Hon Chairperson, Minister and Deputy Minister, hon Members of Parliament, traditional leaders, guests and civil society leadership ...
... ndiyanibulisa. Nibahle nonke. Mna ke ndinguDlangamandla, uMchenge, uNgonyama, uNkomo, uHlalukana, uMjongi, uVumba leMpongo liyanuka. Ndihleli nje ndingowaseDutywa kwaye andinayo inkosikazi kodwa ndinabantwana abali-17 [Kwahlekwa.] [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Mhlekazi, uhlahlo lwabiwo-mali lwakho siluvile kwaye siza kuthetha ngalo ngoku nangexesha elizayo. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[... I greet you. You are all beautiful. I am Dlangamandla, Mchenge, Ngonyama, Nkomo, Hlalukana, Mjongi, Vumba leMpongo liyanuka. I am from Dutywa and I do not have a wife but I have 17 children. [Laughter.] [Applause.]
Sir, we heard your Budget Vote and we will talk about it now and in the future.]
A budget of this nature is developed every year to enable those who are supposed to get their hands dirty to implement programmes meant to uplift the standards of citizens to ...
Andikhumshi ndiyahamba namhlanje. [I am speaking English throughout today.]
... address the imbalances of the past, promote people's culture and change the lives of needy communities.
To be able to meet the challenges faced by the department and this sector at large, this budget must address the song that the Department of Arts and Culture sings every day, namely"financial constraints and a lack of capacity". In this way you are reducing public funds by huge amounts by using money to hire consultants who are unnecessarily and constantly milking the department. You are creating jobs for more people and using public funds which should be used for the benefit of many citizens.
The monitoring and evaluation system should be strengthened. I have no confidence in the current system. For this department to be kept performing adequately, this system must be kept alive and functional and always be regarded as a cornerstone of department accountability for good governance. It should not only be for internal purposes, but should apply to and be used as a tool to monitor all institutions supported by the Department of Arts and Culture. Beggars cannot be choosers. These institutions must be made to understand that they report directly to this department and therefore should toe the line.
I find it very strange sometimes when I hear some of them publicly announcing that they are not accountable to the department. Surprisingly, when they want funds, they know how to knock at the door of the department. [Interjections.] The department then decides to give them the funds they need - to do what? To enrich themselves, entertain themselves, or take each other to court and hire very expensive attorneys with taxpayers' money! We cannot be found to be financing court cases unnecessarily. This is not their mandate. [Interjections.]
Benditshilo ukuba ndiza kunixelela namhlanje. [Kwahlekwa.] [I told you that today I will put my cards on the table. [Laughter.]]
The good work being done by some other institutions, such as the Robben Island Museum, is an indication that it can be done, and we can do it correctly. [Applause.] This museum was in trouble previously, but today there is great progress.
Of course, I do have reservations about workers' rights that are violated at this museum. Cope is closely watching this attitude ... [Applause.] ... especially when it comes to those who discharge their duties as tour guides. Mr Thulani Mabasa is an example of someone who was imprisoned on Robben Island for years and received no appreciation for the good work he did, no medical aid to heal izivubeko zokutywatyushwa zii-arhente zocalucalulo nokulala esamenteni iminyaka [from the consequences of the torture received from the apartheid agents and of sleeping on the cement floor for years].
At the same time, certain other comrades who suffered with him enjoy the fruits of the freedom and democracy that he fought for. It cannot be right that such people, who have made us proud, are today thrown in the dustbin or left out in the cold. What kind of society are we?
Many of them are dumped in the townships, left stranded and poorer than ever. They have families, kids and dependants to take care of, but what can they do? They have reported their situation to many leaders in power in order to at least be given some kind of a job for a living. The answer is a "yes, yes" situation. They are told that the matter is receiving attention. I believe this department can do something better for these heroes, rather than to just talk and beautify their graves when they are no more.
Cope wants to see the young people being empowered as tour guides, but provision for experienced older people should be put in place. When publishing a notice of intent to declare as national heritage sites the graves of J L Dube, S M Makgatho, A J M Luthuli ...
I-ANC mayingakhethi amaphela emasini, mayifake amagama angawe-Cope ... [Laphela ixesha.] Ngaloo magama, siyaluxhasa olu hlahlo-lwabiwo-mali. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
... the ANC must not be biased, it must also include members from the Cope ... With those words, we support this Budget Vote. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]