1. PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON ARTS & CULTURE
MEETING WITH THE SWEDISH DELEGATION ON COMMITTEE EXPERIENCES & POSSIBLE CULTURAL COOPERATION
Chairperson
Xoliswa Sandra Tom
Committee Whip
Jabu Mahlangu

2. Overview of South Africa
Population of 55 million people as of 2016
Constitutional Democracy since 1994
Thirteen elected represented parties and 400 Members of Parliament at national level
Over 500 parties participated in the 2016 local government elections in the 9 provinces
One province run by an opposition party
11 Official Languages

3. ROLE OF PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES
Parliament’s 2 houses, the National Assembly (NA) & the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), conduct work in
plenary sessions (where Members of a house meet together in one group)
in joint sittings (where Members of both houses meet as one group), &
in Committees (smaller groups of Members).
Working in Committees allows Parliament to:
Increase the amount of work that can be done
Ensure that issues can be debated in more detail than in plenary sessions
Increase the level of participation of Members of Parliament (MPs) in discussions
Enable MPs to develop expertise & in-depth knowledge of the specific Committee’s area of work
Provide a platform for the public to present views directly to MPs, something which is not possible in a plenary sitting of Parliament

4. 3. REGULAR WORK OF COMMITTEES
Monitor & oversee the plans, budgets, implementation and reports of national government departments & related government bodies
Consider & amend Bills, & may initiate Bills
Consider private members’ & provincial legislative proposals & special petitions
Consider international treaties & agreements
Examine specific areas of public life or matters of public interest
Address domestic parliamentary issues 
Have the power to summon any person or institution to appear before them, give evidence or produce documents.
Receive petitions, representations or submissions from the public.
Propose amendments to future budgets of Departments and Entities in the form of Budget Review and Recommendation Reports

5. 2. GOVERNMENT BODIES OVERSEEN BY THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON ARTS
Department of Arts and Culture (DAC)
National Heritage Council
National Arts Council
National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF)
South African Heritage Resources Agency
Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB)
Performing Arts Council of the Free State (PACOFS)
Museums: Afrikaanse Taal-Museum, Iziko National Museum, KwaZulu-Natal Museum, English Literary Museum, Msunduzi/Voortrekker and Ncome Museum, National Museum Bloemfontein, Luthuli Museum, Nelson Mandela Museum, Ditsong Museum, Robben Island Museum, Boer Republics War Museum
Libraries: South African Library for the Blind, National Library of South Africa
National Gallery, William Humphreys Gallery
Freedom Park
Theatres: Artscape, Playhouse Company, Windybrow Theatre, Market Theatre, South African State Theatre.

6. 4. RECENT MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE
Social cohesion & nation building; Nelson Mandela museum; Infrastructure / Legacy projects; Capital works project challenges: DAC & Public Works
White Paper revision progress & Official Languages Act implementation; National Archives
DAC on its Quarterly performance
Pan South Africa Language Board & Performing Arts Centre of Free State
Roadies Association on settlement agreement & challenges; Committee Report on Arts & Culture Budget
National Heritage Council & National Film & Video Foundation on their 2016 Annual Performance Plans
DAC Internal Audit Committee, PACOFS, Ditsong on their 2016 Annual Performance Plan & five year Strategic Plan
DAC on its 2016 Annual Performance Plan: Auditor General briefing
State of Archives & Challenges in South Africa: National Archivist briefing; Department of Arts & Culture on 2015/16 3rd Quarter performance
DAC on dissolution of PanSALB Board way forward & Community Art Centres & Windybrow Theatre

7. 5. CURRENT BASIS FOR CULTURAL EXCHANGE WITH SWEDEN
Formal relations between Sweden and SA from 1930s: SA legation opened in Stockholm.
Relations upgraded to ambassadorial level in Sweden strongly supported the struggle for democracy in SA during the apartheid period.
A SA– Swedish Binational Commission was inaugurated in September 2000 by then President Mbeki and Prime Minister Göran Persson.
Swedish Embassy promotes music and other cultural exchanges between Sweden and SA.
The Svenska Institutet (SI), together with the Swedish Arts Council, has supported activities promoting international cultural exchanges.
Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA) contributions to international development cooperation including arts in culture in the past.
The Swedish Arts Council Swedish–SA Cultural Partnership Programme. In SA, the equivalent lies with the DAC
Sweden is part SA-EU Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement (TDCA) since 11 October 1999

8. Tack Så Mycket
Thank you Dankie Ngiyathokoza Ke a leboha Siyabonga Inkomu Ro livhuwa Enkosi Ngiyabonga