Committee Reports: Oversight Visits to Eastern and Western Cape

Meeting report

SPORT AND RECREATION PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
13 March 2006
COMMITTEE REPORTS: OVERSIGHT VISITS TO EASTERN AND WESTERN CAPE

Chairperson: Mr B Komphela (ANC)

Documents handed out:
Draft Report on Oversight Visit to the Eastern Cape

Relevant documents:
Committee Report on Oversight Visit to the Western Cape [available shortly at Committee Reports]

SUMMARY
The Committee discussed draft reports on its oversight visits to the Eastern and Western Cape. Among others, the Committee recommended that local authorities should make use of the 5% component of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant that had been set aside for the maintenance of sports facilities; that sports facilities had to be identified in Integrated Development Plans in order to qualify for the Municipal Infrastructure Grant funding; that the conflict between rival sports councils in Port Elizabeth should be resolved through discussion; that a decision should be made to limit the monopolisation of indoor sports facilities for non-sporting purposes; that caretakers at sports facilities should be trained as managers to combat vandalism; that more central control was needed of sports academies and that clarity should be obtained on the schools sports programme.

The reports could not be adopted as a quorum of Members was not present. They would be formally adopted on 15 March.

MINUTES
The Chairperson explained that the Boxing South Africa Annual Report would be reconsidered at a meeting on 15 March. The main purpose of this meeting would be discussion of the Committee report on its oversight visit to the Eastern Cape during 2005

Discussion of Committee Report on Oversight Visit to the Eastern Cape
The Chairperson explained that 5% of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) allocated to the provinces had to be committed to maintenance of sports facilities. This must be added to any request for new developments. He was not sure if this would be enough, but the amount would probably be increased in the near future.

The Chairperson stated that the presentation given by the Nelson Mandela Metropole (NMM) authorities had been "good". However, the two conflicting factions should have sent letters to the Committee. The information in these letters could be forwarded to the Member of the (Provincial) Executive (MEC) for resolution. The Committee would then be in a position to make recommendations with confidence.

Ms N Nonqabi (Committee Secretary) reported that a letter had been sent during 2005, but there had not yet been any response from the Eastern Cape Department of Sport and Recreation. The Chairperson said that, once the responses had been received, copies should be given to the Members of the Committee, which could then follow-up with the Eastern Cape authorities. This issue should be finalised before the Committee’s study visit to Germany.

Mr D Lee (DA) said that the sports councils were the key to the planning for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. He felt the sooner this matter was settled the better.

The Chairperson referred to an issue regarding Eastern Province cricket stating that "some matters were not right". However, this did not warrant another visit. The issue should be settled in the public hearings on the Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) budget.

The Chairperson queried the location of sports facilities for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. There was a need to ensure that schools and other institutions were involved in the development of new facilities, which would help with the process of internalisation. At the meeting on 15 March, Mr Dali Mpofu would present the Boxing SA report. He would be asked about the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) plans to provide big screens for the Soccer World Cup. He also mentioned the launch of the Siyanqoba campaign. A suitable date for the launch was required so that the maximum number of parliamentarians could participate.

The Chairperson mentioned the kwaNaloga games. He observed that local and provincial authorities were organising separate events. He queried if local authorities had the capability to arrange such events, and where they fitted in with other national games.

The Chairperson said that the Committee report must recommend that the 5% maintenance component of the MIG must be used. Other municipalities had to be informed of this requirement and how to access the funding.

The Chairperson stated that a legislative blueprint for sports transformation was forthcoming. This was being dealt with at present. Government needed a way to control sport, and a Bill was currently being finalised in Cabinet. Of the federations consulted during the oversight visit, none had argued against government involvement in sport. All of the federations in Port Elizabeth had agreed that legislation was needed quickly so that the impact could be seen forthwith.

The Chairperson asked who was in control of indoor sport facilities. He asked this in the light of a facility developed by the Department of Transport in Gauteng. He asked what the role of SRSA should be in relation to indoor facilities. He recommended that indoor facilities could be better used by the community as an alternative venue on rainy days or for cultural events. The government needed to continue with the development of multi-purpose indoor facilities. He asked if other government departments could also build facilities. This should be encouraged as it would help SRSA achieve its mission.

