Minister of Sport and Recreation on Sport and Recreation SA 2013 Strategic Plan

Meeting report

The minutes of the meeting of 30 April 2013 were discussed and adopted.

Mr D Lee (DA) was concerned that Members might have been misled during the meeting with the South African Football Association (SAFA).

Mr M Dikgacwi (ANC) felt that the documents described as 'faceless' came from a source inside SAFA. There was legislation to protect whistle-blowers.

The Chairperson felt that SAFA had laid too much emphasis on their forthcoming elections. Whistle-blowers normally wanted to remain anonymous. Serious allegations had been made, and some of them might be true. It was necessary to investigate the information provided in order to ascertain its authenticity.

The Chairperson raised concerns over professional sport in the Eastern Cape particularly. There were no competitive football clubs in the area, and he feared that the Southern Kings rugby team might be in trouble at the end of the season. Football in particular should not be dominated by two or three big clubs. There was a management problem. There was a lot of money going into development. He was also concerned with the treatment given to Orlando Pirates during a recent match in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the deplorable standard of refereeing in that match. Teams visiting South Africa were treated with respect.

Mr M Rabotapi (DA) had visited DRC on other occasions, and felt the people there hated South Africans.

Members discussed the state of transformation in sport informally while waiting for the Minister. Some federations and provinces were doing better than others.

Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) presentation
Mr Fikile Mbalula, Minister of Sport and Recreation, had just returned from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) conference in Canada. In the 2013/14 Annual Performance Plan (APP), the Department of Sport and Recreation (SRSA) would continue to strive to form a winning and active nation. Participation levels remained low, and SRSA would work on mass participation programmes (MPP). High level performance came at a high cost. SRSA would engage with the South Africa Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) to ensure continued delivery of high performance (HP) programmes. There were gaps when translating the vision into practice. The media had been briefed on the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP) in February 2013. Recreation and leisure activities were recognised as important activities in promoting wellness. Sport and physical education were integral parts of the development of children. Schools should have access to facilities, and all schools should participate in organised sport. Sport also taught discipline, and was a component of a healthy lifestyle.

Min Mbalula said that the NDP played an important part in nation building. He mentioned a number of projects. The programmes of SRSA were Administration (Programme 1). A new structure had been finalised and submitted to the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA). The review would be informed by strategic imperatives as captured in the Strategic Plan. There would be a detailed needs analysis on the building being occupied by the Department. New premises would need to include a sports house for the use of smaller federations. Staff incentives would be provided.

Min Mbalula listed a number of Bills to be introduced. These would include the Combat Sports Bill and Fitness Training Bill.

Min Mbalula said that Communication was a sub-programme. The magazine Your Sport would be revived. The Takuma mascot would be popularised. The sports bus would have a retro bus look and would attract the public like an ice cream van. Selected athletes would be acknowledged at the Sports Awards. There would be preliminary engagements on the feasibility of establishing a National Sports Hall of Fame. There was a project to document the history of sport. The green jacket programme would recognise men and women who had excelled in sport. A ministerial golf day would be hosted in October 2013 as a platform for interaction. A client satisfaction survey would be conducted.

Min Mbalula said that Programme 2 was Sport Support Services. Financial support would be given to needy national federations. Funding would be in two tiers. Guaranteed funding would cover administration with conditional grants for development programmes. Certain federations would be prioritised. The Soweto Open tennis tournament would be supported. A netball premier league and national basketball league would be introduced. There would be a boxing indaba. The Sports Trust would be supported. The transformation baseline needed to be determined. This was imperative for the future of sport. SRSA would conduct an audit of clubs in sixteen federations. An amended franchise system would be adopted. Standardised documents would be created. A club tool kit would be developed. SRSA would assist federations in developing sport-specific programmes. A talent identification and development strategy would be developed. The Doctor Khumalo Football Academy would be assisted. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF), South African Police Service (SAPS) and Department of Correctional Services (DCS) would be used to develop sport.

