Cape Town — Cultural expert, Dr Sipho Sithole, has expressed his disappointment with Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, saying he has brought shame to the artists.
McKenzie this week ordered the department to publish the full list of artists and creatives who benefitted from government funding during the 2020.2021 Covid-19 pandemic. The list featured nearly 4 000 creatives who collectively received R72 million from the department.
Speaking on the issue, Dr Sithole told Newzroom Afrika said McKenzie was excited about his new position and added that, if it was him who had received the money, he would return it to the department as he viewed it as an insult.
“Firstly, if I were them, I would go and get all that money in cash put it in a wheelbarrow, pull the wheelbarrow to Madiba Street in Pretoria, and just put that money there on the doorsteps of the department and say take it, you have insulted us enough,” said Sithole.
He also touched on the department focusing more on the list of names, rather than placing a bigger focus on supporting athletes heading off to the Olympics this month.
“Today is 14 days before the biggest sporting event which is the Olympics in Paris. If you were to ask South Africans how many sporting codes are represented in Paris, and how many athletes are going there, no one would even know,” he added.
The @SportArtsCultur will today release the recipients of funding together with the reasons why the applicants received the funding, we shall also show amounts received. We can’t be constantly told that we are doing nothing for people so we are showing you. Thanks 🙏🏾
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) July 12, 2024
“If you ask, do you know whose name was published by this department, each one would probably tell you not less than 10 people. That is basically the public narrative in South Africa by a department that should be focused on much bigger things than the list, and we will get to the list,” he said.
He said it was the first time he had seen a department, that’s supposed to unite South Africans, being reduced to a “publishing department”.
“A department, whose mandate is the biggest in the country because it is supposed to unite South Africans. It is supposed to carry the heart and soul of this nation. It is supposed to advance this healing process that we have been embarking on since 30 years ago. It has now been reduced to a department of publishing. It publishes lists of who got money, and who didn’t get money. That is how sad this situation is,” he said.
Watch the interview below:
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has published the Covid-19 relief 2020-2021 beneficiaries list. Dr Sipho Sithole says if he were one of the beneficiaries whose names were published, he would return the money to the department as this was an insult.
Watch:… pic.twitter.com/N0zaEhHhau
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) July 12, 2024
Earlier, African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) also condemned McKenzie’s conduct and said that it was “unacceptable”.
The ANCYL said McKenzie, appointed by the Patriotic Alliance to the national government, has brought in “unprofessional ethics and intentional lack of consideration for artists’ dignity”.
ANCYL CONDEMNATION OF DEPARTMENT OF SPORTS, ARTS, AND CULTURE’S UNETHICAL ACTIONS UNDER MINISTER GAYTON MCKENZIE’S LEADERSHIP.#ANCYLatWork pic.twitter.com/S6ZhdqSMcA
— ANCYL (@ANCYLhq) July 10, 2024
“Gayton McKenzie should prioritse understanding the department and fostering positive relationships with creatives, artists, and superfans, rather than attacking them.
“We will fiercely oppose any exploitation or mistreatment of those who enrich our cultural and sporting heritage. We will continue to fight relentlessly for a cultural and sporting environment where every artist receives the support and recognition they deserve, free from unnecessary public scrutiny and financial exploitation,” the youth league said.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
