Pretoria - Limpopo MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture Nakedi Kekana has delivered her maiden budget speech at the Lebowakgomo Legislature, outlining how her department intends to spend the R621 million purse allocated by the provincial government led by Premier Stanley Chupu Mathabatha.
The budget allocation for the provincial department, for this 2023/24 financial year has increased from R533m in the 2022/23 financial year to the generous R621m in this financial year, representing an increase of R88m - with additional provincial priorities allocations under equitable share and a slight increase on conditional grant.
“Honourable Speaker, we also wish to celebrate our season 18 ‘Idols’ superstar, Thapelo Molomo, who became the last man standing at the competition. We now understand that the ‘Idols’ company will unfortunately shut its curtain soon after the conclusion of its 19th edition.
“With that knowledge, we still welcomed Thapelo in style, and he later featured in our Mapungubwe Arts Festival.
“Let's also appreciate, our home-grown artists, Makhadzi ‘wa vho rine’, King Monada, Master KG, Penny Penny, Benny Mayengane, Pleasure-M and many others who continue to dominate the music world, not only in South Africa, but across the globe,” said Kekana.
“We are busy grooming and supporting young new artists who will also surprise the music world. Please also join me as we congratulate one of our own, Dr Winnie Mashaba, as she celebrates 25 years in the gospel music world. Her charity and developmental music campaign is going on across the province as we speak.”
She said Limpopo had not only dominated South Africa’s music industry, but the gateway province had also become synonymous with beauty queens.
“We have also become synonymous with beauty pageants, when our daughter Ndavi Nokeri brought Miss South Africa crown home and went on to represent South Africa at the Miss Universe pageant in the USA last year,” said Kekana.
“She joined luminaries like Bokang Montjane and Shudufhadzo Musida, who also walked and dominated the pageant in the past. We are a province that has not forgotten that for us to realise our objectives, the creative industry will have to play a significant role. Not only in entertainment through Mapungubwe and other festivals, but in creating job opportunities and ending the scourge of poverty and unemployment.”
This provincial department’s budget comprises equitable share allocation of R399m which is 64 percent of the overall budget.
The remainder, of 36 percent, which amounts to R221m, is a conditional grant allocation.
“Out of the R621.8m, administration has been allocated R209m; cultural affairs is allocated R85.12m; library and archive services gets R223.2m; whereas sport and recreation is allocated R104.2m,” said Kekana.
Regarding her departmental administration, Kekana said the trend of unqualified audit outcomes set by her successor would be maintained under her guidance.
“Honourable Speaker, the department is delighted by the hard work of Team Sport, Arts and Culture which obtained an unqualified audit opinion for the past three financial years in a row, and we are more than convinced that we will keep this record henceforth. We have of course been able to keep this traction with the support of the Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts led by Honorable Donald Selamolela and this august house. Re a le loboga (thank you) honourable members,” she said.
“The objective of the administrative programme is to conduct the overall management and administrative support to the department. This includes the office of the MEC, office of the head of department, corporate services and financial management. A total budget allocation of R209.155 million has therefore been set aside for this programme,” she said.
The objective of the provincial cultural affairs programme is to promote culture, conserve and manage the cultural, historical assets and resources of the province by rendering various services and hosting cultural events.
“During the past financial year (2022/23), we celebrated Freedom Day, Africa Day, and Heritage Day. All these significant days attracted around 12 000 people. This has been a significant achievement.
“As we speak, the department is again busy with preparations for this year’s Freedom Day Celebrations. These are the type of events that assist in realising social cohesion as espoused by the Preamble of our Constitution. They also remind us of the Struggles for liberation and the milestones we have gone through in the building of our democratic dispensation.”
Kekana also highlighted that after two years of Covid-19 restrictions across South Africa, her department managed to host a successful Mapungubwe Arts and Culture Festival 2022 in Polokwane.
“You could see by the attention and excitement that our creative industry people showed, especially performing artists, that they had gone through the worst. About 10 000 music lovers danced and enjoyed social cohesion through the night, and some stayed until the last artist at 7am the following day.”
“The presence of the Premier (Mathabatha), members of the executive council and some of the legislature members, was testimony enough that Limpopo is indeed the melting pot of South Africa. Our special guests from Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mozambique were eating out of the hands of our illustrious artists.”
For the first time in history, Kekana said at least 96 percent of the artists who performed at the festival were from Limpopo.
“This is part of our resolve that from then onwards, Mapungubwe or any other Limpopo festival should prioritise local content. We wish to therefore report that in this financial year, we will roll out the Mapungubwe Arts Festival build-up activities in all Limpopo districts, in order to allow Limpopo artists to showcase their creative talent. This will ensure that all art genres are given an opportunity to participate. As we say in Limpopo ‘Indlovu ya hina leyi’,” she emphasised.
Kekana also announced that progress had been made regarding the provincial theatre in Limpopo.
“We also wish to announce here today, that as the premier has over the years reported on the progress of the provincial theatre, we can now report with authority, that the design and procurement thereof is now at 60 percent tender documentation finalisation. We will in this financial year complete stage four of the entire planning and then commence with stage five, which is construction. This is a milestone achievement for us and the creative industry,” she said.
“This project's completion will come in handy to the performance industry and obviously the people of Limpopo at large. The provincial theatre has been allocated R10 million in the current financial year. Honourable members, about two weeks ago, I witnessed the talent of some of those who will be excited at the completion of the provincial theatre.
“The staging of a play called ‘Pienaars’ was hosted at General Piet Joubert Special School in Polokwane. In the next few years, this should be staged at our own theatre. The actors and actresses came from all districts of our province. It was truly beautiful to watch. Help me appreciate theatre and stage activist, Precious Manaka, and director Thabang ‘Chakala’ Ramabu and their team in the house.”
She also extended appreciation for the work being done by, among others, Matome Rapetsoa and Mashupje Phala, who are exposing the talent of young people in the theatre industry.
IOL