Honourable House Chair,
Today, as we sit here and deliberate, marks another financial year end and the beginning of another. This is an annual practice that helps us to look back and determine whether the taxpayer’s monies are well and fully accounted for. Whether we are all learning something out of this is another
question.
To some it is about showing how much power they have with out providing a solution to the continuous challenges that are facing the Department and its entities.
House Chair, it is unacceptable the way some entities take their responsibilities for granted as they continue to play politics with their positions due
to infighting and forgetting the mandate that they were given by the Department of Arts and Culture.
The Department should manage relations between management, councils and entities by monitoring them closely to know their challenges on time as these could impact negatively on the budgeting outcomes.
Honourable Minister, this house needs to be cleaned and it needs your attention. Although, it seems as though you are doing something about the challenges in your Department, it is important that you deal with the rot as soon as possible, for the sake of the young and upcoming artists.
Honourable Minister, I know how hands-on you are and how much you love and devote your time to the Arts, however Honourable Minister, there are concerns about more doors of op era houses being closed down due to a lack of funding.
I would like to encourage the Minister and the officials to visit these events or some of the concerts and you will see that any notions of this art form being Eurocentric or elitist have long since been dispelled.
Opera is current. Opera is real. Recently we learned that another opera company, Gauteng Opera, and the Dance Umbrella Festival of Johannesburg are closing their doors.
At the moment many young, mostly black singers are concerned about this. In many countries opera survives because of financial support from their governments and because of private sponsors.
There is an untapped opportunity to create many jobs in the performing arts sector, especially opera.
To sustain an opera company means providing work to singers, orchestral musicians, costume designers and outfitters, lighting crews and carpenters.
Honourable House Chair, it is clear that the budget of this Department is not enough to deal with these challenges we need future Sibongile Khumalo’s and Pretty Yende’s.
The Department has often spoken about artists that are placed in schools. I have visited a number of schools in my province of North West and I still have to come across one of those artists.
Maybe it is about time that we are provided with a list of schools where these artists will be found.
House Chair, there is also a growing concern regarding libraries in rural areas including Community Arts Centres. These institutions are very important in rural areas especially when one looks at the rate that young people migrate to towns for the sole purpose of being able to access centres of this nature.
It is very important for this Department to always remember the commitment that it made through the following outcomes:
1. Improved quality of basic education
2. Decent employment through inclusive economic growth
3. A skilled and capable workforce to support an inclusive growth path
4. Vibrant equitable and sustainable rural communities with food security for all.
5. Create a better South Africa and contribute to a better Africa and a better world to mention but a few.
To achieve these we need a better budget to create and embrace the DA’s ideals of freedom, fairness and opportunity for all.