By Tamlyn Canham
Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa has revealed that actress Natasha Thahane contacted him directly about funding for her New York studies.
The minister says the department is not aware of any involvement by former National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete.
Thahane made headlines in November when she claimed she received funding from the department after speaking to Mbete.
The ‘Blood and Water’ actress needed the funding to study at the New York Film Academy in 2017. She told MacG on ‘Podcast and Chill’ that her entire year at the academy cost more than R1-million.
“I asked Mam’ Baleka…. ‘Mama, I need to go back to school. I’ve been accepted… Please arrange something for me.’ She managed to speak to (the department) arts and culture and then they gave me funding,” she said on the podcast.
Social media users accused Thahane – who is the granddaughter of Desmond Tutu – of using her connections to secure funding.
Many also slammed Mbete and the Sports, Arts and Culture Department. Thahane made a U-turn after the backlash.
She said she did not receive R1-million funding from Mbete or the department. The actress said in a video that she only received R350,000.
Thahane said she just happened to be in the same building as Mbete. She approached Mbete and told her about her funding issue.
“She [Mbete] then advised me to explore the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture because they’ve got funding opportunities. That was my first conversation and my last conversation with her. She did not make any calls on my behalf, she did not send any emails on my behalf.”
ALSO READ: Natasha Thahane was scared of boys and never dated in school
Mthethwa set the record straight about the funding in a written parliamentary reply to a question posed by EFF MP Khanya Ceza.
Ceza wanted to know what role Mbete played in Natasha securing the funding.
“What we know is that Ms Thahane made a request for financial support towards her studies at the New York Film Academy directly to me as the minister,” Mthethwa said in his reply, according to IOL.
He added that it is not unusual for people to contact him for bursaries.
“This request is similar to many others that my office and the department constantly receive from members of the public. The public does this possibly because I am the political head of the department.”
He confirmed that the deputy director-general for Institutional Governance approved the funding in 2017.
ALSO READ: Pearl Thusi begs Minister Nathi Mthethwa to help struggling artists
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