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DA terribly saddened at the passing of MPL Lebo More

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is totally heartbroken to learn of the passing of our colleague and friend, Lebo More, a DA Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.

Lebo had been serving the DA as the Shadow MEC for Sports, Arts, Recreation and Culture in the province – a role which saw him take on many issues, including the non-payment of Covid-19 relief funding for struggling artists and athletes.

Lebo first joined the DA in 2003, where he was shortly elected as the DA Youth Branch Chairperson at the Mogale City Branch. Between 2005 and 2013, Lebo continued his work in politics, where he became a member of the DA Gauteng Commission on Youth and then as a Councillor in Mogale City that saw him go on to serve as Deputy Chief Whip for the DA’s caucus in that municipality.

In 2013, Lebo was sworn in as a MPL in the Gauteng Legislature.

Lebo’s record of unconditional and dedicated public service was a demonstration of his commitment to fight against corruption and help build a South Africa for all. He leaves his DA colleagues, family and friends in mourning, while still honoured to have known and worked with him.

We hope his soul finds everlasting peace. He will never be forgotten.

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Frustrated Mamelodi community denied access to sporting facility as HM Pitje Stadium upgrades delays

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is disappointed that the lack of progress with regards to the demolition and reconstruction of the dilapidated HM Pitje Stadium has caused children and sporting clubs in the community to seek alternatives venues such as Loftus Versfeld and Lucas Moripe Stadiums in Atteridgeville, at great commuting cost for themselves. 

 This has naturally caused unnecessary frustration for Mamelodi residents in Tshwane.

The HM Pitje Stadium which was once the pride of the Mamelodi community and a home of the CAF champions, Mamelodi Sundown, but is now a drug den and a safe place to harbour criminals, putting the lives of residents in danger. 

The Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR), Mbali Hlophe has indicated that the decision to demolish the stadium had been taken and was communicated to the residents during a stakeholder meeting on 27 February 2021. The demolition will take place in the current financial year, however there is no detailed timeline as to when this will happen.

MEC Hlophe was responding to my written questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

According to the MEC, the estimated cost of the demolition is R20 million, and the reconstruction of the stadium remains a challenge as it is estimated that it will require R10 000 per seat for a new stadium.

This clearly indicates that the department has not yet budgeted for the reconstruction of the stadium yet there are aware that the communities are in dire need of proper sporting facilities such as this stadium, which will certainly nurture and develop young sporting talent from the grassroots level.

Furthermore, the department has underspent by R161.1 million for the 2020/21 financial year of which there is R844 000 irregular expenditure as a result of irregular appointments – money that could have been used to demolish and construct the stadium.

 This information was revealed in the department’s fourth quarter report for the said financial year.

The DA will continue exposing MEC Hlophe for dragging her feet on getting this stadium completed and will demand her to reprioritise the department’s expenditure plans to ensure proper budget allocation, focusing on the core mandate of the department of providing universal access to sports and facilities.

We will further write to MEC Hlophe and request time frames as to when the demolition process will begin and when the stadium will be reconstructed.

There are also media reports that Mamelodi Sundowns and the Motsepe Foundation is willing to assist the government to refurbish the stadium. I will also write to the club to ascertain what they are willing to assist with and facilitate an engagement between them and the department.

In our engagement with Motsepe foundation, our first priority is that we care about the people of Mamelodi and urge the residents to fully utilise and safeguard this facility and not to sell their only prime township sports asset away. We believe that our intervention will help to speed up the process of rebuilding the stadium to make it a wonderful facility to nurture talent to greater heights.

Local Government Elections are coming up in 2021! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

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R21.6 million spent on renovating Union Stadium yet Joburg children and sporting clubs still have no access

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is disappointed to learn that children and sporting clubs in Ward 82 of the City of Johannesburg (COJ) still have no access to the newly renovated Union Stadium and are forced to use dusty playgrounds due to shoddy workmanship at the stadium.

The City of Johannesburg has spent over R21.6 million renovating the Union Stadium yet the stadium has huge cracks inside the building and is not safe for use by the public.

This was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Lebogang Maile in a written reply to my questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

According to MEC Maile, the Union Stadium is owned by the COJ and is managed by the Community Development, Sport and Recreation Department -Region B. COJ has spent R21 618 597.00 renovating the stadium yet it is still closed and not accessible to the public because it was condemned by OHASA in 2017 due to a huge crack inside the building. The entire building within the stadium including the changing rooms and toilets were closed as it was declared not safe for use by the general public.

This is one of many examples of shoddy workmanship which is unacceptable and a waste of rate-payers money.

If there was a proper management of this project, these identified cracks could have been fixed by the service provider who was awarded the tender to renovate the stadium. COJ now has to allocate additional budget to fix the stadium which is a waste of taxpayers’ money.

It has become a norm for government to start projects that benefit the community and then either fail to complete them or there is shoddy workmanship. In all these cases, the residents are always on the losing end of the stick.

