girl-child and young women of this country who have proven that when empowered with the resources, they have the ability to perform and excel.

THE ARTS

A research focused approach must be re-adopted to focus on heritage, museums, heritage sites and archives for purposes of policy development and guidelines. In striving for this a partnership with institutions of higher learning and like-minded institutions, nationally and internationally should be established and the department must continue to collaborate and support heritage education in communities and schools.

A policy on ‘basic salary’ and compensation of artists in South Africa must be investigated and legislated as a matter of priority like in the self-determination of the labour segment that government has considered and continues to consider in the labour market.

Municipalities must make space in the civic AND multi-purpose community centres where artists can display their work and make it accessible to members of the public and tourists to see and to buy. Through organized promotion of the arts, we will contribute directly to economic opportunity for artists and local economic development.

The Department has a mandate to transform the national heritage landscape of South Africa to be inclusive, by developing new monuments and heritage sites to preserve, protect and promote our heritage for current and future generations and; to remind ourselves where we come from.

We shall continue to oversee the development, upgrading and maintenance of our national monuments and heritage sites.

House Chair, as the department and under the leadership of the Minister McKenzie, we have adopted a practical approach to revive critical programmes within the department and to champion causes that will open the space for more sporting codes, art disciplines and cultural activities to enter the terrain and be provided with consistent and sustainable support.

We are resolute to revive school sport and to ensure that each child in school, is a child in sport, in the arts or in a cultural activity that has the potential to be nourished and to contribute to the growth and development of our country.

House Chair and Honorable Members, I hereby commend this budget to this honourable house for approval.

I thank you!

Summary
Myself, together with Minister Gayton McKenzie, represent the broad electoral outcomes of our 7th democratic election, wherein, the electorate, has sent a strong message of cooperation, accountability and unity.