Sihlalo obekekileyo, malungu ale Ndlu ahloniphekileyo, maqabane ombutho wesizwe, zindwendwe ezikhoyo namhlanje kule Ndlu ibaluleke kangaka. Sihlalo, kuluvuyo kum namhlanje ukuba ndizokuhlomla, ndizathuze ndidalance kwiingongoma ezimbalwa ezibalulekileyo zeli Sebe leZemidlalo noLonwabo ukuze kuvokotheke kubaphulaphuli bale Ndlu yoWiso-mthetho. Ndiza kugxila kwiingongoma ezimbalwa, ezinokuthi zenze ukuba uMphathiswa akwazi ukuphendula apho anako. Ndincome ndigxeke apho kufanelekileyo. Kukho intetha ngabula makhumsha ethi, ... (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Mr L SUKA: Hon Chairperson, hon members of this House, comrades of the national organisation and guests who are in this very important House today. Chairperson, it gives me great pleasure to comment on, reason and analyse a few important issues of the department of Sport and Recreation so that the listeners in this National Assembly would be fulfilled. I shall emphasise a few issues which would enable the hon Minister to answer where he can. I shall commend and criticise when necessary. There is an English expression that goes as follows ...]
... "A healthy mind in a healthy body."
Loo nto ibalulekile, ingakumbi kubantwana bezikolo. Okwesibini, inabe le ntetha ngelithi: [That is very important, especially to learners. Secondly, the same English expression goes further to say ...]
You groom a child, you mould him or her and you develop a child to his or her totality, so that we can have a productive nation.
Ezi ngongoma zimbini azinako ukwenzeka xa amanye amaziko ezemfundo okanye izikolo zethu zifadalele kwicala lezemidlalo. UMongameli wombutho okwanguMongameli wesizwe, uthi masiphuhlise ezemidlalo ezikolweni, ingakumbi ezilalini, ezifama nasezilokishini zabantu abamnyama. Elo khwelo ke kumele ukuba zelisatyelwe ngamagosa eli sebe, asebenze ngezandla ezingenamikhinkqi. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[These two issues cannot take place if the other educational institutions or our schools are incompetent when it comes to sport. The President of the organisation, who is also the President of the nation, says we must develop sport at our schools, especially in the rural areas, the farms and in black townships. That call must be heeded with unreserved dedication by the officials of this department.]
Sport forms an integral part of the school programme and should be offered at all schools. It should be part of the school curriculum as it is, in essence, part of life orientation. It means that the Department of Sport and Recreation must tell us whether there is a blueprint that governs school sport in South Africa. Is there a policy that compels every school in South Africa to participate, so that it is not by choice? The National Sport and Recreation Act must strengthen that blueprint for intervention by the Minister where necessary.
On the issue of social cohesion, we need to create a climate in schools that is conducive to it, and certain things cannot be compromised or negotiated.
As a result, we move that each and every school in South Africa should have the South African flag to develop the issue of patriotism. Secondly, we are also moving that Wednesday should be declared a sports day. Those schools that are so serious about the academic curriculum must start their schools by half-past seven or seven o'clock, so that they can make up the full hours of tuition. This cannot be done alone; surely there must be dynamic interaction between the Department of Education and the Department of Sport and Recreation. They should be working together to achieve the objectives of these goals. Taking that matter further, I think the Department of Arts and Culture should also come into the picture, especially on the question of the national anthem, so that our kids can also own up and be proud South Africans and rally around it. [Applause.]
The development of school sport should be supported by all relevant stakeholders, so that we can produce sports people to represent this nation. By enabling children to participate in sporting activities, we can identify talent. The unfortunate part is that I don't think the department has a database to track all outstanding and excellent sports people so as to assist them to reach their peak in terms of professional sport. Also, to have proper sport in schools, surely, the misplaced grant called the Municipal Infrastructure Grant, or MIG, can be used. That grant normally goes to municipalities through the Department for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. We propose that, especially after the resolutions of the 52nd conference of the ANC, that grant must go back to the Department of Sport and Recreation where it belongs, so that facilities can be delivered at that level.
The department must also engage local municipalities in the provision of these facilities. It cannot be the role of the department alone to provide these facilities. They should be made accessible because there are indoor sports games or codes and some schools don't have the facilities to accommodate those.
I want to address the question of community halls. Sometimes the municipalities charge exorbitant fees that prohibit or limit the participation of our kids in sporting activities held in those community halls. They should reduce those fees. On the matter of talent that I have spoken about, we once again urge the department to intensify its campaign. Regarding participation in school sport, there should be involvement by all relevant stakeholders. [Time expired.] We support Budget Vote No 17. Thank you. [Applause.]