(Note to Editors: The following debate was delivered during a Sitting of the KZN Legislature held today)
The 2025/26 financial year Annual Performance Report of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Sport, Arts and Culture portfolio committee reflects the work done by the committee in exercising oversight on the department and its entities. It also reflects the realities facing our communities – underdeveloped infrastructure, financial pressures, governance weaknesses, and the urgent need to transform opportunities in sport, arts and culture.
The committee’s work focused on improving the quality and accessibility of sport and arts programmes across KZN. Attention has been given to transformation in sport, infrastructure delivery, heritage preservation, job creation, and financial accountability.
KZN’s rural communities remain severely disadvantaged when it comes to sport and arts infrastructure. Many rural districts still lack proper facilities meaning talent remains undiscovered, young people are denied opportunities, and communities lose access to programmes that can build social cohesion and economic activity.
While the department has begun developing high-performance fitness centres in districts such as uThukela and Amajuba, progress has been uneven and, in some cases, too slow. Oversight inspections of the Alfred Duma Fitness Centre and Belgrade Fitness Centre revealed serious concerns. At Belgrade, the committee found unresolved land matters, disputes in funding and slow project implementation. Municipal commitments had not been honoured and critical agreements with traditional authorities remained incomplete or unclear.
The department must implement stricter project readiness assessments before construction begins. No major infrastructure project should proceed without finalised land agreements, secured funding commitments, approved implementation schedules, and clearly assigned accountability mechanisms as well as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) with relevant municipalities. Quarterly infrastructure project dashboards will also assist in monitoring project progress, expenditure, delays and contractor performance in real time.
The report also highlights financial performance concerns during the first quarter, where only 18% of the budget had been spent, largely due to delays in library construction projects. Delayed expenditure is not only an accounting problem. It affects service delivery, community access to libraries, employment opportunities, and educational development. Libraries remain essential community hubs, particularly in rural and underprivileged areas where internet access and educational resources are limited.
To address this, stronger coordination is needed between implementing agents, municipalities, supply chain units and contractors. Infrastructure bottlenecks must be identified earlier in the financial year. The department should also establish a rapid intervention task team for stalled projects to prevent repeated rollovers and under-expenditure. This has produced positive results within KZN’s Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI).
There has been significant underspending in transfers to non-profit institutions due to compliance failures by beneficiary organisations. While compliance is important, it must be acknowledged that many community organisations lack the administrative capacity required to meet government requirements. If community arts, sports development and grassroots programmes are to succeed, applications cannot simply be rejected.
The solution lies in capacity building. The department should establish district-based support programmes to assist NPOs with governance, financial reporting, registration requirements and funding applications.
The committee also raised concern regarding audit outcomes, irregular expenditure amounting to R139million, and inadequate consequence management. This is an area where decisive action is needed. Repeat findings occur because accountability processes remain weak and consequences are delayed. Public confidence will not be restored if there is no accountability for financial misconduct and administrative failures.
The department must strengthen internal audit systems, improve monitoring controls, and ensure that disciplinary processes are concluded within reasonable timeframes. Consequence management cannot only exist in policy documents – it must become institutional culture. The committee emphasised fraud prevention and risk management but prevention plans alone are not enough. There must also be lifestyle audits for senior officials involved in procurement, together with enhanced contract oversight mechanisms.
Despite challenges, the report also reflects positive developments;
• The department achieved more than 80% performance for three consecutive years and exceeded expenditure benchmarks by the third quarter
• The committee conducted multiple oversight visits, stakeholder engagements, and transformation studies
• It also engaged sports federations on transformation in sport as part of its Focussed Intervention Strategy.
Transformation is not merely about representation on paper. It is about equitable access to facilities, coaching, development pathways, funding and opportunities.
The arts and culture sector requires greater attention as an economic driver. It contributes significantly to our GDP, but seems to be neglected. Artists, performers, crafters and cultural practitioners contribute to local economies, tourism and youth employment, but many continue to operate without sustainable support structures.
KZN should explore the establishment of a Provincial Creative Industries Support Fund focused on emerging artists, township enterprises, digital content creators and cultural tourism initiatives. Partnerships with the private sector, municipalities and tourism bodies can help unlock new economic opportunities for young people.
Amafa is the custodian of our heritage sites. Heritage preservation is not only about protecting historical sites; it is about preserving identity, promoting tourism and educating future generations. However, heritage infrastructure must be maintained properly and marketed effectively to unlock tourism value for local communities. Sites such as eMakhosini, KwaCeza and many others hold enormous cultural and economic potential if integrated into broader tourism development strategies.
The report shows both progress as well as persistent challenges within the DSAC. To achieve the vison of the department there must be;
• Improved infrastructure planning and accountability
• Accelerated rural sports and library development
• Strengthened financial controls and consequence management
• Support for community organisations through capacity building
• Investment in school sport and creative industries
• Enhanced transparency and public reporting mechanisms and;
• Transformation that delivers real opportunities to all communities.
Sport, arts and culture are not luxuries. They are powerful tools for social cohesion, youth empowerment, economic growth and nation building. At a time in South Africa and in KZN where there some who seek to sew division across racial lines, this has never been more important. With good governance and adequate support, these sectors can help build a more inclusive, united and prosperous KZN.