Min Mbalula said that there would be programmes for the specific needs of the sport sector. Post graduate students would be assisted. The delivery of SASReCON needed to be improved. The Department of health had drafted a bill on alcohol advertising. Government was committed to anti-doping. Johannesburg would hold the WADA World Conference on Doping in Sport from 12 to 15 November 2013. There would be continued support to the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS).

Min Mbalula said that Programme 3 was mass participation. Cycling would be used to encourage non-motorised transport. SRSA would continue to fund LoveLife. The 2013 national youth camp would be held in all nine provinces during September 2013. The national sport volunteer corps programme had been launched in 2012. By the end of the 2012/13, 800 sports legends had been registered. The Indigenous Games would be held as a family festival in September 2013. The Golden Games would continue. The Big Walk would be staged on 4 October 2013. The big league would be re-established, concentrating on football and netball at present. Other codes would be included later.

Min Mbalula said that modified sport would be assisted. Sport for Social Change and Development would be repackaged and expanded. The needs of rural development would be addressed. The Andrew Mlangeni golf development day would be held again in September 2013 to give amateur golfers a chance to compete against professionals. Young golfers would be assisted with clothing and equipment. The Nelson Mandela Sports Day would be held later in the year. The inter-schools league would be held, leading to South African Schools National Championships. Initiatives were under way to establish a ministerial sports bursary. The mass participation conditional grant would continue to received attention.

The Minister stated that Programme 4 was International Liaison. An international relations strategy would be drafted during the year. Bilateral exchanges were envisaged. SA would continue to support UNESCO and the adoption of the African sports body into the African Union. Selected sporting events would be assisted. There would be support to five major events, and approval for others. The AFCON 2013 closing report would be distributed to Cabinet during the year. The African Nations Championship (CHAN) would take place in 2014.

Min Mbalula said that Programme 5 was Facilities Coordination. A national facilities plan and geographical information system needed to be developed to assist with a database. The Andrew Mlangeni community golf course development programme would assist with developing courses in disadvantaged areas. Children's play parks would be developed with municipalities. The 2010 stadia would be assesses. There would be two reports a year on the status of these stadia. The portion of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) earmarked for sports facilities should be used properly. These funds should be ring-fenced. Community gyms should be developed.

Min Mbalula said that boxers in the Eastern Cape should receive the benefit of these community gyms. SRSA and the German Development Bank would continue with the Youth Development against Violence through Sport programme continuing to use ball sports, particularly football, as a catalyst for social change.

Discussion
Ms G Sindane (ANC) was satisfied that the Minister had talked on the theme adopted by the Committee. 2012 had its own theme. The theme for 2013 recreation, and it was clear to see that the Minister had concentrated on this theme. She would have appreciated the Minister sharing some of the strengths together with the challenges. There could be beautiful objectives, but the implementation could be stunted by financial or other constraints. The political principals had signed off the strategic document, but she felt that the order in which they were listed was not correct in terms of protocol.

Min Mbalula said that one of the biggest challenges with sport was that of resources. Governments around the world were investing for the 2014 Olympics and South Africa was lagging. Even on the continent of Africa governments were taking charge. Sport had been treated as a side issue in South Africa. In Britain there were protests in the streets if school sport was cut. The South African nation loved sport. There was leadership and a voice of reason. There was now a plan which must be implemented fully. A strategic plan was a strength in realising the outcomes. This was the first time that Cabinet had adopted such a plan, with a commitment to financial support. There were still competing needs, however. SRSA could not afford to wait.

Mr Dikgacwi said that while the documents might be good, there were no facilities on the ground. He had visited some areas in the preceding weeks, such as George. There would be a big rugby match there shortly, but the field was open with no shelter for spectators. This issue should be raised with Members of the Executive Committee (MEC) and with local government. In some areas people had to pay to play. There was a school in Oudtshoorn with massive grounds, but there was no budget to develop facilities. He did not even want to touch on the position in the rural areas.

