Chairperson, let me take this opportunity to welcome hon Minister Paul Mashatile to his new portfolio. His appointment has already created a renewed enthusiasm in the arts and culture bodies in South Africa.
Core departments, such as Education, Health, Housing, Transport, and Safety and Security, no doubt require huge budget allocations. The Department of Arts and Culture, while perhaps not a core competency - hence the budget cuts - is, however, no less deserving of adequate attention. Without the arts, a society has no creative spirit or means to express itself. Without culture, a society is faceless.
The Western Cape welcomes and supports the Minister's commitment to making it possible for a career in the arts to become a career of choice among our young people. His focus on youth development mirrors the drive in the Western Cape provincial government to promote our youth and empower them wherever possible. There is no doubt that today's youth are tomorrow's future.
Arts and culture precincts are the places at which this vision can become a reality. The Western Cape is already in the process of developing one such precinct in the area of the Artscape Theatre. This precinct will complement the theatre and provide a permanent platform for our youth and up-and- coming artists to live their dream and share their creativity with the rest of society. I hope that the Minister will be encouraging other provinces to introduce arts and culture precincts of their own.
What concerns the Western Cape, though, is that with all the troubles that have faced the Robben Island Museum over the past few years, further budget cuts to his department may continue the downward spiral that this museum has been caught in, and prevent the youth from enjoying such a rich chapter of South Africa's history and heritage. Forensic reports were produced under his predecessor, but it took many months before they were revealed to the public. We wish the new chief executive officer well in his restoration of the museum's image. However, we have concerns that, should the First Lady of the USA, Mrs Michelle Obama, arrive at the V&A Waterfront only to find a ferry out of order, embarrassment of the highest order will fall upon the country in general, and the Western Cape in particular.
Hon Minister, MEC Meyer would like to request that in the near future you and he travel to the Robben Island Museum together, to see what progress has been made, and find out if the ferry is at last sustainable, with the necessary parts on standby without the need to fly them in from overseas. This causes weeks of inactivity, significant losses in tourism revenue and the loss of an experience for tourists, who prize it as one of the main attractions when visiting Cape Town.
One of the primary purposes of the Department of Arts and Culture is to foster social cohesion and promote nation-building. Sadly, the Robben Island Museum fails to do this. Instead, the result is a negative image of mismanagement and corruption. The appointment of a new board and managing committee has hopefully put an end to this.
In order to establish a renewed focus on nation-building and the promotion of social cohesion, the department has started to reposition the arts, culture and heritage sectors as major contributors to the economic emancipation of the people of South Africa. The National Consultative Conference on the contribution of the arts, culture and heritage sectors to the economy, held earlier this year, was the key driver of this goal. The Western Cape MEC of Arts and Culture, Dr Meyer, attended this conference and was indeed pleased with the outcomes.
The Western Cape has much to offer in terms of heritage tourism, with some of the jewels in the nation's crown on our doorstep. These include Robben Island, Table Mountain, the Castle of Good Hope, the Bo-Kaap and District Six. Numerous films are shot here in Cape Town, with the brand-new Cape Town Film Studios opening their doors recently. We host the annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival, through which the Western Cape Provincial Parliament empowers our talented youth with music development lessons. We are also positioning Cape Town as the design capital of the world. We host the annual Cape Town Book Fair for aspiring writers, publishers and creative minds, the Design Indaba and various other creative events. With your assistance, hon Minister, these events can grow even bigger, and our vision can become a reality.
Delegates at the conference highlighted all of the above industries as drivers of economic contribution, and further indicated, as you mentioned in your budget speech, that:
... societies with a greater degree of social cohesion are often more economically prosperous.
Delegates also declared that:
The creative economy in South Africa has the potential to be a leading sector in generating economic growth, employment and trade, as is the case in many advanced economies
The Western Cape Department of Arts and Culture asks for the Minister's assistance in this matter, as our theatre houses continue to be underfunded. These institutions are vital components for our creative minds and conduits for our artists to express themselves. Stories need to be told, plays need to be produced, and concerts need to be staged. However, all of these need funding, not only from the government, but from private donors and business too.
The Western Cape calls on you to add your voice to urge the South African business sector to invest more in our arts. Without them, our artists will continue to struggle, and a career in the arts will remain a second choice to one in the business world.
Reports of the initiatives taken by the Lotto Board to expedite the allocation of funding to sporting bodies and cultural organisations have been welcomed. We call on the hon Minister to ensure that this body follows through on its promises and ensures that the funding does indeed reach the bodies in need.
Minister, the DA government in the Western Cape requests that you confirm that no taxpayers' money will be used in celebrating the ANC's 2012 conference to celebrate a political party's birthday. Rumours have it that the Free State provincial government has already budgeted for this political event. I thank you. [Interjections.]