DA calls on Mthethwa and Arts Council to appear before Parliament in light of funding disputes
3 March 2021
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Chairperson of the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture, Beauty Dlulane, to request an urgent meeting with the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, the National Arts Council (NAC), and all relevant stakeholders in the arts and culture sector regarding the debacle surrounding the Presidential Economic Stimulus Programme (PESP) relief funding.
The Council must also explain the reasons behind the suspension of NAC CEO, Rosemary Mangope, and NAC CFO, Clifton Changfoot.
The NAC and the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture have been stumbling from one bungled operation to the next during the Covid-19 pandemic. Neither seems to have a grasp on the industry they’re meant to serve, and thousands of people are suffering due to their ineptitude and bureaucratic red tape.
Not only were those in the arts and cultures sectors not given enough time to apply for the first round of Covid-19 aid, but many were also excluded because they did not have the means to apply in time or they were not covered by the scope of the aid.