Min Mbalula replied that facilities were indeed a problem. There had to be an attitude of ownership. Often the community did not respect facilities. There had been a lot of work with Treasury on the MIG issue, and there was light at the end of the tunnel. Government could not rely on municipalities to spend the 15% allocation for sport wisely. This was a major constraint. Local government had the responsibility to maintain facilities, but were not doing so. Vandalism was a major issues. Cricket ovals had been developed in Soweto following the 2003 World Cup, but could no longer be used due to vandalism. There were wonderful multi-purpose facilities. These were often under-utilised. While they could be used for concerts and other events, they were primarily sports facilities. Facilities did come at a cost, both in construction and maintenance.

Mr Lee agreed with Mr Dikgacwi. Implementation was the key. The attitude of some local government officials was questionable. In some areas sport enjoyed a very low priority. Some oversight was needed at local and provincial level. In East London, for example, members were told a good story but some of the facilities were missing. More exact oversight was needed at local level. At least SRSA was working on the 15% of the MIG being diverted to SRSA. All Members supported this move. The Committee must support the initiative. He wanted to be invited to the ministerial golf day. He was retiring in 2014 but wanted to go out with a bang. Sport would always be his passion. He wanted to know why LoveLife was still being supported. They compiled beautiful reports, but were never to be seen at ground level. Netball was a priority. The federation had presented a heart-rending case to the Committee. They deserved support. However, in his long experience basketball had never visited the Committee and he asked how they had been prioritised. He wanted to see how much had been spent on the African Cup of Nations (AFCON). The leader of Boxing South Africa (BSA) did not seem to be interested in his federation. The Chairperson was never to be seen while boxers were struggling with no support. Sport had a history in the country. Two ladies had made a presentation on how the history should be recorded. Recently a legend of cricket, Chand Govender, had passed away, but his passing had gone unnoticed except in two newspapers. The history had to be inclusive. All had made a contribution. He was not sure if the history envisaged by the Minister would be comprehensive enough. Eric Majola was one of the greatest cricketers and rugby players the country had produced, but his story was seldom told.

Min Mbalula said that a lot of work had been done for LoveLife. The situation had been created many years ago, and SRSA was simply expected to transfer money to them regularly. It was not government's priority to create a netball premier league. The sport was the most popular amongst women. By empowering women a lot could be achieved to address the cycle of poverty. Professionalism had been hitherto only possible at universities. The Diamond League had worked, but the premier league was a better concept. There had been disagreement over the model. Government money could not be used to sustain the league. The private sector had mechanisms to follow in order to encourage them to buy franchises and invest funds. By August the league should be running. There was a commitment from SuperSport to be the official broadcaster. There would be franchises in all nine provinces. This would create a bigger pool of talent for the national team.

Min Mbalula said that basketball was not a national priority. There had been some work with the National Basketball Association (NBA) of America on their basketball without borders programme. The first step was to create a university league, developing into a full national league. The Board had been dissolved due to financial maladministration. Five franchises had already been bought, and the league should kick off in August. SRSA was waiting for the board to finalise the AFCON report. There was a turnaround strategy for BSA. It was a big sport. There should have been broadcasting agreements with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and SuperSport, but Branco Promotions had presented a legal challenges. There were many champions who were battling to defend their titles. There was sheer exploitation in the sport. Fees and the support of promoters were major issues to be addressed. There should be consideration on merging amateur and professional boxing bodies. There should be a broadcast agreement. The banning of alcohol sponsorships was a setback. The first priority was to get professional boxing back on television. The SANDF had a substantial intake of amateur boxers who were being groomed for the 2014 Olympics. Details of this programme were being kept confidential. SRSA had met with various players including the Auditor-General (AG) on BSA.

Min Mbalula agreed that the history of sport must be inclusive. Some of the major players were unknown, but research was being done. If necessary posthumous honours would be conferred. At the 2013 Sports Awards, an award of more than R1 million had been made to a hitherto unknown athlete. While apartheid might have been the cause of this anonymity, people had to be informed. All Members would be invited to the Golf Day.

