POLITICAL NEWS - In a response to our written parliamentary question, the Provincial Minister of Arts & Culture indicates that the R12.9m funding presented to sports federations will help in mitigating some of the devasting effects that Covid-19 has had on the sport sector.
Critically, one of the target beneficiaries are traditionally marginalised groups, such as women and persons with disability.
Funding was allocated to sports federations based on a series of tri-lateral engagements. The tri-lateral meetings included sport federations, the District Sport Council, and the provincial Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport.
Sport federations in the province thus had the opportunity to report on their activities as well as the difficulties faced in sports development, ensuring that sport federations are funded according to need.
The funding will help:
- Sport clubs to excel, expand and develop their club and their athletes.
- Mitigate some of the physical and mental stress that has plagued residents due to the effects of the pandemic.
- Promote marginalised groups, like women, girls, and people with disabilities, to receive special attention and develop their sporting codes.
We support the transparency provided by the provincial government and its commitment to develop sports in the province. It’s also important to note that the programmes this funding provides for will be subject to monitoring and evaluation through ongoing engagements with clients and the tri-lateral grouping.
In this way, our government demonstrates its commitment to value for money and the integrity of its interventions.
The sports sector continues to be severely hit by the pandemic, and every effort to aid its stakeholders should be welcomed. The DA in the Western Cape remains committed to mitigating the effects that lockdown regulations have had on vulnerable sectors.
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