Local sporting clubs are in dire need of proper sporting facilities such as this stadium so as to nurture and develop young sporting talent from the grassroots level.

Furthermore, it is worrying that the stadium was stripped bare by thieves and vandals, yet there are Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) security services on the site. It concerns the DA greatly when the City’s security services are failing to safeguard our most needed community assets.

The DA will write to the COJ to ascertain their intentions with regards to the stadium, demand time frames as to when will the cracks be fixed and when the stadium will be reopened.

Athletes and sports men and women need of such facilities to advance their talents to greater heights and to be able to compete with the rest of the world. We cannot allow our talented people to suffer and their hopes and dreams shuttered. We will continue to put pressure on the COJ to fix the stadium so that it can be fully utilised by the community.

Local Government Elections are coming up in 2021! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

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DA calls on MEC Mazibuko to ensure safety of cyclists and athletes on Gauteng roads

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is calling on the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko to ensure the safety of cyclists and athletes on Gauteng roads.

This follows the brutal attack of a Springs local cyclist , Lucky Mokone who was attacked while cycling in Springs and was seriously injured.

This is one of many incidents where opportunistic criminals are increasingly targeting cyclists and athletes, yet the department is not doing enough to ensure their safety.

The DA calls on MEC Mazibuko to ensure police visibility and an increase in road patrols, especially along the hot-spots routes.

We also urge cyclists and athletes to ride and run in large groups and to ensure that no one is isolated during the training races.

Furthermore, we call on both MEC Mazibuko and Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR), Mbali Hlophe to urgently develop a safety plan to ensure the safety of cyclists and athletes. The routes used by cyclists and athletes are mostly known and should be patrolled on a regular basis.

The DA will also be tabling written questions to both MEC Mazibuko and MEC Hlophe to ascertain what safety measures are being put in place to ensure the safety of cyclists and athletes on our roads.

 

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MEC Hlophe spends millions on virtual events yet fails to deliver Covid-19 relief funding to Gauteng athletes and artists

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng notes with great concern that the Gauteng athletes and artists who applied for financial assistance from the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) as part of the relief fund have not yet received these funds.

There have been unnecessary delays and excuses with regards to when these funds will be allocated to the rightful beneficiaries.

The applications for relief funding were opened on June 2020 and were closed on 26 June 2020 and the payment process was supposed to have begun in July 2020.

In October last year the department sent SMSs to all Gauteng Relief Fund applicants apologising to the applicants for the delays in processing their applications. The department also stated that the outcome of the Gauteng Relief Fund was in the audit phase.

The SMS also stated that the relief funding was supposed to be released on 30 September 2020 and will now be released by no later than 30 October 2020.

It is now 11 months of the national lockdown and thousands of Gauteng athletes and artists are still awaiting relief funding yet the Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR), Mbali Hlophe continues to spend millions on virtual celebratory events.

MEC Hlophe spent R429 985,00 on a Human Rights Day virtual programme and continues to spend on many virtual programmes yet she fails to provide relief funding to financially struggling Gauteng athletes and artists.

The DA calls on Premier David Makhura to initiate an urgent investigation to ascertain why there have been delays in processing these funds.

MEC Hlophe should be held accountable for these delays and should it be found that there is any element of corruption or officials are simply not doing their work then the Premier must hold the MEC accountable.

In addition, an urgent plan must be devised to ensure that these athletes and artists who have applied for relief funding are paid without delay.

Past experience has shown that where there are delays such as these, there is a corrupt element involved.

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Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) spends a quarter of a million on external people to administer Covid-19 relief fund

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is disappointed to learn that the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) has spent R249 800,00 in five days on external people hired to administer the payment of the Covid-19 relief fund.

This was revealed by the Gauteng SACR MEC, Mbali Hlophe in a written reply to the DA’s questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

According to the MEC, the Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation adjudication committee members who administered the rolling out of the Covid-19 relief fund were compensated on an hourly basis.

The chairperson rate per hour is R581, working 8 hours per day which equates to R4648 per day and the deputy chairperson rate per hour is R493 which equates to R3944 per day. The rate per hour for an ordinary committee member is R459 which is R3672 per day.

The MEC states that the Gauteng Arts and Culture Committee which adjudicated the arts and culture applications for five days from 24 to 28 August 2020 consisted of a chairperson, deputy chairperson and six ordinary committee members who were paid R153 120,00 in total.

The Gauteng Sports and Recreation Committee which adjudicated the sports and recreation applications consisted of the following: a chairperson and four ordinary committee members who were paid a total of R96 680,00.

It is deeply disappointing that the department outsourced the service that could have been done internally by its own staff in order to save costs.

The department budgeted R28 million for the Covid-19 relief fund which was not enough to help all our artists and athletes, yet they hired external people to administer the payments.

Furthermore, the Gauteng Department of Economic Development did not hire any external people to administer the Covid-19 relief fund, the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller’s (GEP) internal staff administered the funds which the department of SACR could have replicated in order to minimize costs.

