Public Protector to intervene in dispute between artists and government

By Kaya 959 News

The Public Prosecutor is set to intervene in the ongoing impasse between the National Arts Council, the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture and local artists.

The dispute has been going on for almost two months and stems from allegations that the R300 million set aside to assist artists during the COVID-19 pandemic had been looted.

According to the PP’s office, government invited members of the public involved in the art, sport and recreation professions last October to apply for financial aid under PESP with a view to retaining and creating jobs in the sectors against the backdrop of the economic devastation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds are disbursed through the NAC, among other institutions.

Artists stage a sit-in

Spokesperson for the PP’s office, Oupa Segalwe, said the artists, led by singer Sibongile Mngoma, staged a sit-in at NAC offices in Newtown, Johannesburg, which they have occupied in protest for more than 50 consecutive days now.

Following a public outcry, Public Protector Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane and Deputy Public Protector Adv. Kholeka Gcaleka met with Minister for Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa and members of the council led by acting Chairperson Princess Celenhle Dlamini, and separately with the artists last week Thursday and Friday respectively.

READ: Herman Mashaba offers legal aid to NAC protesting artists

Poor communication

Segalwe said in addition to alleged poor communication on the part of the NAC, the artists also complained during their meeting with the PPSA that some of the current members of the council were beneficiaries of the PESP and therefore conflicted, a point which had been denied by the Minister and the council the previous day.

He said during the two meetings, Adv. Mkhwebane raised concerns about a June 2020 investigation report dealing with governance issues at the council, arguing that the council would not be in such a predicament had it implemented the remedial action in the report.

“The previous members of council took the report on judicial review. However, the implementation of the remedial action has not been interdicted,” he said.

Segalwe said among other things, the report shone a spotlight on the NAC’s Expired Projects and Surplus Policy, which was found to have gaps which rendered it prone to abuse.

Inconsistent implementation

Its implementation was also found to be arbitrary and generally inconsistent with the spirit of the law in that the NAC allowed its employees to initiate proposals for funding on behalf of applicants without their knowledge or consent.

Segalwe said the Public Protector’s findings in this regard confirmed those of a Business Innovations Group (BIG) investigation that the policy is not in line with Treasury

Regulations and the Public Finance Management Act. BIG was commissioned by the Arts and Culture department to carry out the investigation in October 2016.

Adv Mkhwebane said they will sit with both sides around the table in an Alternative Dispute Resolution session to tackle the issue of undue delays to disburse funds and questions around lack of transparency in the NAC processes.

“The alleged governance lapses including conflict of interest concerning some members of the council will have to be the subject of an investigation. The ADR session will commence soon after receipt of a written submission from the artists,” she said.

Main image credit: Pexels/ Amin Asbaghipour

Written by: Tamlyn

artists protest COVID-19 grant National Arts Council Public Prosecutor