Dear Editor
The Western Cape’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport has once again reaffirmed its commitment to bettering the province by devoting almost R200 million to various programs which provide some form of benefit to the Western Cape’s youth.
In a reply to a DA parliamentary question, provincial Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais, stated that her department had focused its budget on the wellbeing of young people, and had considered this in its funding of 138 Sports Federations in the Province, as well as various NGOs in the cultural sector. The department’s spending in this area does more than just uplift young people in the province: it also provides employment to many teachers, coaches, and facilitators across the Western Cape.
Highlights of the department’s youth-related spending last year include:
- R44 167 000 on the Youth and After School programme
- R52 589 000 on the Mass participation; Opportunity and access; Development and Growth (MOD) Programme
- R27 072 000 on the Western Cape School Sport Programme (in addition to funding by the Western Cape Education Department)
Gillion Bosman MPP said: “I am pleased to see the department placing such a premium on nurturing the next generation. The fact that the department’s allocations have been targeted toward allowing the youth of our province to follow their passions is something that I am immensely proud of.
The provision of cultural and sporting initiatives also has benefits beyond the department’s stated purview. Sporting and cultural activities provide an alternative choice for many of our under-privileged youth, who are at constant risk of becoming involved with social ills such as drugs and gangsterism. By providing safe, well-run facilities, the department actively fights against the hopelessness that many of our children feel. In challenging times such as these, inspiring hope in our younger generations is more important than ever.”
Regards
Gillion Bosman, MPP
DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Cultural Affairs and Sport