Mr Alec Moemi, Director-General (DG), SRSA, said that LoveLife had been a long-standing thorn in the flesh. SRSA wanted to have full control over the funds allocated to it. He had refused to pay over money to LoveLife and returned the money to Treasury. Legally speaking, Treasury had to use SRSA as a conduit for the funding. Two other Departments were also making transfers. The contribution made by SRSA was small compared to the others. Sport was a catalyst for behaviour changes. SRSA had insisted that LoveLife should make a contribution to the secretariat for sport. They had agreed to do this. About R5 million of the R33 million transfer would be for this purpose. There had been a two day workshop, resulting in an agreement for seven sports programmes. This included youth camps in the different provinces. 2013 had seen the first intake of sports science graduates being trained as ground-breakers to work in the community. Clubs would be established. SRSA had never had the funds to finance this much-needed outcome. A host of volunteers recruited by LoveLife had been used at national championships. SRSA was looking to align the mandate of LoveLife with that of SRSA. In the past SRSA had had no say over the funds transferred to them, and only reported on how it had been spent. SRSA now had a greater say in LoveLife's business plan, and transfers were only made once this plan was received by SRSA.

Mr G MacKenzie (COPE) commented that seventeen federations had been prioritised for school sport, including those needing the more modest facilities. What was frustrating to Members was the fact that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) should be at the thrust of the schools sports programme, but he understood that there was absolutely no financial allocation for sport in the DBE budget. This issue needed to be tackled head-on. He was sympathetic on the budget. There were other pressing issues in the country. There had been a massive budget in 2009 due to World Cup preparations. He had asked at that the time that Cabinet should have maintained higher spending on sport rather than revert back to pre-World Cup levels. He was sensitive to the perils of alcohol, but the loss of sponsorship from this sector would have a R1 billion implication for sport. More should then be made of lottery funding. Perhaps putting a levy on sports tickets could be a source of funding. Some of the federations might not like this, but this would be a great opportunity to develop sport. The state of the World Cup stadiums had been highlighted by the poor condition of the playing surface at Mbombela. Some degree of commercialisation was needed to keep the stadiums viable. There seemed to be tension between SASCOC and some federations, particularly Athletics South Africa (ASA), the South African National Amateur Boxing Organisation (SANABO) and SAFA. This was not a healthy situation. There was now some serious progress on MIG. If SRSA controlled facilities, there was a question on how they would be maintained. Joint ventures with the applicable federations was an option.

Min Mbalula said that this was correct. DBE had delayed the implementation of school sport for years. Their priority was to build schools, and sports facilities were not a priority. Until the Memorandum of Understanding was signed, SRSA had pushed the programme under difficult circumstances. In the modern time of unionisation, teachers were no longer prepared to take on other tasks without payment. Government tended to be all over like the proverbial jack of all trades but master of none. He wanted to leave a legacy with the school sports programme. The South African Games had been terminated in favour of a school sports championships, which had been a success. He hoped that this would receive television coverage in future. There were many challenges in Basic Education. SRSA should be given access to schools to drive the programme.

Min Mbalula said that SRSA had been given the task to investigate the impact of the banning of alcohol sponsorships. That it would happen was a fact. Alcohol played a devastating role on social cohesion. It was a question of what agreements could be made. He like the suggestion of a levy on tickets. As President of the ANC Youth League he had championed a ban on alcohol sales on Sundays, and had to live by this. Even poor people would use alcohol, even without advertising. There were always beer halls to be found but not football fields. It was debatable to what extent alcohol advertising contributed to abuse.

Mr Rabotapi was concerned over the poor maintenance of facilities in the townships. Communities should develop ownership. There was a lot of land in rural areas that could be developed into sports facilities. There was a lot of talent in these areas, and the availability of facilities might encourage people to stay there.

Ms G Tsebe (ANC) asked what progress had been made on the netball premier league. She asked for clarification on the outreach to rural areas. She had attended an Under 15 soccer tournament in a rural area. Most of the children came from a needy background, and did not have proper attire or equipment. In the APP, she noted delays in office accommodation causing unnecessary expenses. She asked the Minister's opinion on the SAFA debacle. SAFA had told the Committee that there was no financial crisis, but the Minister wanted to appoint a judicial commission of enquiry.

