Cultural Affairs and Sport

1. (i)   The Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) has

informed me that the Department has faced budget reductions over recent financial years due to fiscal consolidation and other factors, including cuts to the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). These budget cuts have inevitably led to a decline in the funding available for cultural organisations and sport development programmes. Despite these challenges, the Department remains committed to ensuring access to cultural and sport development opportunities, particularly for underserved communities and marginalised groups. The Department has proactively addressed these challenges through our innovative Managed Network Model. This model emphasises strategic collaboration with other government departments, municipalities, and NGOs to create a synergistic environment that maximises the impact of available resources.

By leveraging these partnerships, we can maintain and even enhance support for cultural institutions and sport development programmes. The Managed Network Model allows us to share expertise and coordinate efforts to ensure that programmes and initiatives continue to thrive. This model fosters innovation and encourages cultural and sport institutions to explore diverse funding streams, including support from the private sector. By diversifying funding sources and fostering a culture of excellence, we help cultural institutions become more resilient and sustainable, even in the face of financial constraints.

The Department has continued to provide comprehensive support to all 131 sport federations, which cater to a wide range of participants, including athletes, coaches, administrators, technical officials, and support staff. This support is crucial for both social and competitive engagements.

(ii)  As per the response to (i).

2. The Department is implementing several programmes to increase participation in sport and cultural activities among the youth:

‘I choose to be ACTIVE TODAY’ campaign

This campaign builds on the national Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s ‘I Choose 2B Active’ campaign, expanding to incorporate various elements:

1. Promoting Positive Daily Choices:

• Behavioral Influence: Encouraging individuals, particularly youth, to make conscious, positive choices every day. This builds habits of physical activity and curiosity and can lead to improved physical and mental health over time.
• Empowerment: By framing the message as a personal choice, it empowers individuals to take control of their actions and well-being.

2. Holistic Approach to Wellbeing:

• Physical Health: Encouraging activity addresses the issue of sedentary behavior, which is linked to numerous health problems such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
• Mental Health: Stimulating the mind, promoting lifelong learning, mental agility, and a sense of purpose. Engaging in new and interesting activities can also reduce stress and improve mental health.

The campaign has four areas of focus:

1. I choose to be ACTIVE TODAY PHYSICALLY:

Building active, fit, and engaged communities invested in sport, recreation and arts.

2. I choose to be ACTIVE TODAY INTELLECTUALLY:

Building a province of readers who are inspired to think beyond their circumstances, invested in telling their stories through various media.

3. I choose to be ACTIVE TODAY CREATIVELY:

Establishing the Western Cape as the creative hub that unlocks opportunities for creativity in the arts and culture sector.

4. I choose to be ACTIVE TODAY SOCIALLY:

Creating opportunities for youth to be of service in their communities to foster social cohesion.

Outreach programmes:

The Department champions activations for Library Week, Archives Week, job seekers’ workshops, commemoration of national days etc.

Scaling After-School Programmes:

DCAS offers an After-School Programme that provides school-going youth with access to various fun-filled, play-based activities in recreation, sport, arts, and culture on a daily basis. This includes MOD Centres, which are developed through strategic partnering in terms of the Managed Network Model. In order to grow the number of coaches to support growth in participant numbers, as well as to improve capacity of existing coaches, the Department is currently entering into partnering agreements with the following organisations: Chrysalis Academy, AMANDLA EduFootball, Northlink College and Waves for Change. These partnerships will include training, skills transfer and shared access to resources.

3. (i)   The Department is actively pursuing the revitalisation of School Sport

through reviving inter-school participation in the various sporting codes at schools. To achieve this Ministerial Priority, the Department will collaborate with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) and other key partners. The Department has already begun with the requirement that all MOD Centres and Neighbouring School Centres participate in inter-school leagues at a district level.

Shared Facilities:

School children are provided opportunity to access to various top-class sporting facilities. This programme is run in co-operation with the WCED, which funds the infrastructure while DCAS runs the operations and programming, and maintains the facilities.

The Department also promotes competitive sport and provides operational support for programmes within the 6 regions in the province.

(ii)  As per the response to (i).