21 YEARS OF SPORT MANAGEMENT

13 MAY 2010
Birchwood Hotel, Boksburg
Deputy Minister G.C. Oosthuizen

Programme Director
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Ihron Rensburg
Deputy Vice-Chancellors,
Dean of Health Sciences, Professor Andre Swart
Executive Director of Sport, Professor Wim Hollander
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
I apologise on behalf of Deputy Minister Oosthuizen, as he is compelled to attend the
Presidents Budget Vote in Parliament today.
Thank you for inviting the Ministry to address you at such a significant milestone in
the history of the Department of Sport and Movement Studies and UJ Sport. It is
indeed acknowledged that your flagship programme has been, and hopefully will
continue to be, Sport Management. Twenty one years in this field where you were
the pioneers is a wonderful achievement and one that has made ripples in the field
of sport sciences and education across our country and beyond. Let me therefore
take this opportunity to congratulate the University of Johannesburg, the Department
of Sport and Movement Studies, and UJ Sport on a profound achievement. We are
proud of your contribution to the development and professionalization of the
discipline of Sport Management in South Africa, and to Sport in general. We all know
that one of the greatest challenges facing us in South Africa is the lack of
professional sport administrators and managers. Far too large a proportion of our
sport bodies are managed by volunteers, who in most cases have the passion but not
the professional preparation to provide the required leadership. In this regard, your
early vision and track record of preparing high calibre diplomates, graduates and
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post-graduates is acknowledged. In this period you have also produced hundreds of
regional, provincial and national caps in a wide range of sports.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The topic that I was tasked to address this morning is: The SA Elite Sport Plan
2009-2013. This is an integral part of any sports delivery framework and therefore it
allows me to delve into its background. Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA)
began giving serious and focussed attention to this part of the sport development
continuum with the appointment of the Ministerial Task Team in 2000 mainly
because of Team SA’s dismal performance earlier that year at the Sydney Olympic
Games. The brief was clear: the MTT had to investigate High Performance or ‘Elite’
sport in South Africa. The Task Team was charged with identifying and looking into
factors which impact negatively on South Africa’s sporting performance and coming
up with recommendations as to how such factors could be addressed.

The work of the Task Team provided a comprehensive analysis of the situation in
South African sport as it existed at the end of 2001. The report also provided
directions for the future and opportunities had been identified for improving the
South African sporting system. It was important to pinpoint the faults in the present
system and come up with appropriate recommendations for improvement. The
Minister at the time, Ngconde Balfour warned that it would be difficult to secure
substantial additional funding from Government given the many urgent challenges
facing this country and he expressed the view that the best way to convince
Government of the value of supporting sport was to demonstrate its contribution to
improving the quality of life of all South Africans. In this context, it was important to
identify innovative approaches to ensure the best possible value from every Rand
obtained for sport.

There was a set of guiding principles that informed the investigation of the High
Performance program, namely:

Strategic Planning. There must be one direction based on a strategic plan
covering all elements of the system; it must be centrally driven, with no
duplication, to give the best value possible for the funding available.

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Performance. This is the principal objective of the High Performance
system. Nothing must compromise the search for performance.

Excellence. There must be a commitment to excellence at all levels in all
endeavours.

Access and Equity. The plan must provide the opportunity for all sectors of
society to reach their potential.

Professionalism. Sport must be run on “business-like” principles.

National Focus. This sports system is for the benefit of the nation as a
whole. It is driven by a national direction.

National Federations. These are the bedrock of the sport system. They
must take responsibility for the destinies of their sports.

Athlete Centered/Coach Driven. Sports performance comes from well-
trained, well-coached athletes. Every part of the system is devoted to the
long-term welfare and improvement of athletes.

Sport Sciences. Vital for success in high performance sport, sport science
must be applied, practical and delivered in accordance with the needs of
national programs developed by head coaches.

Fair Play. The system must be based on respect for the rules, for fellow
athletes and other participants in the system and on honesty and co-operation
between all stakeholders.

