Honourable Dugmore, MEC for Education
Leaders representing sport councils and federations
Civic leaders, councilors, school governing body members
Educators, parents and learners

Ladies and gentlemen, it is an absolute pleasure to stand before you and share some of our dreams of making a better life for all learners, giving practical effect to the ideals enshrined in the People's Charter- that doors of learning and culture shall be open to all.

We are gathered today in that spirit, to put building blocks for a better sporting future of our children. We have come to realize that our strategic goals of focusing on developing sport to desired competitive levels would be severely thwarted if not accompanied by comprehensive facilities provisioning plan.

In pursuit of these objectives, the Department, with limited resources at its disposal committed to upgrading facilities to at least seven schools per year.

I am happy to announce that so far we have been consistent in delivering on that promise. Upgrading of other facilities will get underway before the end of February at the following schools, H.N Dlikidla Primary in Beaufort West, Vuselela Primary in Khayelitsha, Vukukhanye Primary in Gugulethu and Manenberg High. Ihlumelo and Groenewald schools in Paarl, as well as Hazeldene Primary in Mitchell's Plain will become proud recipients of new sport facilities by end March 2006.

Sinethemba Secondary is one of many, many schools that have potential to unleash sporting excellence and talent but it could not, due to lack of facilities.

From today onwards, pupils at this schools as well as members of the community have access to brand new facilities. This delivery, begins to level the playing field and further enhance opportunities of the marginalized sector of society- disadvantaged schools.

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to convey my heartfelt appreciation to MEC Cameroon Dugmore for the commitment he shared with me recently, that his Department will ensure that new schools still to be built will be provided sporting facilities as a standard. This commitment will go a long way to alleviate the critical shortage of facilities.

Those who were present at the last Sport Indaba held at Saldanha in November last year will recall the passionate plea I made for the return of Wednesday sport programme to revive ailing school sport.

I stand here happy ladies and gentlemen, that today we are well poised to deliver on that promise. Clusters have already been established and their needs received. This school will become part of the Gugulethu- Nyanga- Philippi Cluster.

The cluster programmes must be brought in line with mainstream sport and in this regard we are working with the clusters to build the necessary capacity to ensure quality sport is played within the clusters. Training programmes for various codes of sport will be conducted in line with their needs as expressed by the clusters. Basic sports equipment will soon arrive to further capacitate the clusters.

The Wednesday School Sport programme will focus in the main on the following:

• 1st Quarter - Athletics and Swimming
• 2nd Quarter - Rugby, netball, football, hockey, volleyball, boxing and Indigenous Games
• 3rd Quarter - table tennis, football, cross country, tennis, drum majorettes, netball, indigenous games and cricket
• 4th Quarter- gymnastics, cricket, korfball, swimming, dance sport

In consultation with NACOC, which is the national school sport coordinating structure, we will soon be establishing a provincial schools coordinating structure (PROCOC) to ensure the smooth running and organization of school sport.

Finally let me congratulate the two youngsters from this school, Zindiswa Nqothani and Khanyiso Matomane for being drafted into Kaizer Chiefs Academy following their impressive showing at recent Soccer Kings beamed into our homes late last year.

Sinethemba Secondary has done admirably despite the lack of facilities. Their achievements in Coca Cola Cup speaks volumes and was the key ingredient that prompted the department to earmark this school as beneficiary.

Issued by:

Mandla Yeki
Spokesperson for Ministry
Cultural Affairs, Sport and Recreation
Tel: (021) 483 9804
Fax: (021) 483 9801
Mobile: 082 553 3477
Protea Assurance Building, Green Market Square
Cape Town