The Chairperson referred to the tension between two sports councils in Port Elizabeth. He said the Committee report should recommend that the Committee would assist the NMM to resolve this matter as soon as possible. The tensions related to a power struggle, as there were no fundamental differences between the rival organisations.

The Chairperson felt the report should make a recommendation about vandalism of facilities. He asked whether a facilities manager would perform better in this regard than a caretaker.

Mr Lee cited the example of a sports complex at KwaNobuhle. The caretaker had only taken bookings. A facility manager would have performed better as he would have had a better understanding of the facility. For example, the artificial turf used for hockey had been destroyed in a year due to misuse. The manager would also have to attend to housekeeping issues such as broken windows. A manager would earn a larger salary, but would have to be appropriately qualified. He noted that the situation at KwaNobuhle had improved after this approach had been followed.

Ms D Morobi (ANC) said that the caretaker should live on-site. She queried whether the caretakers could be trained to act as facility managers. Mr Lee replied that exactly this had been done in the above example at Uitenhage.

Mr E Saloojee (ANC) said that the caretaker should act under the instruction of a manager. Leadership was necessary, but an on-site caretaker was needed at large facilities. Mr T Louw (ANC) agreed that both positions were needed, as both jobs were important.

The Chairperson proposed a recommendation that all caretakers had to be trained to manage the facilities where they were employed. Bigger facilities would need both a caretaker and a facility manager. He bemoaned the lack of black managers at facilities. Black persons were not being capacitated at an appropriate level. He added that a facility manager carried bigger responsibilities than a caretaker.

Mr Saloojee agreed that black managers were needed, and suggested proactive measures should be taken in terms of transformation.

The Chairperson said that interaction was needed at the managerial level with the five provinces that were bidding to host matches during the Soccer World Cup. Mr Lee agreed, and said that this must be dealt with at a meeting to be held in the near future.

Mr Lee stated that there seemed to be some misunderstanding about the sport academy in the Eastern Cape. There were facilities at the Nelson Mandela University and another facility in Umtata. A definition of what constituted an academy was needed and he asked what the functions of an academy should be. He recommended that an audit of academies should be done, and SRSA should define what it considered an academy to be. A decision would then have to be taken about what to do with the other academies. He quoted the example of schools, where standards were set by the national Qualifications Authority. He asked if the same situation should not apply to sports academies as well.

Mr J Masango (DA) said that the academy in Limpopo was not operational. He had noticed that all the academies were located in cities, and that none were situated in the rural areas.

Mr Saloojee said a plan should be drawn up so that Members could visit the various academies and report back to the Committee.

The Chairperson said that the proposed audit was needed first. The visits to the academies could then be undertaken with a set of measurements as an evaluation tool. He saw a hub and extension model being applicable to academies and their satellites. The satellites should address some of the academy goals, and each should have the minimum basic facilities.

Mr Saloojee said that documentation should be available about the purpose and functions of a sport academy. SRSA should be able to determine this and the location of the academy. The documentation should give an outline of the potential benefits and the functions of the academy.

Mr Lee used the example of netball, which received no assistance from any quarter. The academy should cater for all codes. He asked what interaction took place between the various sports federations and the academies.

The Chairperson said that there was movement in the right direction. The forthcoming legislation should regulate the process. Academies must be accessible. Player potential should be identified. Not all issues could be addressed at the smaller and satellite academies, for example, testing might not be possible in Limpopo. Transformation issues should be addressed by adherence to the relevant regulations. Academies were generally expensive, but the one in the Free Sate was "cheap". This was because it was a government-owned facility, and access was easier.

The Chairperson concluded that it was not possible to adopt the Oversight Visit report at this stage, as a quorum of Members was not present.

Mr Masango brought the Committee’s attention to grammatical errors in the draft report. His comments also led to some discussion.

Members discussed some of the facilities IN the NMM. One of the sports grounds was described in the report as a hotbed of crime. Mr Louw echoed the need to sit in on discussions between the rival sports councils. The Chairperson noted that it was a problem that several leading members of the legal fraternity were involved in the conflict.

