Herbert Rachuene
New Head of Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Ms Desree Thloale says the department needs to strengthen relationships with municipalities and improve sporting facilities for the community to get the feel of 2010.
"We want the youth of this province to have quality sport equipment so that they can participate more in all sporting codes.
"This year alone we want to maintain and improve the sporting infrastructures in the deep rural communities," said the former General Manager in the Office of the Premier in North-West.
Thloale commenced her new adventure in November 2009 after the departure of Ms Deliwe Nyathikazi who headed the department for a while.
"There is talent in abundance in the rural communities. Our other core objective particularly this year, is to indentify up and coming artists from these communities. At the recent Mapungubwe Music Festival we had 80% provincial and local artists as well as 20% national artists," she said.
"During my assessment in November last year, I realised a serious need to improve social cohesion and moral regeneration and bring on cultural groups.
"We want to improve moral regeneration so that it can become a day to day issue.
"We are going to launch moral regeneration in the province before the end of April with the aim of improving moral fibre in the in the community," she said.
Asked where her passion for the community comes from Thloale cited that while in local government in North-West she interacted vastly with community members on daily basis.
"I worked intensively with the community and have realised that community participation is very important.
"Government must integrate with the communities. We will be having a meeting with the Premier, mayors, and councillors with the aim of bringing municipalities together. The only way to expedite service delivery and respond to people’s needs is to bring them on board."By so doing we will be building social cohesion and a caring society."
She further acknowledges that she will love to see the spirit of Football Friday living on in the rural areas as well.