By
Hon. PATN Buthelezi, IFP
KZN Legislature
20 April 2023
Hon. Chairperson
Hon. Speaker
Hon. Members
The IFP welcomes the R1.5 billion for the 2023/24 Financial Year.
2023/2024 FINANCIAL YEAR BUDGET
KwaZulu-Natal has a rich and diverse cultural heritage, exemplified by national monuments, museums, and cultural industries, including music, folklore, crafts, arts, and traditional dances. If this culture is well developed, KwaZulu-Natal would be able to attract more tourists, have more people employed and earn a decent living, and strengthen a national identity. In turn, this would restore important attributes of human nature such as self-confidence and pride in being a KwaZulu-Natal resident, which are crucial for participation in developmental projects.
The IFP has, on numerous occasions, raised its concerns about the meagre budget allocated to the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture. We urge the Hon. MEC to address the elephant in the room, which is the failure by the Department to spend the Budget fully. It is an offence not to spend the Budget, as this result in many projects getting delayed.
TRADITIONAL EVENTS
The IFP commends the Department for always supporting traditional events, such as uMkhosi woMhlanga and others. Umkhosi woMhlanga, revived by the late His Majesty and the Zulu Traditional Prime Minister, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, has become one of the biggest events on the country’s heritage events’ calendar.
Umkhosi wokweshwama and other commemorations of our Zulu culture and heritage bear the same significance. These are what have made us – and will continue to make us – the people that we are in our country. The Zulu Nation today is the envy of not just other nations in South Africa and Africa but is the envy of many around the world.
Siyathokoza ukuzwa ukuthi umnyango uzoqhubeka nokweseka yonke imikhosi yaseNdlunkulu. Sinxusa uMnyango ukuthi uqinisekise ukuthi izinto zokuthutha ezisuke zithwele izintombi eziya emhlangeni zisesimweni esifanele, izindawo zokuhlala nokulala izintombi zisezingeni elifanele azilaliswa kukhaphethi njengoba kwenzeka uMasipala weTheku ngesikhathi iMeya kusenguMhlonishwa uZandile Gumede wachitha imali engango R500 000 yokhaphethi bokulala izintombi ematendeni eMkhosini woMhlanga nabafika sekusa kade izintombi zifikile. Futhi nokudla ezikudlayo kusezingeni elifanele.
LIBRARIES
Public libraries have established themselves as an indispensable element in the life of the community. They provide information essential for progress of commerce, industry, and they make research possible in every department of intellectual life. A library is cardinal in society, as it is a reservoir of information, which citizens consume to become knowledgeable. It is worth noting that libraries and education form an inseparable relationship, both being fundamentally and synchronically related to co-exist with each other. One cannot be separated from the other.
KZN as a growing province, therefore, needs libraries. We note that the Department moved funds towards provincialisation of libraries against the Community Libraries Services Grant, with regards to the appointment of cyber cadets. Nothing has been said about how many cyber cadets will be employed. How much will they earn and when will they be employed? This must be clarified.
Further, it is concerning that this Department always underspends its Community Library Services Grant, as has been the case in 2019/20, where the underspending was R36.602 million, and again in 2021/22 on the same programme, the underspending was R20.986 million, due to the delayed process of filling vacant posts. Further, the Department under-spent by R15.447 million in 2018/19, mainly as a result of the Department withholding transfers to organisations, art councils and the Rorke’s Drift Art Centre. Hon. MEC, this must be addressed. Imitapo yolwazi eseyakhiwa ayivulwe ukuze ingacekelwa phansi. uMnyango awuyeke ukuthumela izincwadi kwimitapo yolwazi sekwedlule isikhathi. Sinxusa omasipala ukuthi uma imitapo yolwazi seyakhiwe abaqinisekise ukuthi bafaka ingqalasizinda yamanzi kanye nogesi ukuze ikwazi ukusebenza ngendlela efanele.
ARTISTS
The IFP is concerned about the negative effects caused by load shedding on the arts industry. While still reeling from the impact of Covid-19, the arts sector is being decimated by rolling power cuts due to the failure of the ANC government to end load shedding. Kuliqiniso elingephikwe ukuthi eminye imicimbi yomculo iyaye ibanjwe ngezikhathi zasebusuku nokwenza kube nzima ukuthi abanye abantu bahambe ebunyameni ngenxa yokucima kukagesi okubeka izimpilo zabo engcupheni. Ezinye izikhungo eziqashisayo zokubambela imicimbi zinawo amagenerator kodwa akuzona zonke ezinawo okwenza ukuthi kubenzima kulabo abasuke beqopha imiculo yabo. Iqembu leNkatha belilindele ukuzwa ukuthi uMnyango unaziphi izinhlelo zokuqinisekisa ukuthi imboni yezomculo ayikhahlanyezwa ukucisha kukagesi?
We commend the Department for saying that it also prioritises the issue of GBV, and will organise and host 22 community conversations/dialogues. iQembu leNkatha likusho ngaphandle kokunanaza ukuthi alihambisani nokuhlukunyezwa kwabantu besifazane noma ngabe kwenziwa ngubani alikhethi iphela emasini njengontabakayikhonjwa bona abambambathayo uma kukhona owabo othinteka kwiGVB. Abanye bontaba kayikhonjwa abathinteka ehlukunyezweni kwabesifazane bafakwa esigungwini esiphezulu kwi-ANC esingabala oMnu Mduduzi Manana. Bengidlula nje kuloludaba.
Many artists were affected by Covid-19 and the Department withheld some payments to the beneficiaries. We want to know: how much has been spent on artists affected by Covid-19? How much was paid to each artist? Who are those artists? How many of them have not been paid? Konke akuhlale obala kungafihlwa lutho njengoba babezokhokhelwa ngemali yabakhokhi-ntela hhayi yeqembu likaKhongolose.
The sheer raw talent in KZN can often be found in the most remote parts of our province. Budding artists often never get the opportunity to study their craft and develop into renowned artists, owing to poverty and financial constraints. This Department needs to do more to fund artists who are impoverished. More arts centres need to be set up in rural areas to give our children an opportunity to use their talents of expression. We note that 60 artists are targeted to be trained in music, theatre, fashion design and other disciplines. Siyagcizelela ukuthi abaculi abasafufusa ezindaweni zasemakhaya abanikwe ithuba lokuzibonakalisa nabo. Uma kunemicimbi ezindaweni lapho behlala khona abaqashwe nabo bakhokhelwe izimali ezifana nalezo ezikhokhelwa abaculi okuthiwa badumile. Ukulamba kwabo kuyefana nokulamba kwabobonke abantu izisu ziyalingana.
SOCIAL COHESION
Lomnyango unomsebenzi omkhulu wokuqinisekisa ukuthi zonke izinhlanga ziphilisana ngendlela efanele. The challenge of nation building, and social cohesion still remains. Arts and culture forms part of the backbone of our rainbow nation, through which the world gets to know and understand our province.
There is growing evidence that children and young people’s engagement with the arts and culture has a knock-on effect on their wider social and civic participation. There is some evidence to suggest that participation in arts activities facilitates discussion in children around topics such as identity and citizenship. Kungathokozisa ukuthi uma kunemicimbi yesintu nezinye izinhlanga nazo zizimbandakanye nazo ukuze zizokwazi ukufunda ngamasiko ezinye izinhlanga.
I thank you.
