OPENING REMARKS BY THE MINISTER OF SPORT, ARTS AND CULTURE,
HON. NATHI MTHETHWA,
AT THE INAUGURAL VIRTUAL #FORTHERECORD MEDIA ENGAGEMENT, 06 AUGUST 2021
Warm welcome to all members of the media to this inaugural #ForTheRecord engagement. I must indicate that had it not been for COVID-19 restrictions, we would be having more of a face-to-face interactive engagement. But with today’s session being the first of upcoming monthly sessions, we will see in future how to remedy the situation.
The primary purpose of #ForTheRecord sessions is to offer us a platform of mutual benefit to both the media and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. These media engagement sessions will be conducted regularly. Considering Covid-19 realities, initial sessions will be virtual. When conditions allow, physical sessions will be explored.
Particularly for journalist whose beat is focused on the work of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, we hope #ForTheRecord offers you first-hand opportunity to gain in-depth understanding about the work that we do.
Before getting into the meat behind today’s session, let me briefly reflect on what I think is a phenomenal story of women power in sports which deserves continuous repetition.
At the Olympics currently underway in Tokyo, Tatjana Schoenmaker made us all proud as she scooped gold and silver medals whilst setting a world record. Bianca Buitendag also added to South African glory with a silver medal.
Another star flying the South African flag high on the global stage is our very own Kgothatso Montjane who is the first black South African woman to reach the finals at Wimbledon.
Our women in sport epitomise the meaning of being South African. There’s are stories of resilience, stealth and determination that warrants celebration. They are symbols of possibility, glory and hope for many South Africans.
And in so far as support for the Olympics is concerned, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture provides both financial and non-financial support to the team. The non-financial support includes facilitating vaccination of team members and coordination with sister Departments on matters such as international travel as well as co-ordination with the SA Mission in the host country.
In addition to the annual grant to SASCOC, the Department made a special allocation of R7,403,102.53 (Seven Million Four Hundred and Three Thousand, One Hundred and Two rand and fifty-three cents) which was earmarked for high performance athletes and persons with potential to receive medals. This is over and above additional resources provides through the Lotto
We remain committed to our excellence recognition programme as it has been over the years. In this sense we are looking into rewarding athletes who do well internationally. This issue though needs discussion with SASCOC – a discussion that will take place after the Olympics.
Issues we also keep raising with SASCOC includes the need for teams sent to the Olympics to be both competitive with a potential of returning with medals as well as representative of our demographics.
Now let me turn to the reason behind our gathering today. The vexing questions and allegations about support provided to the creative and arts sector.
Dr Stella Khumalo, DDG: Arts, Culture and Promotion at the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture will walk us through the details which answers this question. Following this I would like to make some remarks which should lead us into an interactive conversation.
Earlier this year – to be precise – two months ago in June we reported that the department implemented a number of relief funding interventions. These were done under what is termed the 1st, 2nd and 3rd phase and was done in partnership with DSDB and Solidarity Fund. Whilst thousands of practitioners have benefited, the sad reality is that it is not possible to assist every single artist in the country.
At the time of our reporting in June we indicated that we were on 4 061 beneficiaries of the 3rd Phase. This process has now been finalised and today we will be providing an update.
On that note let me invite Dr Khumalo to assist us with the details.
ENDS/
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REMARKS BY MINISTER
OF SPORT, ARTS AND CULTURE, HON. NATHI MTHETHWA,
AT THE INAUGURAL VIRTUAL #FORTHERECORD MEDIA ENGAGEMENT, 06 AUGUST 2021
We thought it is important to start our inaugural #ForTheRecord conversation with you by focusing on this issue repeatedly raised about the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s unresponsiveness to the dire needs of the creative sector. It is also underpinned by the fact that we do not want to create an information gap between us as we now move from relief support to recovery of the sector.
Based on facts that are publicly available and verifiable, we are today stating it unequivocally that statements and allegations suggesting the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has been unresponsiveness and uncaring are not backed up by fact.
Yes, we are unable to support each and every role player in the sector in need of assistance. But that is because of limited resources, not because of refusal to support. If anything, monies spent thus far are just under R 700 million, that is over half a billion rand. This translates into just under 65 000 beneficiaries. By all accounts, this cannot be counted as a small feat.
