Hon Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon members and guests, it is an honour to take part in this debate of the Department of Arts and Culture.
The department receives an allocation of R2,63 billion from Treasury. These funds are for the funding of the six of the planned programmes of the department. What is obvious about the funding is that administration has a nominal change of 7,24% and a real change of 0,51%. Arts and Culture in Society has a decrease of -16,94% in nominal change and -22,15% in real change over the 2009-10 to 2010-11 budgets.
Programme 3: National Language Service has a decrease of -6,08% real change. Cultural Development and International Co-operation has a decrease of -9,52% real change and Heritage Promotions has a decrease of -23,58% real change. National Archives, Records, Libraries and Heraldic Services has a real change of -10,14% over the 2009-10 and 2010-11 financial years.
The department has many challenges and the allocation of funds raises questions if the department expects to reach the critical goals set by them.
In Programme 2, the department struggled to achieve the following: firstly, access to the arts and education training in the correctional services programme and the Youth Enrichment Programme in all provinces; secondly, the establishment of the language units in government departments and the provincial language policies; and thirdly, the standardisation of geographical names nationally, provincially and locally; and making popular South Africa's national orders and symbols.
I received this information from the researcher of Parliament's documents. Many other challenges have been mentioned in this document. On the last challenge, the department said in its presentation that they experienced a lot of problems with role-players, especially in following the correct procedures in the process of name changes.
To solve the problem it is necessary to develop, revise and sharpen the regulations and do extensive advocacy so that everybody can understand what is expected from them when it comes to name changes. The problem of time and money wasted can be solved by this process. The respect and dignity in honouring our national orders and symbols need very much to be sharpened. This is key to nation-building in society.
Very few people and children have any knowledge of our national orders, symbols and anthems; how to display it, how to honour it, how to sing it, how and when to showcase it. We must educate the whole nation extensively in the understanding of our national orders and symbols. We will need money to run the programme extensively, therefore the real decrease of- 6,08% in this programme is problematic.
The development of our youth in communities and in prisons is very important because they are the new South African nation. The quality of the new citizens of South Africa must be secured and developed, now, and not later. One of the good characteristics drawn out of the Fifa 2010 World Cup is the weakness in the knowledge of our national orders and symbols.
Another problem that the department has in the Cultural and International Co-operation Programme is that government departments must direct a clear mandate of who is responsible to build this in society and internationally. We cannot allow the situation that when it comes to the allocation of funds, there is a viewpoint that the Department of International Relations and co-operation is the mandatory department. A memorandum of understanding and co-operation must be signed to solve this problem.
If we want to develop our youth, it is very important that government must have a clear and directed plan of programmes on how to address the many shortcomings in community and school libraries. It is of great concern that none of the provinces has a policy on libraries. I know that school libraries are the mandate of the Department of Education but we, as well as the department, must play a role to see how we can solve that problem.
We know that to address the legacy of apartheid by which only 7,23% of public schools have functional libraries, is a huge challenge. In the document, "We can't afford not to", by Equal Education in 2010, it is stated that with careful financial planning it is feasible for the government to phase in functional school libraries countrywide. Government must develop a strategic plan and implementation programme to address the problem. This will need government to restructure the funding and strategic objectives and programmes in a disciplined and responsible manner.
Chairperson, one of our valuable assets is the RobbenIsland Museum and we must get the managing and everything which goes with these museums and others right and functional because South Africa is unique in her diversity. The Department of Arts and Culture is the only department that can do this in all its programmes, but must never forget that it is integral to have an interdepartmental and public sector relationship with all role-players.
Allow me to thank the department for doing their utmost best with the available funding in service delivery in arts and culture as a whole. I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]
Nk W P ZONDI (KwaZulu-Natal): Sihlalo, ngiyabonga ukuthola leli thuba lokuba ngikhulume lapha, ngizoqala ngokuthi ngibonge inkulumo kamhlonishwa uNgqongqoshe uLulu Xingwana. Inkulumo yakhe ikhuthaze kakhulu yenza nathi KwaZulu-Natali sizibone ukuthi sisemgqeni nekhwela likaMongameli wezwe elithi "Ngokubambisana singenza okuningi".
Ngaphandle kokuchitha isikhathi, uMnyango Wezobuciko Namasiko ube usuphuma emahhovisi waya phansi kubantu, komasipala, eMinyangweni, kubantu wayosebenzisana nabo ngenhloso yokwenza abantu ukuthi bazi amasiko nobuciko ukuthi kungamagugu abo. Kodwa, akusiyona into yokuhlomulisa ezinye izizwe, abanye abantu noma ogombelakwesakhe abazinothisa ngomnotho wabo.
Lokhu ngikusho ngoba KwaZulu-Natali sinomasipala abayishumi nanye, esithi imikhandlu yezifunda. Umnyango wethu uhambile-ke wayosekela amabhizinisi okubambisana kulabomasipala. Sakha abantu abazokwazi ukuthi uma ngabe kuqalwa umsebenzi, uqalwa ngomama noma yintsha lapha phansi, kodwa uthole ukuthi kufika abantu sebewuthatha lowo msebenzi bawudayise emazweni banothe ngawo. Uthole ukuthi laba bantu abalaphaya basadla imbuya ngothi, abahlomuli lutho kuloko.
