OPEN LETTER TO MINISTER GAYTON McKENZIE Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture 20 May 2026 Dear Minister Gayton McKenzie , I write this open letter following the recent Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) media briefing where several critical questions affecting the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) sector were raised by myself on behalf of The Creative Passport Online Media Publication . These questions were not merely for clarity, but reflected the growing concerns, frustrations and anxieties within the sector regarding governance, transparency, labour stability and institutional accountability. The following questions were posed during the briefing: What is the latest update on the National Arts Council (NAC) staff strike, and what resolutions have been reached? Is the Minister concerned about the recent artists’ march at the Playhouse Company in KwaZulu-Natal, and what is being done about the institution’s well-being? Why did DSAC not publicly disclose the amounts alloca...

  Why South Africa Must Reframe Arts and Culture Through the Cultural and Creative Industries Lens by Thami akaMbongo Manzana As South Africa approaches the Local Government Elections on 4 November 2026 , there is an urgent conversation that the Cultural and Creative Industries sector can no longer postpone. Elections at municipal level are not only about service delivery—they are also about how local economies are shaped, who gets funded, which industries are prioritised, and whether culture is treated as decoration or development. For too long, arts and culture has been spoken about as a symbolic or social portfolio. Yet globally, the shift has already happened: culture is no longer just heritage, it is industry, economy, and infrastructure. The question we must ask is simple but uncomfortable: Are we still speaking the language of Arts and Culture , while the world has moved into the language of the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) ? Arts and Culture vs Cultural and Creati...