DCAS Budget prioritizes youth development; major events as economic catalyst | Western Cape Government

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DCAS Budget prioritizes youth development; major events as economic catalyst

28 March 2022

Today, Minister Anroux Marais presented the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport’s (DCAS) Budget Appropriation for the 2022/23 financial year at the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.  

The DCAS budget for the 2022/23 financial year increased by approximately R37,8 million, from an adjusted budget of just over R900,1 million in the 2021/22 financial year to R937,9 million in 2022/23.  As the Department did not receive additional funding for the impact of the 2021 wage agreement, the Department absorbed the impact of the wage agreement at a total cost of R4.279m. 

In summary, Minister Marais acknowledged that at the DCAS, we take our mandate of creating a socially inclusive, active, connected Western Cape serious and have made great strides in our commitment to keep hope alive during difficult times. In the coming financial year, we will build on our successes, learn from our experiences and together with our partners focus on our priorities which include:

  • Creating a shared future and sense of belonging through collaborative efforts to forge social inclusivity and cohesion
  • Offering youth a sense of purpose and pathways to become productive citizens and creating opportunities to address wellbeing by foregrounding Youth and Metal Wellbeing and 
  • Ensuring new operating models within the context of the New Way of Work and Culture of the Western Cape Government as we proactively respond to the needs and demands of those we serve through cultural affairs and sport.

Minister Marais further elaborated on various budgetary allocations appropriated for the coming financial year and amongst others, focused on:

Youth development at the heart of the DCAS strategic objectives:

  • An additional R15 million is allocated to mitigate the risk of youth disillusionment in the Western Cape, mainly brought about by Covid-19 and its consequential impacts. 
  • With the additional funding, the DCAS, through its YearBeyond Programme, plans to address youth unemployment by providing more than 3 000 young people with first work opportunities while they build their work readiness skills so to transition into studies or work. 
  • Linked to this allocation is an additional R2 million, to conduct a review of current youth programmes relevant to skills and employment programmes in the Western Cape Government and this will inform our priorities within the youth strategy going forward.  

Prioritizing the cultural economy for greater opportunities: 

  • An additional allocation of R1.5 million was received to conduct a feasibility study for the future management of the Cango Caves with the aim of increasing revenue generation to ensure future sustainability. This allocation will also afford the opportunity to conduct a costing study to determine the amount of funding required for the short-, medium– and long-term maintenance of the Cango Caves and surrounding infrastructure. 
  • R1.5 million was also received for the cultural facilities in our care to conduct a feasibility study for a potential Public Private Partnership at Melkbos Oppiesee and Schoemanspoort Cultural Facilities to explore the possibility of a dual usage model that will incorporate both public and private use of these facilities. Currently, the model includes public use only, which limits its potential to yield greater heights.
  • For the Western Cape Provincial Archives to implement its virtual and digital services project to improve access as well as for preservation purposes, just below R16.5 million has been allocated to reach this milestone achievement.  The funding includes the procurement of machinery and equipment to digitise provincial archives to enable virtual tours, allowing for a wider range of access, not only in the Western Cape or larger South Africa but to the global community as well. It is then safe to say Speaker, DCAS is once again going international.

Highlighting major events as economic catalyst for the Western Cape:

  • An amount of R5 million has also been allocated for major events to unlock economic opportunities on a local and regional level. 
  • This appropriation will be informed by the Western Cape Events Forum (WCEF) following the Cape of Great Events Conference held earlier this month to explore events as an economic catalyst for the Western Cape.
  • The Cape of Great Events strategy aims to provide a single point of entry for event organisers to engage the Western Cape Government (WCG), build partnerships with the broader event ecosystem and increase the impact of events in the province, while seeking innovative ways of promoting events tourism.
Media Enquiries: 

Stacy McLean
Spokesperson for the Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais
083 504 1171