The Creative Passport Encourages Creatives to Apply for PESP 7 Vacancies at the National Arts Council The Creative Passport encourages artists, cultural workers, researchers, administrators, graduates, and community practitioners across South Africa to apply for the recently announced President’s Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP 7) vacancies by the National Arts Council of South Africa. At a time when unemployment continues to affect many creatives, graduates, and cultural practitioners, these vacancies present an important opportunity for individuals who are passionate about the Cultural and Creative Industries to contribute meaningfully towards the development of the sector. The available vacancies include: 2x Arts Development Officers 1x Junior Arts Development Officer 1x Finance Officer 2x Call Centre and Office Administrators The Creative Passport believes that South Africa is home to an abundance of highly skilled and knowledgeable creatives who often remain overlooked d...

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 of...

  DSAC Sector Clusters Must Account to the Sector They Represent By Thami akaMbongo Manzana On 30 March 2026, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture together with Gayton McKenzie launched the 17 DSAC Sector Clusters at Nirox Sculpture Park. The launch was accompanied by public declarations, photographs and promises of a new era of sector coordination, consultation and accountability within South Africa’s Cultural and Creative Industries. What also became public knowledge was that each cluster reportedly received R2 million from DSAC. That means approximately R34 million in public funds was allocated to these sector structures in the previous financial year. At a time when many artists, practitioners, organisations and cultural workers continue to face funding challenges, project uncertainty and institutional instability, it is only fair and democratic that the broader sector asks questions. These are not attacks. They are clarity-seeking questions rooted in transparency, account...

THE NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL AT A CROSSROADS By Thami akaMbongo Manzana  29 May 2026 (Friday) is not just another administrative deadline in the Cultural and Creative Industries calendar. It is a moment of reckoning. A day when the sector will be watching, counting, and quietly asking whether the system meant to support it is functioning or merely surviving. Across South Africa, artists, organisations, producers, and cultural workers are waiting for the long-anticipated funding outcomes from the National Arts Council of South Africa. For many, these decisions are not abstract. They determine whether productions go to stage, whether teams are paid, whether stories are told, and whether the country’s cultural pipeline continues to breathe. Image: NAC Acting CEO,  Vincent Mashale   A sector holding its breath The expectation is simple - on 29 May 2026, the NAC must release its Annual Funding Outcomes. But as of today, 24 May 2026 (Sunday), a worrying silence is emerging in the ...

  Democracy Requires More Than Silence By Thami aka Mbongo Manzana South Africa proudly presents itself as a constitutional democracy founded on human rights, equality, freedom of expression, and public participation. Yet within the Cultural and Creative Industries, many artists, athletes, cultural practitioners, and creatives continue to feel unheard, excluded, and at times punished for speaking truth to power. This contradiction raises a serious question: can there truly be nation-building and social cohesion without honest dialogue? The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), which carries the constitutional responsibility of promoting social cohesion and nation-building, should be at the centre of creating democratic spaces where difficult but necessary conversations can happen openly and without fear. Image: Minister Gayton McKenzie   Freedom of Expression in the Creative Sector The South African Constitution protects Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Expression. The...