MZANSI GHOSTED ECONOMY (MGE)

The Most Confusing MGE Call Yet: Artists Apply in the Dark as the Clock Runs Out

The current Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) funding call by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) closes today — and for many practitioners and organisations across South Africa, it may go down as the most confusing MGE call since the programme’s inception.

What should have been a moment of clarity, support, and sector confidence has instead unfolded in silence.

No Webinar, No Clarity, No Engagement

Traditionally, DSAC has hosted information webinars to unpack funding criteria, clarify sector categories, and guide applicants through common pitfalls. 

This year, no such engagement took place.

As a result, organisations and artists have been left to interpret complex guidelines on their own — or rely on informal advice from officials whose guidance may not be binding during adjudication.

In a sector already burdened by administrative barriers, this silence has consequences.

Capacity Building: Still a Punished Concept?

This confusion is especially troubling given last year’s Parliamentary Portfolio Committee engagement, where DSAC was openly lambasted for excluding Capacity Building programmes as legitimate job creation initiatives.

This criticism was not theoretical. It came directly from the reality of an industry where:

• Training,

• Skills transfer,

• Technical upskilling, and

• Professional development

are core tools of job creation, not side activities.

Yet practitioners remain uncertain whether capacity-building projects will once again be penalised or disqualified, despite parliamentary intervention.

The Five Sector Clusters: Defined on Paper, Blurred in Practice

According to the advertised MGE guidelines, applications must align with the following five sector clusters:

1. Performance & Celebration

2. Visual Arts & Craft

3. Books & Press

4. Design & Creative Services

5. Audio Visuals & Interactive Media (excluding film production and post-production)

However, DSAC itself recognises in its sector clusters 

• Exhibitions, Events, Festivals & Technical Productions which iz not included in this current call. 

This raises fundamental questions:

• Should festivals fall under Performance & Celebration?

• Can exhibitions be submitted under Visual Arts & Craft?

• Are events part of Celebration, or treated separately?

• Where do technical productions truly belong?

Without a formal briefing, applicants are forced to guess their own eligibility — a dangerous exercise when adjudication is strict and appeals are limited.

Applying on Instinct Is Not Policy

In the absence of official guidance, practitioners are left with two risky options:

• Trust their own interpretation of the guidelines, or

• Rely on informal engagements with DSAC officials

But how binding is that advice once applications reach the adjudication panel?

History suggests: not very.

Adjudication: The Elephant in the Room

One of the most painful memories from the previous MGE cycle was the composition of some adjudication panels — reportedly populated by politically aligned individuals with limited or no active involvement in the Cultural and Creative Industries.

This has left the sector asking, once again:

• Will DSAC appoint active, credible practitioners this year?

• Will the adjudication process be transparent and publicly communicated?

• Or will the same patterns quietly repeat themselves?

As the call closes, these questions remain unanswered.

Even the Closing Time Is Unclear

Alarmingly, many applicants are still unsure what time the call officially closes today. .

In a digital application environment already plagued by eServices system failures, slow uploads, and technical glitches, this lack of precision further undermines trust in the process.

From Public Outcry to WhatsApp Whispers

Last year, creatives raised their grievances publicly. This year, the conversation has largely moved into WhatsApp groups, private messages, and whispered frustrations.

Why?

Perhaps fear.
Perhaps fatigue.
Perhaps the belief that speaking out risks victimisation in future funding cycles.

Whatever the reason, a funding programme of this magnitude should not be discussed in the dark.

As the Door Closes, the Questions Remain

To those who have already applied — and those rushing to submit before the deadline — we wish you well.

But as the sector waits for the MGE outcomes in the coming months, one question looms large:

Will this cycle finally deliver fairness, clarity, and sector growth —
or will it deepen confusion, mistrust, and exclusion?

Only time will tell.

The Creative Passport is an independent platform focused on Arts, Culture and the Creative Industries. Readers are encouraged to follow, comment and engage constructively.

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