About Us
Our Department offers communities of the Western Cape opportunities to compete in sport, to take part in arts and culture events, to learn more about their heritage and to be part of the preservation of records and history of the province.
We aim to foster a culture of inclusivity and connectedness for all those in the province and to address opportunity gaps and offer support to ensure that everyone feels valued and motivated to make a positive contribution to society.
We believe that everyone must be exposed to and inspired by arts, culture, sport and recreation. It doesn’t matter the occupation – a doctor must leave work to join their community choir, the cashier at your favourite store must be part of an athletics club that participates in various marathons and the Premier of the Province must occasionally cycle to work!
We deliver the following services:
Sport:
Through our Sports Promotion directorate, we support major events taking place in the province, such as the Cape Town Cycle Tour, the Cape Town Marathon, and the Netball World Cup. The directorate also provides funding support to our sporting federations to ensure that they can continue with the administrative and development work across the province. The Sport Development directorate aims to support learners at school in developing their skills and staying busy in positive ways after school hours. We also support the continued growth of Indigenous Games across the province. Our Department plays a pivotal role in the hosting of youth camps, as well as support of the Western Cape team that competes at the National Summer and Winter games every year.
Our Department’s Youth and After School programme office equips youth for the future through offering them opportunities to take part in various activities after school hours. We also run the YearBeyond programme, which offers youth aged 18-25 in-service training and opportunities to build their CVs to gain access to future employment opportunities.
Every year, we assist the different regions in hosting the regional Sport Awards, which then culminate in the Provincial Sport Awards, which is hosted by our Department.
Arts and Culture:
Through our support of arts and culture events, we offer people across the province the opportunity to participate on stages where they can showcase their talents to wide audiences. We support the development of aspiring actors, scriptwriters, musicians, directors and writers and provide funding to arts and culture organisations annually for them to continue the work they’re doing in their communities.
We support major arts festivals such as the Suidoosterfees, the Klein Karoo Nasional Kunstefees and the Woordfees. We also celebrate the contributions of those working in this sphere through the annual Cultural Affairs Awards.
Library service:
Our Department’s library service offers support to municipal libraries by supplying books and placing staff members at the offices to assist with administration and other tasks. Our regional library offices service all the libraries in the surrounding districts and ensure that communities have access to a variety of reading material. Through the rural broadband project, we also ensure that there is free internet and computer stations to assist communities in accessing online opportunities.
We’ve recently launched access to e-books for all library users in the Western Cape, which means that all registered library members may now easily access and read or listen to books on their electronic devices.
Archives and Records Management services:
The Western Cape Archives, in Roeland Street in Cape Town, offers members of the public the opportunity to research their family trees, and to access records stretching back as far as the 1600s. This service also ensures that proper record management is done throughout the province, including in government departments.
The Annual Archives Awareness Week in May offers members of the public the chance to participate in workshops to understand what information is available at the Archives and how they can access this information.
Museums and Heritage:
The Department plays an important role in preserving heritage and telling the stories of the past. Our museums, located in regions across the province, work innovatively to produce exhibitions that tell the stories of all the communities in a specific region. We’ve also developed various travelling exhibitions that are moved across the province.
We also preserve the built heritage of the province through the work of Heritage Western Cape, which ensures that development across the province is done in such a way that it respects the unique heritage of the area.
Vision:
A socially inclusive, creative, active and connected Western Cape.
Mission:
We encourage excellence and inclusiveness in sport and culture through the effective, efficient and sustainable use of our resources, and through creative partnerships. In moving to excellence and making the Western Cape the sports and cultural centre of South Africa, we will create the conditions for access and mass participation, talent identification and skills development.
Organisational structure (Organogram)
