REBUILDING TRUST BETWEEN THE NAC AND THE SECTOR
After the Dissolution: What Next for the National Arts Council?
By Thami akaMbongo Manzana
The dissolution of the National Arts Council of South Africa Board by Minister Gayton McKenzie has sent shockwaves throughout the Cultural and Creative Industries. For some, it came as a relief. For others, it created anxiety and uncertainty. But perhaps the most important question now is not whether the decision was right or wrong. The question is: what happens next?
At this moment, the sector does not need political spin, carefully crafted corporate language, or silence. It needs honesty. Brutal honesty.
The creative sector has survived COVID-19, delayed funding cycles, administrative confusion, collapsing institutions, and years of uncertainty. Artists and organisations are not naïve. They understand that governance transitions are complicated. What frustrates the sector most is not necessarily delays — it is the absence of communication and clarity.
The Creative Passport would like to offer a few observations and possible suggestions to the NAC and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture during this transitional period.
1. The Annual Funding Outcomes: The Elephant in the Room
Realistically speaking, it appears highly unlikely that the NAC will release the Annual Funding Outcomes on Friday, 29 May 2026.
The timing of the Board dissolution alone raises serious operational and governance questions. Funding approvals within the NAC system are not simple administrative exercises. Final approvals often require governance oversight and accountability structures that now find themselves in transition.
The sector deserves transparency about this reality.
The biggest concern is the impact this delay may have on applicants preparing for the National Arts Festival in Makhanda. Many productions, artists, technicians, and organisations rely on NAC outcomes to determine whether they can travel, produce work, employ creatives, or participate in one of the country’s most important arts gatherings.
Silence from the institution may create unnecessary panic, speculation, and misinformation.
If the outcomes cannot realistically be released on Friday, then the NAC management should communicate this urgently and directly to the sector. Not next week. Not after social media outrage. Now.
The sector can handle disappointment. What it struggles to handle is uncertainty.
And if, somehow, the institution manages to finalise and release the outcomes on time, then the sector will welcome that outcome with relief. But communication must still remain central.
2. PESP 7: A Deadline Under Pressure
The timing of the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme Phase 7 closing date also raises concerns.
Applications are currently set to close on the same Friday, 29 May 2026 — during one of the most uncertain periods the NAC has faced in years.
Would it not be more practical and humane to extend the deadline by at least one week?
An extension would not necessarily disrupt the projected outcome date of 14 August 2026. Instead, it could provide room for:
* Additional workshops and support sessions;
* Greater clarity from the institution;
* Better quality applications;
* Reduced panic among practitioners and organisations still seeking guidance.
Many grassroots practitioners depend heavily on these workshops and support interventions to navigate complicated application systems. Extending the deadline may not solve every problem, but it could reduce pressure during an already unstable moment.
Perhaps the NAC could also consider releasing compliance-stage outcomes — the so-called “rejection love letters” — for applicants who did not pass the initial compliance phase. This would at least provide some movement and transparency within the process while larger governance matters are being addressed.
3. The PESP 6 Appeals Cannot Remain in Limbo Forever
The PESP 6 appeal outcomes have reportedly been under consideration for months.
Artists and organisations waiting for those outcomes are not simply waiting for emails. They are waiting for decisions that affect livelihoods, projects, salaries, productions, and survival.
At some point, prolonged silence begins to damage institutional credibility.
Would it not be appropriate for the NAC to prioritise finalising and releasing these appeal outcomes as a matter of urgency?
Even unfavourable outcomes provide closure. Endless waiting provides none.
4. Outstanding Payments Must Become a Priority
Another issue that continues to haunt the sector is outstanding payments.
There are still artists, freelancers, companies, community organisations, and practitioners waiting for payments linked to:
* PESP 6;
* Annual Funding;
* Organisation Funding;
* Bursaries;
* Other approved programmes.
For many, these are not “delayed transactions.” They are unpaid salaries, rehearsal budgets, transport costs, rent, food, and debt.
This transition period could potentially be used productively by focusing administrative energy on processing and clearing outstanding payments.
The sector has repeatedly heard promises. What practitioners need now is visible action.
Understanding the Governance Reality
One important reality must also be understood by the sector itself.
Management and adjudication panels do not always possess full authority to make final funding approvals independently. Governance structures matter. Oversight matters. Compliance matters.
This is precisely why intervention from the Office of the Director-General and the Minister may now become necessary to provide direction, continuity, and administrative stability during the transition.
The dissolution of a Board does not only remove leadership. It creates procedural gaps that must be carefully managed to avoid legal and financial complications.
The Sector Must Prepare for Possible Delays
The uncomfortable truth is that delays now appear highly possible.
This may frustrate the sector deeply, especially after years of instability and administrative uncertainty. But if delays are unavoidable, then communication becomes even more important.
The NAC has an opportunity, even in crisis, to rebuild a measure of trust through transparency.
Not polished statements.
Not vague assurances.
Not silence.
Clear timelines.
Honest updates.
Direct communication.
And accountability.
The Cultural and Creative Industries of South Africa are resilient. They have always adapted, survived, and created despite adversity. What the sector asks for in return is simple: respect through honesty.
Perhaps this moment, difficult as it is, can become the beginning of a more transparent relationship between institutions and the people they are meant to serve.
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