The Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP) commenced its Annual Report season today with a deliberation by the Standing Committee on Cultural Affairs & Sport on the performance of the Department (DCAS) for the 2020/2021 Financial Year. Despite three adjustment budgets, the Department achieved a clean audit for the 9th year running and delivered quality services across the entities of Heritage Western Cape, the Western Cape Cultural Commission, and the province’s Language Committee.
Spending 98.6% of its budget, DCAS responded to the pandemic with a level of agility that was, regrettably, not matched at a national level. While the Western Cape allocated R4.5 million to support almost 600 artists and their organisations through the pandemic, national government still can’t account for the R300 million it was meant to spend on supporting vulnerable stakeholders in the industry.
For a more secure future, DCAS exceeded its target in job creation and skills development. It created an estimated 470 jobs through its programmes and offered 516 opportunities for youth-in-service programmes.
Key achievements of the three entities include:
- In playing a significant role in promoting an inclusive province that celebrates diversity, the Provincial Language Committee held six formal engagements with stakeholders in the implementation of the province’s language policy and 492 language support services were provided in the three official Western Cape languages and SA sign language. The Department also led in the development of the “Treasure Box” activity packs, a resource that was used by about 74 000 families to keep fit, have fun, and stay safe during the pandemic. This resource was translated into English and Afrikaans, and its success is evidenced in that it was adopted at a national level.
- For the period under review, the Western Cape Cultural Commission supported 7 Cultural Councils in Paarl, Retreat, Pinelands, Khayelitsha, and Nyanga. This was critical in making sure that community-based cultural activities could continue in a way that supported youth in building skills that contribute to both preservation of our histories and future employment. Examples here include hosting of the Youth Cultural Camp by Gorachouqua Tribal House of Cape Khoi and the Rastafarian Cultural Festival held by the Nyabhinghi House of Paarl. The province also upgraded and maintained a further seven facilities in Oudtshoorn, Stellenbosch, Matzikama, Drakenstein, and Bloubergstrand to ensure safe cultural facilities for residents.
- Heritage Western Cape continues to make great strides in preservation of important sites for the province. That’s why we welcome the declaration of 5 new provincial heritage sites, including Princess Vlei, named after the legend of a Khoi princess, where the site in Retreat was one of only a few not solely reserved for whites under Apartheid. Princess Vlei now enjoys high historical protection and value, with acknowledgement for its role as a place for persons of colour to commune during times of oppression.
We look forward to further innovation by DCAS, using the solid foundation provided over 2020/2021 Financial Year through financial agility and responsiveness to our communities’ cultural needs.
