Please find an attached soundbite by in isiZulu and English Tsepo Mhlongo MP, DA Shadow Minister of Sports, Arts & Culture
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will write to the Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa to find out the total amount that has been spent on the Eminent Persons Group’s (EPG) sports transformation agenda. This follows a statement by the Minister in which he criticises EPG for lacking urgency in transforming South African sport.
The EPG, appointed in 2012 was commissioned towards driving, monitoring and evaluating transformation policies and implementation in sports. However, years have passed and millions of rands have been spent, with the EPG failing to achieve its transformation objectives.
The DA wants assurance that money that was destined to improve the access to sport was used for it intended purpose. We want to be sure that no funds were misused, thereby denying our people, especially the poor, an opportunity to benefit from sport participation.
While the Minister has criticized the EPG for its supposed failure to implement transformation targets, the department is equally to blame because it failed to measure the effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the EPG. As a result, EPG has not been able to deliver its transformative agenda.
It is concerning that South Africans are still having conversations about transformation in sports. Transforming sports to make it more inclusive and representative is a critical element of our democracy that must be handled with care and a greater sense of responsibility.
Transformation in sport does not start at the elite or professional levels. The EPG should not only put the burden on sport federations to initiate transformation, and should be transparent about the lack of transformation and development at school level.
For 26 years, government has failed to ensure equitable participation opportunity is in place, due to poor implementation which has led to a lack of development of sports codes in schools, especially in underprivileged and previously disadvantaged communities.
The DA will continue to push for accountability, and we will push for broader participation is sport to bring about unity and social cohesion.
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