(1). What (a) specific selection criteria were used to determine the composition of the South African delegation to the 3rd Havana International Book Fair hosted in the period 13 to 23 February 2025 in Cuba and (b) total budget was allocated towards the trip of the specified delegation to Havana;
(2). whether his department had been informed that individual invitations were extended by the Cuban organisers to South African artists (names furnished); if not, what (a) protocols are in place to ensure communication between international event organisers and his department regarding artist invitations and (b) steps will be taken to prevent similar communication breakdowns in the future as the protocols were not followed; if so, (i) how did the selection process of his department interact with the individual invitations and (ii) what factors led to the exclusion of the invited South African artists;
(3). whether, to ensure transparency and accountability, he will release the proposed list of the National Writers Association of South Africa; if not, what are the specific legal and/or policy justifications for withholding this information from the public; if so, what are the relevant details;
(4). what (a) specific literary contributions and/or qualifications led to the inclusion of certain persons (names furnished) in the delegation and (b) opportunities were provided for emerging writers and/or those from marginalised communities to participate in the selection process;
(5). what was the reason for the inclusion of a brass band in the delegation?
What total number of public schools in each (a) province, (c) town and (d) suburb have recreational and/or sports swimming pools?
A reliable response regarding this question is dependent on the availability of the existence of a national sport facilities database that can filter data as per the required variables such
as province, towns, and suburbs, schools, and coordinates of the exact site where the facility is located.
As a department, we have previously made efforts to ensure establishment of such database by trying to ...
(1)Whether the whole geographical area of Langa in Cape Town has been declared a heritage area; if not, which parts and/or buildings have been declared as heritage; if so, what are the relevant details.
(2) whether, given the political history of the area, his department will consider declaring Langa or parts of Langa as heritage sites; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the process to be followed in order to make the declaration?
1. Langa Township has been identified as an area of significance and has been given a Grade 1 status. However, the whole geographical area of Langa in Cape town has not been declared as a heritage area. The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) has identified the following sites in Langa for future declaration:
- Main Barracks
- Kitchen Complex
- Washington Drive
- Migrant Passage (Old Pass ...
(a) How is his department (i) assisting and (ii) involved in (aa) Vilakazi Street in Soweto and (bb) the Liliesleaf Farm heritage sites as tourist attractions, (b) what amount has been budgeted for each place, (c) what amount has been spent on each place in each month (i) in the past three financial years and (ii) since 1 January 2022 and (d) how was the money spent in each case?
(a). My department is indirectly involved in the Vilakazi precinct as a tourist attraction through the National Heritage Council, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, which has submitted a nomination to UNESCO nominating the precinct as part of the Human Rights, Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy World Heritage Site.
(aa) My department provided R7 million in March 2022 to ...
With reference to his announcement of the R7 million relief funding for Liliesleaf Trust, of which the staff are effectively in the dark as to whether the funds have been released, and since the announcement of the Trustees of the Liliesleaf Trust, neither he nor the Administrator who has been appointed by the Trustees has convened a meeting with the staff to discuss the relief funding and when they can expect to get paid, what are the reasons that there has been no action on the part of the Trustees to engage with the Liliesleaf staff;
2. whether the funds have been released; if not, (a) why not and (b) on what date is it envisaged that the funds will be released; if so, (i) on what date were the funds released and (ii) into which account were the funds paid.
3. whether it will be yet another month the Liliesleaf staff have gone without being paid, given the specified situation and the fact they have not been paid yet again while it can be reasonably assumed that he would have ensured that the funds would have been released as a matter of priority; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
1. The Liliesleaf staff have been kept abreast by the Trustees on measures that have been undertaken by the Trustees regarding the stabilisation and the re-organisation of the Liliesleaf Museum. The Liliesleaf Board met with the staff on 19 April 2022, where the staff was informed that the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has been granted R7 million to re-establish the museum. The ...
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Whether he has been informed that a certain person (name and details furnished) has been suspended; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, on what grounds was this specific person suspended?
Yes, I have been informed about the suspension of Mr Nicolas Wolpe by the Liliesleaf Trust Board. The suspension was based on a forensic investigation report that was launched by the Board on the misappropriation of funds at the Liliesleaf Museum.
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Whether his department has deposited the R7 million that he promised will be deposited into the Liliesleaf trust as he stated during a briefing on 5 March 2022 that his department will intervene in the Liliesleaf financial crisis; if not; what are the reasons that his department failed keep the promise; if so, on what date was the specific amount deposited?
No, the Department has not deposited the R7 million into the Liliesleaf Trust Account. However, the R7 million was transferred into the account of Freedom Park to assist Liliesleaf with its financial crisis. The funds were paid into the account of Freedom Park because the Liliesleaf Board is still implementing the recommendations of the Board’s investigation on the funding that it had received in ...
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Whether any intervention strategy has been put in place to permanently remedy the crisis in Liliesleaf; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details??NW1503
Yes, a turnaround strategy is being implemented by the Liliesleaf Board to permanently remedy the crisis in Liliesleaf. Furthermore, a team comprising the Department, Liliesleaf Board and Freedom Park is implementing a process towards the declaration of the Liliesleaf Museum as Cultural Institution in accordance with the Cultural Institutions Act, 119 of 1999.
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In view of the Auditor-General (AG) report, wherein the AG states that supply chain management in his department is regressing, what steps will be taken against management who do not have the correct understanding and incorrectly interpreted the requirements of Treasury regulations and preferential procurement policy
The Department is in a process of arranging training with the National School of Government for all senior managers and the induction workshop on Supply Chain Management (SCM) processes will be presented to all staff.
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Whether he has found that all the museums (a) under his department and (b) in the provinces have qualified curators; if not, what are the (i) names of the museums that do not and (ii) reasons for this; if so, what are the further relevant details?
(a). All Entities under the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture have qualified Curators.
(i) n/a
(ii) n/a
