Pretoria – The Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation says it is pleased with the progress made by the Free State and Limpopo provinces in light of the development, maintenance and management of sport facilities.
The committee this week visited the two provinces, where they conducted oversight visits to various sport projects.
The committee said it was happy with the relationship between the sport councils and federations, the municipalities and the provincial Sport Departments in both provinces, which demonstrates a commitment to improving sport development.
The committee commended the emphasis placed on talent identification, but was worried about the slow pace of transformation in sport. It encouraged stakeholders to speed up transformation and development.
In the Free State, Mangaung metro has managed to rehabilitate swimming pools in Mangaung and Botshabelo, which was budgeted for under the Municipal Infrastructure Grant in the 2010/11 financial year.
The committee said having such facilities of high standard in previously disadvantages areas will ensure that children from these areas, who might not have had the privilege of accessing such facilities, will now reach their full potential.
The focus on school sport and youth development in the Free State province was encouraging, as school sport remains the bedrock of talent identification in South Africa, the committee said.
The committee is currently visiting the North West and Mpumalanga to continue assessing sport development and how municipalities have spent the 15 percent of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant that has been ring-fenced to allow for the building of sport and recreational facilities. - SAnews.gov.za
