Honourable House Chairperson,
The African Christian Democratic Party notes that while this Department has demonstrated incremental improvements in performance, achieving 91% of its APP targets in 2023/24, we remain concerned by persistent inefficiencies, underutilised programmes, and limited community impact.
The Department’s strategic mandate to foster national cohesion through sport, heritage, and creative expression is vital; yet its execution remains uneven. Persistent audit irregularities, unresolved forensic reports, and a 24-month vacancy in the Director-General post undermine DSAC’s governance and accountability structures.
The Mzansi Golden Economy and “Winning Nation” initiatives have shown promise, but logistical delays, low stakeholder participation, and infrastructure bottlenecks continue to hamper delivery. The variance of R67.6 million in programme expenditure and the cancellation of school arts championships reflect a troubling disconnect between planning and execution.
The ACDP calls for a recalibration of DSAC’s priorities, placing grassroots development, youth engagement, and cultural preservation at the centre.
The ACDP expresses concern that arts and culture risk marginalisation. The Department’s rollout of the 17 Cultural and Creative Industry Clusters, signals intent on strengthening the arts sector, yet these efforts have received less public and political attention. Strategic balance is essential, because our social cohesion depends on holistic investment and we must caution against a disproportionate focus on elite sporting events.
We urge the Department to strengthen its monitoring and evaluation frameworks; performance must be measured, not only by targets met, but by lives changed.
The ACDP supports these reports.