Min Mbalula agreed that municipalities needed to maintain facilities. He had been to a facility in Brits which was wonderful, but was not being looked after. It was important to maintain what there was first before building new facilities. The people in rural areas might look after their facilities better than those in urban areas. He had often visited the Eastern Cape to attend events. The enthusiasm over sport was overwhelming. Children should be given equipment. Kit could be put up as a prize. This programme could be implemented immediately. There was a meeting scheduled with SASCOC. There needed to be agreement on the model of governance. As long as there were resources at stake conflict would not be eliminated. Federations that were dysfunctional or bankrupt could be put under administration. Throwing money at a problem could be counter-productive. Systems had to be put in place. SASCOC was dealing with this situation efficiently. Sporting people were often unreliable, and told different stories. Personal contact was needed.

Min Mbalula said SAFA faced issues of match-fixing and poor financial administration. There could be political issues at play. A proper report was needed. It was difficult to examine the match-fixing allegations as some of those accused were outside the country. One suspect was in a Hungarian jail. SAFA was looking for an independent enquiry on the other issues. SAFA said it was a waste of taxpayers' money to institute an enquiry. SAFA had agreed that there should be a retired judge to lead the enquiry. It was the President's prerogative to appoint a commission. He had stressed that SAFA must process the issues. After AFCON the issue became an enquiry but with some of the issues taken off the agenda. He had received a call from Mr Jerome Falcke, threatening suspension from the international football federation (FIFA) should government interfere in SAFA's affairs. He had requested a meeting, and had gone to Zurich with Mr Kirsten Nematandani. At the meeting, there was agreement on the question of the judicial enquiry. SAFA had claimed it was not bankrupt. The KPMG report indicated otherwise, and that liabilities exceeded assets. SASCOC had called on government to establish a commission. SAFA had started the process themselves, and must finish it themselves. Government would observe events. SAFA could not investigate itself, as it had wanted to appoint the members of the commission from its own ranks. This was unprecedented. The Commission must now run its course. SAFA had been helped for a long time, to the point where government was being accused of turning a blind eye to events at SAFA.

Min Mbalula said that Cabinet had agreed to host AFCON at short notice, with the necessary budget adjustments being affected virtually overnight. He stressed that SAFA had asked government to institute the process. SASCOC could not come down hard on the smaller federations, but turn a blind eye to the same transgressions in major codes such as cricket, rugby and football. There was plenty of anecdotal evidence of match-fixing.

Ms Sindane would like to hear what the Minister's plan was for the funds available from the World Cup legacy trust. R450 million had been invested. Other codes could also benefit from this source of funding.

Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana (ANC) was pleased to hear the plan. Members needed just to oversee the plan. He had three comments. Firstly, on budget, he had taken a cursory look at the budget review of SRSA. He had noticed a remarkable improvement at SRSA. Over 90% of the budget allocation had been utilised. He asked what reasons were given for money being returned to Treasury. He also spoke about facilities. He saw a tug-of-war between the different spheres of government, and different departments, with big business also playing a role. The Independence Stadium in Umtata had been the home to the Bush Bucks football club. The municipality had converted the stadium to shops. Another facility had been changed into a taxi rank. There were often those at schools who acted as gatekeepers. He was grateful that the Minister had made a clear statement in this regard. The support of the federations would be needed. There was an issue with SASCOC structures and the different spheres of government. There had been some activists in the days of the National Sports Council. There was a need for an integrated approach. He asked who would drive the plans. There were community development workers to drive community projects. There should be someone at each school to drive the physical education programme. This should be linked with the federations. Development was key. Activists were needed. A political champions, such as the Minister, was needed.

Min Mbalula said that the Sports Plan was available on SRSA's website. The information was there.

Mr Dikgacwi said it was difficult to get information out of SRSA. He had been battling to get a response from the DG. Information was needed ahead of the budget vote. Speeches had to be written.

The Chairperson said that this point should be pursued outside of the meeting.

The Chairperson said that SAFA was claiming that the FNB Stadium had been taken from SAFA by force and wanted it back. No association could survive financially without its own stadium.

Mr Lee said that the Minister had probably woken up on a Monday morning after a heavy weekend and felt that alcohol sales on a Sunday should be banned.

