The Portfolio Committee urged the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation to implement the National Sport and Recreation Plan Vision 2030 on supporting the Gauteng Provincial Sports Council/ Confederation.
According to Aubrey Dikola, a spokesperson in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, the National Sport and Recreation Plan Vision 2030, Strategic Objective, Objective 11: indicates that to integrate the development of South African Sport at provincial and local levels, sports councils/ confederations should be established in each province.
She said among the key activities of implementing such, the provincial government through the provincial sport department guided by SASCOC should ensure that sports councils/ confederations are structured and operational at local, regional and provincial levels.
“The provincial department, in this instance the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, should provide seed and incubation funding for the provincial sport council/ confederation. It should also ensure that councils/ confederations act as an interface to support the linking of hubs/ clubs with federations, municipalities, civil society structures and NGOs to ensure integration of sports programmes and to avoid duplication of resources.”
She added that the Portfolio Committee calls upon the department to relook at the budget allocation to the Gauteng Sports Confederation as the current budget allocation is minimal for the confederation to adhere to its mandate as indicated on the National Sports and Recreation Plan Vision 2030.
“The Committee further calls upon the department to redirect the transfers that they are currently transferring directly to clubs and affiliates of the Confederation to be redirected to the Confederation for improved monitoring and evaluation by the Confederation, as highlighted by the National Sport and Recreation Plan. By doing it, the Department will avoid a situation where there are duplication of resources, and previously disadvantaged sporting codes will also get an equal share of the transfers as the current system favours the previously advantaged sporting codes.”
William Matsheke, the Portfolio Committee chairperson indicated during the Gauteng Sport Confederation Strategic Planning Session that the current budget allocation to the Gauteng Sport Confederation of R5,3 million as part of the conditional grant allocation for partnerships with community structures for recreational activities and school sport structures, amongst others, is not sufficient compared to other provinces considering the size of the population of Gauteng.
The chairperson further indicated that funding for sports in Gauteng is too fragmented as a lot of funding goes to individual clubs or associations, and that there is a need for these funds to be channelled to the Gauteng Sport Confederation since they are experts in sport development.
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