Drug Free Sport. There is a total commitment to drug free sport, which
requires a national testing system and tough penalties.

There was a strong view that clarity of direction was lacking, that there was an
element of confusion over roles and too much duplication and fragmentation. Clear
role demarcation was necessary between the Government department Sport and
Recreation South Africa (SRSA), the umbrella sport bodies and between national and
provincial structures.

So today, let us examine how far we have come and where we are exactly. As sport
is a national interest, government has to be the custodian of sport. SRSA therefore
researched, consulted and in October 2009 published “A Case for Sport”. This
document provided the conceptual framework for the review of the White Paper on

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sport and recreation. The current White Paper has become outdated as a result of
the implementation of the Ministerial Task Team recommendations - especially as far
as the macro role-players are concerned. As such Sport and Recreation South Africa
has engaged in a process to rectify this situation by revising and updating the White
Paper so that it is a true reflection of the new dispensation.

The White Paper is an official policy of Government. It therefore crystallizes the

social and economic benefits of sport and provides policy guidelines for capitalizing
on these benefits.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to report that the first draft of the updated White
Paper on sport and recreation has been completed. SRSA embarked on a
consultative process to finalise the White Paper on 29th and 30th April this year. I
am encouraged by the first draft and we had rigorous debate from a wide segment
of the sport and recreation community, including the tertiary sport sector.

Although much consultation still needs to take place, I can assure you that more
focus will be directed towards the important role of tertiary institutions in the
development of sport in our country in future. At a much larger scale tertiary
institutions should support talented athletes to obtain a tertiary education while
furthering their sporting career. I fully agree with the statement that tertiary
institutions have a major role to play in the longer term by providing qualified
teachers, sports technicians and professionals. Tertiary institutions could also provide
suitable locations for sport specific centres of excellence, providing facilities and
expertise in sport science, research and coach education. I am also of the opinion
that students in physical education have a major role to play in assisting schools and
sport federations with sport development programmes.

After nearly two decades of democracy one has to recognise that in South Africa we
still have in many ways two countries in one. Although progress was made,
transformation and reconciliation are still very relevant – also within our sporting
community. To address these issues all of us have a major role to play and these

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roles are clearly defined in the White Paper. The Department is currently drafting
updated transformation guidelines for sport organisations.

I have no doubt that the finalisation of the White Paper on sport and recreation will
provide impetus in transforming South African sport as well as ensuring that South
Africa is an important role-player in world sport. The updated White Paper will
encompass a National Sports Plan for South Africa which will expand upon the policy
statements reflected in the White Paper.

The White Paper, however, will remain a paper exercise if it is not implemented by
means of a conscious effort and firm commitment from government, non-
governmental organisations, the private sector, tertiary sport and South African
society in general.

We have also embarked on a process of restructuring the Department to ensure that

once the White Paper is approved by Cabinet that we are well positioned to ensure
the proper implementation thereof. We recognise that adequate and skilled human
resources are central to achieving our mission.

Another important document impacting on the development of sport in the country is

our STRATEGIC PLAN. The five year strategic plan of the Department for the
period 2010 – 2014 was very recently submitted to Parliament. We remain steadfast
in our vision of “an active and winning nation” and to achieve this, our focus
remains on increasing the levels of sport and recreation participation as well as
achieving success at an international level. In order to address our strategic
direction, we have agreed to structure sport in such a way that while SRSA will play
an oversight role on all sport, its primary focus will be on sport development and
sport for development. We are responsible for Talent Identification and
Development. The area of High Performance sport has been delegated to SASCOC.
Off course, my Department will support SASCOC to deliver on its mandate, and also
monitor its progress. Hence, I will not address the high performance component
further, but rather focus on the pertinent challenges the Department needs to
address within the next five years:

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Mass participation: SRSA will continue to pursue initiatives that increase the
number of participants in sport and recreation. The Department is also broadening
its focus on the area of recreation and strengthening its relationship with the
Department of Basic Education in the delivery of school sport programmes. Other
important focus areas to assist in broadening the participation base of South African
sport will include sport promotion programmes and a national sport promotion media
campaign as well as implementing more stringent monitoring and evaluation
systems, with indicators that highlight the significant impact that these initiatives
have on the lives of ordinary South Africans.