And this is not just about figures but lived experiences of many South Africans. I am referring to persons and institutions such as: -
Just to sample some of the institutions we can mention: -
- Baxter Theatre Centre
- ASSITEJ South Africa
- Bat Centre Trust
- Cape Town City Ballet
- Afrika Burns Creative Projects
- Tshwane Gospel Choir
- Writers Guild of South Africa
- Zip Zap Circus School
- Alex Arts Academy
- Capital Arts Revolution Co-op Ltd
- District Six Museum Foundation
- Robben Island Museum
- Mandela Bay Theatre Complex Npc
- Mamokgadi Pottery Primary Cooperative
- National Arts Festival
- SAADA - South African Artist Development Association
- Khayelitsha Art School & Rehabilitation Centre - KASI RC
- SA Creative Industries Incubator
- AFRO Arts SA
- Music Academy of Gauteng
- Johannesburg Youth Orchestra
- Johannesburg Opera NPC
- Free State Dance Theatre NPC
- South African Arts and Culture Youth Forum (SAACYF)
- Bassline Jazz Club (Pty) Ltd
- South African Disabled Musicians Association (SADMA)
- SA Fashion Week CC
- The South African National Dance Trust
And some of the persons who are beneficiaries includes:
- Beatrice Phukubje (from Limpopo)
- Lorenzo Vaughan (from Northern Cape)
- PJ Powers
- Sello Maake KaNcube
- Sipho Mabuse
- Don Laka Pinkie Ziyanda Tuswa (from Northern Cape)
- Moses Ngwenya
- Eugene Mthethwa
- Elvis Nkovane (from Mpumalanga)
- Vusi Mahlasela
- Shekhinah Thandi Donel
- Riley Joseph Giandhari (from Kwazulu Natal)
- Khanyisile Khanyo Maphumulo
- Khwezi Nongane (from Kwazulu Natal)
- Lusanda Mcinga
- Musa Manzini
- Alec Khaoli
- Andrew Mohlola (from Limpopo)
- Freddy Gwala
- Bokani Dyer
- Lungelo Faith Mtetwa (from Kwazulu Natal)
- Billy Monama
- Vicky Sampson
- Vusi Mahlasela
- Ndifeleni Manenzhe (from Limpopo)
- Marcus Wyatt
- Nirvana Nokwe-Mseleku
- Sonti Evelyn
Just to pick from the 3rd phase of funding as an experience - out of a total of 7 440 individual applications received for relief funding, 6 518 were recommended by adjudicators. That translates to 88% of the total number of applicants.
On our department’s website at www.dac.gov.za / www.srsa.gov.za we will release a complete list of persons and organisations that are beneficiaries of support provided during this stressful Covid-19 period.
Also worthy to mention is that the department implemented an elaborate communication and outreach plan to mobilise role players so that they can apply for the relief funding. Also, those who applied were provided with support to limit the number of unsuccessful applications. This is best explained by the high number of successful applications.
Important to emphasise is that in the immediate we are focused on providing relief funding. In the medium to long term, we are focused on the economic recovery and reconstruction of the sector. That is what the Cultural and Creative Industry Master Plan and the implementation of the White Paper are about.
Another is Mzansi Golden Economy which is more than just an open call. It actually includes amongst others funding the Arts Bank to commission for visual arts and arts products, research to inform decisions we make that are informed by outputs of South African Cultural Observatory as well as support for flagship programmes in provinces.
The Debut Programme is another recovery intervention. It sets out to transfer enterprise development skills to a carefully selected cohort of artists from all nine provinces. This programme develops artists to become resourceful, opportunistic, agile, and sustainable “art- repreneurs” who can make a profitable livelihood from their artistic talent.
The Debut Programme is rolled out over three phases (i.e. kickstarter, hlanganisa and catalyst). It is now in the second phase, which is the hlanganisa stage. At this point participants are introduced to an agile way of testing a service/product, and development of a new business venture. This phase also includes mentorship sessions with provincial mentors/facilitators as participants work towards the inaugural Debut Programme Online Art Fair Week - an opportunity to showcase and take their products to market.
These are subjects we will explain in greater detail at future #ForTheRecord sessions.
We also believe that collaborations based on listening to one another and pulling together is what will eventually rescue us out of the current dire situation. That is why I constituted, on the advice of the sector, the Ministerial Advisory Team (MAT) which comprise of leading and known persons from the industry. These are Sharif Baker, Thobela Dlamini, Gaby Le Roux, Joy Mbewana and China Mpololo. They have been instrumental and invaluable to the department during the relief funding allocation process. MAT will also join us in future #ForTheRecord sessions to provide a more detailed breakdown of progresss they made based on the workstreams they are focused on as indicated earlier by Dr Khumalo.
I am looking forward to an open, frank and interactive dialogue with you. Whilst we will be answering questions and comments you pose, we will also be taking note of lessons that could assist us to improve moving forward.
I thank you!
ENDS/
Issued by the National Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, 5 August 2021
