Provincial Treasury’s recently released First Quarterly Budget Performance report indicates that the Provincial Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) has reached 81% of its targets, despite the harsh Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, and has more than doubled its performance in target achievement year-on-year. Further, the Heritage Western Cape and Western Cape Language Committee, both entities of the Department, reached all of their targets.
Interventions by the Department include conditional grants for community libraries, supporting municipalities and their libraries to provide the necessary PPE to staff while instructing them to sanitise books and communal spaces. These interventions on behalf of government have helped keep libraries open and allowed them to continue providing services to residents in this province. More than this, the foresight and planning of this administration meant that libraries could serve as safe, sanitised spaces for residents to register for their Covid-19 vaccinations.
In spite of severe restrictions imposed by national government, Heritage Western Cape (HWC) and the Western Cape Language Committee (WCLC) thrived. The mandate for these entities includes promoting the use of all three official languages in the Western Cape (WCLC), while identifying, protecting, and conserving our provincial heritage resources for future generations. These well-oiled provincial entities perform so well because they pay their staff on time, manage their funding effectively, and function transparently.
Unfortunately, this cannot be said of counterpart departments and entities at a National Government level. The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture recently mismanaged a R300m relief fund at the expense of individuals in that sector, which is why we have taken up this issue with Department itself on behalf of cultural performers in the Western Cape. The same Department continues to ignore our request for the publication of the investigative report into the mismanagement over many years at the Robben Island Museum. I have not given up on these issues and will continue to hold national counterparts to account until they are resolved.
During a time of extreme fear and isolation, there remains a need for residents in the Western Cape to safely participate in sports and celebrate our unique cultures, for the sake of social cohesion and unity. DCAS understood that and works relentlessly to make it possible. The DA realises that the importance of maintaining diversity and preventing cultural erasure from being another Covid-related statistic. Good governance stems from achieving the goals we set for ourselves, as we have done this quarter.