Mutshamaxitulu, Yindlu ya wena leyo hlonipheka, Holobye wa Ndzawulo ya Vutshila na Mfuwo, nkul Paul Mashatile, Xandla xa n'wina, nkul Joe Phaahla, mufambisinkulu wa ndzawulo lontshwa na vatirhikuloni va yena, hi ri hoyohoyo eka xitulu xa n'wina lexi nga na ntirho wo hlawuleka na tinghitsi. Hi ri a swi ve tano tatana. [Va phokotela.] (Translation of Xitsonga paragraph follows.)
[Mr D W MAVUNDA: Chairperson, the august House, the Minister of Arts and Culture, hon Paul Mashatile, his deputy, hon Joe Phaahla, the new director- general in the department and his colleagues, we congratulate the director- general on his position, which requires special work and enthusiasm. We say that that should continue, sir.] [Applause.]]
Chairperson, first and foremost allow me to congratulate the department for exercising its constitutional mandate by producing the first draft document of a national policy on South African heritage, among other things, since the inception of our democracy.
The necessity for a national policy that promotes our living heritage arises from the historical imbalances and the manner in which our heritage was actively discouraged in the history of apartheid. They ensured that the use and promotion of indigenous languages, the practice and promotion of the performing arts and rituals, and the social practices of various social groups were discouraged in all forms, particularly by the missionaries.
The idea of a living heritage that encompasses intangibles such as oral tradition, rituals, belief systems and indigenous methods of safeguarding cultural heritage resources has been a key defining quality of human identity, life experience and cultural expression throughout history.
Heritage Promotion is one of the Department of Arts and Culture's programmes that aims to promote the appreciation of heritage by developing in the 2011-12 financial year new commemorative structures and national legacy projects that reflect South African history, such as the Sarah Baartman Centre of Remembrance in Hankey, the Women's Museum in East London, the Khoisan Heritage Route in all nine provinces, the Bhambatha Rebellion against the Poll Tax Legacy project, and the memorial of the Matola Raid in Maputo, to mention just a few.
The strategic objectives of this programme are to develop and monitor the implementation of the policy, legislation and strategic programmes for the identification, conservation and promotion of cultural heritage in order to promote socioeconomic development and social cohesion.
The ANC has long been acutely aware of the important role of heritage conservation and promotion in nation-building; hence at its Polokwane conference it recommended that ubuntu principles should be integrated into public policy so as to comprehensively correct the distortions and imbalances, not only in our heritage landscape but also in our social, economic and industrial relations. We emphasise, though, the need to restore the proud heritage of African people and the need to accommodate diversity in our national heritage.
Chair, we are therefore delighted to note that the department is implementing a digitisation policy for the preservation of heritage and national guidelines on digitising heritage resources. By so doing we believe that more jobs will be created.
It also aims to develop and monitor the implementation of policy, legislation and strategic direction for identifying, conserving and promoting cultural heritage. We will do an audit on intangible cultural heritage in South Africa in 2011.
Heritage, as we all know, is irreplaceable and nonrenewable, and the need to conserve it for posterity is extremely important. It has been noted that heritage resources also comprise sites associated with living heritage and objects that are of cultural significance.
Chairperson, one of the most important aspects of the national Heritage Resources Agency is the opportunity it provides for communities to participate in the identification, conservation and management of our heritage.
There are two processes that are involved in the assigning of national heritage status to sites, namely grading and declaration. I will not elaborate on them, but allow me to indicate that after their grading by the communities and all relevant stakeholders, and the declaration thereof, the decision is gazetted in accordance with sections 9 and 27 of the National Heritage Resources Act, Act 25 of 1999.
Let us, of course, not forget one of the anti-apartheid activists, Arthur Goldreich, the artist and designer who created sets for King Kong, the acclaimed South African jazz musical that featured an all-black cast.
Chairperson, through the Department of Arts and Culture we would like to see Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia, which was provided by the late Goldreich as a secret refuge for ANC activists - later it was raided by the police and a large number of activists were arrested - and which has been restored and turned into a museum detailing the events that led up to the Rivonia Raid, properly maintained and looked after. It is one of those museums that promote our living heritage.
On Programme 5: Heritage Promotion, we would like to see more funds channelled to heritage initiatives and projects such as Heritage Month and the repatriation of South African cultural and heritage objects. Also, more funds should be channelled to the registration and popularisation of national symbols through public awareness campaigns.
We would also like to see the department putting more funds into the SA Geographical Names Council so that it can facilitate the process of name changes at a more convincing pace, before our affected communities become impatient. The Deputy Minister has also alluded to this.
Over the medium term this programme has received an additional R29,9 million, mainly for bursaries for heritage studies. We appreciate your plans to promote heritage by developing for 2011-12 new commemorative structures and national legacy projects that reflect South African history.
We are not surprised that, of the six programmes comprising the Arts and Culture budget, the allocation to the Heritage Promotion Programme is the biggest, at more than one third, 36,2%, of the total 2010-11 budget.
However, we are concerned about the medium-term expenditure which is expected to decrease from R884,3 million to R851,1 million, at an average annual rate of 1,2%.
Mutshamaxitulu, va tolo va te ku dya ngopfu a hi ku hlula ndlala. Ya mina ndzima ndzi yi khatsa kwala. [Chairperson, there is an old saying to the effect that talking too much does not mean one is more knowledgeable about issues. I therefore conclude my speech here!]
The ANC supports the Budget Vote.