Sport development: SRSA will focus on easing the transition from mass based
programmes to higher levels of participation through coordinating and monitoring
the important areas of talent identification and development as well as the delivery
of scientific support to national development athletes. These sport development
programmes will be supported by a well developed athlete tracking system to enable
the impact of the interventions to be assessed, in addition to the roll-out of the
national sport facilities plan.

High Performance: The Sport and Recreation Amendment Act, Act no 18 of 2007,
positions SRSA as the custodian of sport and recreation in the country. The
responsibilities concurrent with this position are substantial and it is clear that they
will never be adequately realised without formidable partnerships in place. The
Department’s strategic alliance with SASCOC is key to improving South Africa’s
international ranking in the selected sport codes.

These strategic areas must be underpinned by a range of enablers, including a

stringent regulatory framework, adequate human and financial resources, reliable
sport information, productive international relations and a functional sport academy
system delivering appropriate scientific support. In this regard, my Department has
recognised that the development continuum in South Africa has primarily focused on
High Performance – i.e. helping elite South African athletes perform at optimal
levels. The concentration of support services mainly at the elite level is of marginal

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benefit to the country as the services are then applied too late. In order for athletes
and coaches to benefit fully from sports services, systems should be developed for
the application of an integrated system from the school level in order for talent to be
identified and nurtured at an early stage and then developed to an elite level using
scientific methods.

SRSA will also pursue more critically the impact of what the National Federations are
doing with the public funds transferred to them and evaluating the delivery
challenges that they may have. We are planning to accommodate National
Federations in a “Sports House” that will give them the necessary infrastructure and
easy access to the Department. In all its endeavours SRSA will pursue the vision of a
transformed sport society and therefore the Department will continue to use
sport as a mechanism to realising the critical government priorities of fostering an
inclusive citizenship, physical well-being, skills development and economic growth.

Copies of the Department’s Strategic Plan can be downloaded from our website,
namely www.srsa.gov.za

SPORT TOURISM

Sport has always been an important part of society, but with the growing global
interest in sport tourism it has also become an increasingly important part of a
country’s economy. Based on the proven economic benefits and impact that sport
has delivered to a number of countries, our observation is that governments
worldwide have become increasingly supportive of further investment in sport as an
industry. There is indeed a new international drive to utilize the potential of tourism,
sport and mega events to the benefit of countries and mankind world-wide.

This drive has resulted in the UN World Tourism organisation and South Africa
hosting an inaugural Summit on Tourism, Sport and Mega Events in Johannesburg
from 24 to 26 February 2010. Incidentally, this event was co-sponsored by UJ’s
Department of Tourism. The Summit was attended by some 450 delegates, ranging
from Cabinet Ministers to business leaders, industry experts and top academics from

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35 countries. At this Summit our Department has forged valuable networks and
friendships with local and international role-players in the field of sport tourism. The
wider perspective that this brings, combined with the new access to this knowledge
network, will assist us to do what we do in a smarter way.

To position South Africa as a sport tourism destination beyond the 2010 FIFA World
Cup, a partnership agreement between Sport and Recreation South Africa and the
Department of Tourism was officially signed by the two relevant Ministers. The
partnership is aimed at forging closer working relationships between the tourism and
sport industries within South Africa with the aim to maximize the tourism value for
major sport events.

The first priority of this partnership is the formulation of a sport tourism strategy for
the country which is expected to be implemented after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In
fact, it must form part of a legacy in our country.

I believe there is still a major need for an updated register of major events that our
national federations are planning to bid for as well as events that we are going to
host after a successful bid.