UMnyango Wezobuciko Namasiko awubhekelele lokhu kuphela, uphinde ubhekelele ukuthi omasipala bethu abebesele ngemuva - ngoba sizokhumbula ukuthi KwaZulu-Natali ngonyaka ka-2004 lapho sakwazi ukuthi sifeze izinhloso zoMqulu Wenkululeko. Lapho sithi abantu bayokwabelana ngomcebo. Lapho sikwazile ukuthi siphume sisebenze, ngoba inkululeko ifike kamuva KwaZulu- Natali.
Ngaleyondlela uMnyango ube usuya komasipala wahlela nabo ngoba kuqala into ebiyenzeka ukuthi uma kuzokwakhiwa izindlu kwakhelwa abantu noma kuzokwakhiwa ilokishi, bekungabi nandaba nokuthi uma labantu bakhelwe, zikhona yini izindawo zokungcebeleka, nezindawo zokuthi benze izinto ezingamasiko abo, zibekhona ngesikhathi kuqalwa kuhlelwa. Lo Mnyango wethu ukwazile ukuthi uma kuzokwakhiwa izindlu noma ngabe iyiphi intuthuko, ubhekelele ukuthi izindawo zamasiko nezemidlalo zikhona.
IKwaZulu-Natali yisifundazwe esehlukene kakhulu, isenezindawo zasemakhaya. Uma ukhuluma ngedolobha, ukhuluma ngoMgungundlovu neTheku nje kuphela. Uma usuwehla uhambela bonke omasipala uthola ukuthi kuhlushekiwe laphaya, abantu abathuthukile. Yikho lokhu obekwenza ukuthi abantu banqwabelane ezindaweni ezisemadolobheni.
Yilokhu okwenziwa uMnyango wethu ukuthi abantu baqale bathole izinsizakuphila ezindaweni abakuzo. Ikakhulukhazi uMnyango uqale wasabalalisa imitapoyolwazi lapho abantu bakwaZulu-Natali bezokwazi ukuthola ulwazi, bafunde ngezinto zabo ezindaweni abakuzona. Abantu bangagcini ngenkathi mhlawumbe kade bemelwe uthisha esikoleni, uma ebuya lapho uyolusa izinkomo, bese ekuseni kube yima eyobonana nothisha. Kodwa namhlanje abantwana bakwaZulu-Natali ezindaweni abakuzona bayakwazi ukuthi baphume bayofunda kwimitapoyolwazi. Akugcinanga lapho, uMnyango Wezobuciko Namasiko ukwazile ukuthi usebenzise abasebenzi bawo abagxile kakhulu kwezolimi. Sinebhuku eselinamamakhasi angama-350 eseliphelile elihlanganise isiZulu nesiNgisi. Okusho ukuthi bonke abantu baseNingizimu Afrika bakhululekile ukufunda ngolimi abakhululeke ngalo KwaZulu-Natali. Lokhu sikwenza nje ... Ngiyabonga. [Kuphele Isikhathi.][Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Ms W P ZONDI (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak here. Firstly, I will start by thanking hon Minister Lulu Xingwana for her speech. Her speech was very encouraging and it has also made us realise that we too, as the people of KwaZulu-Natal, are on track in respect of the President of the country's slogan that says "Together we can do more".
The Department of Arts and Culture did not waste time; they went to the people on the ground - to municipalities and to different departments - with the aim of making them aware of the importance of their heritage, and that this heritage is not meant to benefit other nationalities, or only some people or capitalists who enrich themselves.
I am saying this because we have 11 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal, known as district municipalities. My department, therefore, went to these municipalities to support partnerships. In so doing we are grooming people who would be able to protect projects that have either been started by women or the youth from people who would just come from nowhere and sell these products in other countries, enriching themselves in the process. You will then find that the people on the ground remain poor because they do not benefit from these projects.
The Department of Arts and Culture is not only dealing with that, but it also deals with our municipalities that were lagging behind - you will remember that in 2004 the KwaZulu-Natal province was able to fulfil the objectives of the Freedom Charter, which states that the people shall share the wealth of this country. We were able to go out and work because freedom came later in KwaZulu-Natal.
Therefore, the department went to the municipalities and engaged with them in planning because what was happening previously was that when houses or a township was to be built, it did not matter to the authorities whether entertainment facilities and places for practising cultural activities would be available or not. This department of ours made sure that if houses were to be built or any other development was to take place, provision had to be made that space would be set aside for cultural and sporting facilities.
KwaZulu-Natal is a very diverse province as it still has extreme rural areas. If you speak of a town you are only referring to Pietermaritzburg and Durban. If you go down to all the municipalities, you would find that people are so poor down there, because there is no development. That is what has resulted in people migrating to towns.
What our department is doing is starting to deliver services where people are staying. The department has started by building libraries where the people of KwaZulu-Natal would be able to gain information, and read about issues that concern them where they are staying. People should not read books when the teacher is standing in front of them only - and after school go to herd cattle, and only see a book again in the morning. Today children in KwaZulu-Natal can go to the libraries after school to read.
It did not end there. The department of arts and culture made use of its employees who are more focused on language. We have compiled a dictionary of 350 pages that comprises isiZulu and English words. This means that all the people of South Africa are free to be educated in the language of their choice in KwaZulu-Natal. We are just doing this ... Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]