The DA will continue to monitor the expenditure of the Covid-19 funds by this department to ensure that our artists and athletes receive the financial assistance they deserve, and that the money is spent on fulfilling the core mandate of this department.

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DA welcomes suspension of three senior officials at the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR)

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has learnt that three senior officials from the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) have been suspended for irregular expenditure namely the Chief Financial Officer, Priya Lutchman; Director for Supply Chain Management, Koketso Lekalakala and Acting Director for Facilities, John Mofokeng.

This was revealed to me by the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) MEC, Mbali Hlophe in a written reply to my questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

According to MEC Hlophe, these senior officials are on suspension because allegations of irregular expenditure were substantiated and as such will be subjected to disciplinary action.

These senior officials were implicated in tender and appointment irregularities amounting to R43 889 200.32.

There were irregular appointments, tenders, and Performance Management Development System (PMDS) payments that have been ongoing for years however this was only revealed after the DA asked questions on this issue.

We will await the outcomes of the disciplinary hearings. We will also be checking if cases of fraud and racketeering will be opened with the South African Police Service.

The DA will also table follow-up questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to ascertain what next steps will be taken following the disciplinary hearings against these three senior officials.

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Crafters, musicians, athletes and freelancers yet to receive financial assistance from the Gauteng Department of SACR

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is calling on the Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR), Mbali Hlophe to speed up the process of providing the Gauteng arts crafters, musicians, athletes, and freelancers with financial assistance.

This follows the revelation that the Gauteng arts crafters, musicians, athletes and freelancers have not yet received any financial assistance from the Gauteng Department of SACR as part of the relief fund since the inception of the national lockdown period due to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

This information was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for SACR, Mbali Hlophe in an oral reply to the DA’s questions during the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s (GPL) virtual sitting.

According to MEC Hlophe, the artists, freelancers and athletes have not yet received any financial assistance and the process is still underway.

The department has budgeted R28 million to assist the arts and sports sector in this province. The applications for relief funding was open on 14 June and will close on 26 June. The payment process will begin in July until December.

It is worrying that in more than three months of the national lockdown the department has not yet provided any financial relief to our artists and athletes who are struggling financially and finding it difficult to make ends meet due to the strict lockdown regulations that have completely closed down the industry.

Many of the arts and culture freelancers do not qualify for social grants and as a result they have been left hung out to dry for more than three months with no income while the department drags its feet in rolling out the R28 million set aside to assist them.

These freelancers play a crucial role in the arts and culture industry and they have contributed immensely towards social cohesion and nation building.

It is the department’s responsibility to support our arts and culture freelancers both on stage and off stage as they still have a massive role to play in building this country.

The DA will monitor the process of providing financial assistance to our artists, athletes and freelancers and continue to put pressure on MEC Hlophe to speed up the process.

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Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation incapable of delivering libraries to the people of Gauteng

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng notes with great concern that the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) continues to underspend the library and archival services budget and consistently fails to complete library infrastructure projects.

This was revealed in the department’s fourth quarterly report for the 2019/2020 financial year.

According to the fourth quarterly report, the department has underspent by R37.8 million on Programme Three: Library and Archival Services which is the highest underspend in the department for the fourth quarter of the 2019/2020 financial year.

The underspend was attributed to the vacant posts for the Community Library Services Grant which have not yet been filled, infrastructure projects and not executing the planning of the three new libraries.

The under-expenditure in Library and Archival Services has become a norm for this department; in the department’s third quarterly report for the 2019/20 financial year, it underspent by R28.660 million.

This clearly indicates that this department is incapable of delivering on its core mandate to provide access to library, archival services and facilities to our people.

Furthermore, the department did not meet all its target for the construction of three new libraries and delivering 14 workstations for visually impaired individuals in libraries.

The department failed to achieve its target of renewing library subscriptions and implementing a library holiday programme. The department also failed to achieve its target of upgrading one existing facility for public library purposes.

The Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation MEC, Mbali Hlophe and the Head of the Department must be held accountable.

The DA calls on Gauteng Premier David Makhura to hold the MEC to account to ensure that her department delivers Library and Archival Services in this province.

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GFC has no system in place to track government officials doing business with the entity

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is shocked to learn that the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) has no system in place to track whether there are officials that are doing business with the entity.

This was revealed by the MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR), Mbali Hlophe in a written reply to the DA questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

This shows that tax-payer’s money can easily be syphoned by officials because there is no system in place to monitor which officials are doing business with government entities.

It is important for all government departments and entities to have a monitoring system in place as this will ensure that corruption and fraud does not take place.

Currently we are seeing many officials in various sectors of government being implicated in corruption and caught with their hands in the cookie jar. The State Capture Commission of Inquiry has revealed many examples of how our state coffers are being looted.

The DA calls on MEC Hlophe to ensure that a monitoring system is put in place as a matter of urgency.

Furthermore, the DA will table a motion in the GPL calling for a lifestyle audit to be conducted on all government officials.