The Department will also work more closely with other national Departments to
capitalize on the spin-offs emanating from sport such as peace and safety, health
and social development.

Allow me to also touch on some of the more significant matters that my Department
is dealing with currently. Firstly, with regard to the employment of foreign sport
persons by South African sport and recreation bodies, I am aware that
federations and their athletes have enjoyed much success in the last few years with
athletes bringing home more medals and playing at ever higher levels regionally,
nationally and internationally. Some of these successes are as a result that some
federations are dependent on the services of foreign coaches, administrators,
technical officials and in some instances players.

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SRSA, as the national government department responsible for sport and recreation in
South Africa, has a coordination role to play in this regard. SRSA is aware that in
some cases national and provincial federations, as well as clubs, employ foreigners
without consulting with SRSA and SASCOC in advance.

SRSA, guided by the National Sport and Recreation Amendment Act, 2007, has
directed them to the importance of Item 13A of the Act, which stipulates that
recruitment of sport and recreation persons must be done in a manner that promotes
equity, representivity and redress in sport and recreation. In this regard we have
instructed them to expedite their development plans to enable full participation of
South African citizens.

Federations were notified to liaise with SRSA and SASCOC before employing foreign
sport and recreation persons in order for us to do a proper evaluation of their
motivation in this regard. After evaluation of their application SRSA will make a
recommendation to the Department of Home Affairs regarding the issuing of a work
permit. Full details regarding the procedures for the application for work permits for
foreign sport/recreation persons were outlined in a letter signed by the DG of SRSA,
dated 26 March 2010, addressed to all national sport and recreation federations. We
expect a high degree of cooperation in this regard. A task team has been appointed
from relevant staff of SRSA and the Department of Home Affairs following an inter-
departmental meeting this week to make recommendations to the respective
Ministers regarding amendments to legislation and policies and to chart the way
forward.

With regard to INFRACTRUCTURE, we realise that our quest for excellence in sport
cannot be realized unless there are adequate and appropriate resources,
fundamentally the sport infrastructure. However there still exist in our society
disparities in terms of the provision and management of sport infrastructure. In
some areas facilities are under-utilized, in others they are over-utilized, and in many
others they are vandalized and poorly maintained. Whilst Government continues to
invest in community infrastructure the non governmental institutions particularly the
Federations and Tertiary Institutions need to be involved and partner government to

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ensure that there are sustainable sport development programmes. SRSA would in
this financial year be engaging the Federations and other key stakeholders to work
out appropriate responses and solutions to challenges in the provision and
management of sport and recreation infrastructure. Our approach has been to lobby
and advocate for Municipalities to ring fence money for Sport Facilities and their
maintenance within the Municipal Infrastructure Grant Program.

SRSA has a programme that provides mobile gyms that cater for multiple federations
in disadvantaged rural municipalities. Facilities are also being identified in
disadvantaged local municipalities in order for gym equipment to be procured and
handed over to those municipalities for use by local municipality clubs that are active
in the league system in those communities. Provincial Federations should be involved
to ensure proper athlete referral systems and Human Movement Studies graduates
could also oversee the scientific activities at gyms. Talented athletes would therefore
be identified by the provincial federations and the Human Movement Studies
graduates and referred to regional/ provincial academies for support. The provincial
departments of sport would therefore have to provide financial and logistical support
for such a programme to be successful.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this presents just a brief insight to the possible contribution
of the sport and recreation sector to National imperatives and the impact that it can
have on higher-level outcomes, including representivity in our teams at all levels as
well as the spin-offs thereof for social cohesion and national pride. In this regard, we
are less than month away from one of the greatest sport spectacles ever to be
hosted on African soil. We have instituted a Mass Mobilisation Strategy with several
road shows, bill boards and activations at major events and locations. We had to get
the South African public aware an excited about the Foootball World Cup.

I thank you for your attention and wish you well over your deliberations for the rest
of today.

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