There was also a discussion regarding the lack of facilities in the Cacadu area. The report stated there were no facilities or space to develop facilities in some of the settlement areas.

The Chairperson recommended that the lack of facilities in Cacadu should be considered in the context of an Integrated Development Plan (IDP).

Mr Lee felt it should be mandatory to have space for facilities in developing areas. Ms Ramakaba-Lesia (ANC) said that the IDPs only applied to established municipalities. Outside of these areas, people simply settled wherever they found room.

The Chairperson said that the IDP should inform the MIG, and the Building for Sport Programme would follow from that. If no provision was made for sports facilities in the IDP, no MIG funds could be allocated.

Ms Ramakaba-Lesia said that uncontrolled settlements were creating problems. She asked whether the settlement mentioned in the report was a permanent one. Mr Saloojee remarked that desperate measures were needed because of the housing crisis.

The Chairperson asked what had happened regarding the new stadium to be built in Umtata. He had not seen anything published.

Discussion of Committee Report on Oversight Visit to the Western Cape
The Chairperson then turned attention to the Committee report on its oversight visit to the Western Cape. He noticed that there was a tussle over facilities in Khayalitsha where soccer and rugby were played on the same field. "Nice" facilities had been provided in Beaufort West.

The Chairperson pointed out that a recommendation from this report had already been accepted with the decision to build the Cape Town World Cup stadium at Green Point. Urgent attention was needed to this issue as an amount of R350 million would soon be released for the first phase of stadium building. He had seen advertisements in this regard in the City Press newspaper.

The Chairperson stated that the interaction proposed in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SRSA and the Department of Education had reached a "nasty" level. A new committee, named the National Co-ordinating Committee (NACOC), had been formed as it was found that teachers were no longer running the United School Sports Association of South Africa (USSASA). However, NACOC was being run by high-level departmental officials rather than by educators. This defeated the purpose in his opinion. The result was a vacuum, with no school sports programme at present. There was also confusion in that Port Elizabeth scholars could not go to an athletics meeting for those with Learning Disabilities, held in Sasolburg, due to lack of funds, while SRSA had paid for learners to attend a different event.

The Chairperson recommended that SRSA must provide an explanation of their understanding of the MoU. Sport should fall under the Minister of Sport, and Physical Education under the Minister of Education. This did not seem to be happening, and clarity was needed on the issue.

The Chairperson said that sports councils should be encouraged to be part of the IDP in their area. Ninety new facilities were under construction, and he recommended that SRSA should give the Committee details on where these projects were located.

The Chairperson noted that the indoor sports facility in Khayalitsha seemed to be permanently booked by the Universal Church and indoor sports facilities in KwaZulu-Natal were used until late in the afternoon for funerals. He said that a reasonable roster for using these multi-purpose centres should be worked out, especially in the interests of children.

Ms Ramakaba-Lesia added that there was a need to engage councils on this issue. It was not only in Khayalitsha, but in other areas as well that this particular church was occupying facilities all day long.

The Chairperson wondered whether practice matches for the 2010 Soccer World Cup would be played in the townships. It might not be possible to play at venues which did not meet Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) standards. The Galeshewe Stadium in the Northern Cape had been identified as suitable for practice games, but he did not know about the other eight provinces.

The Chairperson stated that the Committee would have to engage the Local Organising Committee (LOC) on this and other issues between now and May. Stadiums would be built with money appropriated by SRSA, and the Committee needed to have an oversight role. The social impact of the 2010 Soccer World Cup should meet government’s broad objectives. He noted that ten thousand workers would be involved in building the stadium in Port Elizabeth, using labour intensive methods. He also pointed out that agreement was needed with the owners of private stadiums which would be upgraded using government funds.

Mr Saloojee said that these upgraded venues were not government property. After the World Cup, benefits paid for by the taxpayer would accrue to private institutions.

The Chairperson requested Members to study SRSA’s strategic plan. There was some discussion on how the word "timeously", used liberally in the strategic plan, should be interpreted.

The Chairperson announced that the scheduled meeting on 14 March would not take place due to the visit of the United Nations Secretary-General to Parliament. The next meeting would be held on 15 March where the oversight reports would be adopted before a presentation from Boxing SA.

The meeting was adjourned.