Min Mbalula had read about the stadium issue in the media. There had been no formal approaches. He had had informal discussion on the matter, but it would be inappropriate to discuss it at this stage.

Mr Moemi said that SRSA had met with Netball South Africa. There was agreement on a hybrid model where the ten teams would be franchised and sold. The final report was due at the end of May, and the sale of the franchises could then be started. An August kick-off now looked very unlikely, but he was confident that the launch might still happen before the end of 2013. on the lease agreement delay, the Department of Public Works (DPW) had to conduct the negotiations. SRSA would have signed the agreement with the landlord a long time ago, but DPW was still busy with negotiations. For seven months they had not paid rental to DPW. The lease agreement was between DPW and the landlord, according to the AG. The outstanding rental had now been paid over. The concept of the Sports House made the current accommodation insufficient, and alternative accommodation was needed. They should be within the central business district in the Tshwane municipality. The requirement for access to fields made this difficult. A new facility might have to be built in a suitable area. Some ground owned by SANDF could be used, , or alternatively discussions with the University of Pretoria, where we can build. And the Pretoria Model is the cheaper one because that way we can share in the existing facilities with the university, but the Council of University Pretoria is not that keen on releasing land. So the Negotiations will take us some time to finalise.

Mr Moemi said that most of the money returned to Treasury was from the LoveLife grant which had not been paid. The expenditure for the 2012/13 budget was 98%. The budget for rental had been increased, and there had been an allocation to look for a new building. This increased amount had therefore not been spent. There had also been a huge rate of attrition, not all of whom had been replaced. There had been a lot of wrangling over lottery payments for school sport. Some money had been parked for the National Championship. Lottery had made a grant only after the tournament had started, and it had proved difficult to spend the funds earmarked for this purpose after they were released, as it was shortly before the end of the FY. Only 83 of an eventual 780 schools had been identified thus far. Money could only be transferred once agreements were in place. The ministerial sports bursary had also been underutilised due to the low number of designated schools. There was potential to spend the entire budget in the current year.

Mr Moemi said that what SAFA was saying about the FNB Stadium was not true. SAFA had concluded a bond of about R500 million with First National Bank (FNB) to build the stadium. Only one of the planned three tiers was built. SAFA could not service the bond. Grinaker, the builders, had to take out a further bond to pay itself and compensate for losses. SAFA was paying on a haphazard basis. In time the outstanding amount had grown to R800 million. The stadium was built on land belonging to DPW. This meant that technically the buildings belonged to DPW. When the stadium was included in the World Cup planning, one of the possibilities would have been to demolish the stadium and build another. Grinaker had the right of first refusal to continue with the second and third phases. Government was not happy with this. Once the bond was paid off then it would owe Grinaker nothing. Eventually government bought the stadium from SAFA for R1. This agreement had been signed. DPW had then demolished the existing stadium, and Grinaker had eventually won the contract to rebuild it. Government had therefore paid twice, first to pay off the debt on the old stadium and then to build the new one. If SAFA wanted the stadium back it would have to pay off the bills. DPW had led the bidding process on branding for the AFCON. The stadium was under the custodianship of the City of Johannesburg, which had in turn outsourced the management. FNB's naming rights had now been expanded to 2016. There had been a perpetual agreement on the old stadium, but this no longer existed. FNB was paying approximately R12 million in compensation over the two year extension period.

The Chairperson said that a serious problem was being raised. The President of SAFA was brazen in making this very misleading claim. This would be taken up at the following meeting with SAFA.

Min Mbalula said that the transformation scorecard and charter were pressing issues. There had been a meeting with SASCOC to outline the transformation process. The transformation committee would report on developments. Bodies not complying would be named and shamed. On quotas, he had argued strongly that these were counter-productive. There had been a strong debate on quotas at the sports indaba, and the resolution of the indaba was to maintain quotas. Some generalisations on the ability to implement transformation had been made. He believed that SRSA was on course. There was an agenda and a vision. The sports plan had to be implemented. He was confident that in the presence of focussed leadership, South Africa should be in a better position in the next ten to twenty years.

The meeting was adjourned.