When talent is not enough, what exactly are we rewarding? By Thami akaMbongo Manzana "There is a time and place for everything." It is a phrase we have heard throughout our lives. In the Cultural and Creative Industries, it has become one of the most repeated explanations for why some people make it while others, equally talented, never do. But what if timing is not the whole story? Or perhaps the more uncomfortable question is: whose timing are we talking about? Many artists have received the phone call that changed their lives because they happened to be in the right room at the right time. Others were introduced to the right producer, director, curator or executive by someone who opened a door that remained closed for thousands of equally deserving practitioners. Some went to universities and arts institutions that gave them the networks, confidence and opportunities to succeed. Others never had that privilege, yet possess extraordinary talent. Some align themselves with...

  ARE WE ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS? By Thami aka Mbongo Manzana Firstly, congratulations to all the beneficiaries of the National Arts Council (NAC) funding. The announcement of successful applicants in Visual Arts, Craft, Literature, Dance, Music and the outstanding results still to come in Theatre and Multi-Disciplinary Arts will undoubtedly bring relief and excitement to many artists and organisations across South Africa. Every funded project represents a dream, an opportunity, and in many cases, a chance to sustain livelihoods in a sector that continues to face significant challenges. The beneficiaries deserve to celebrate. However, while we celebrate those who have been funded, are we asking enough questions about the broader funding ecosystem? For years, practitioners have been told that there is simply not enough money. We have accepted this explanation as fact. But is the problem really that there is not enough money, or is it that the available money is not being distribu...

WHY SOUTH AFRICA'S PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS NEED LEADERS, NOT CAREER POLITICIANS IN EXECUTIVE SUITS By Thami akaMbongo Manzana  The role of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is one of the most important positions in any institution. In South Africa's public entities, particularly within the Cultural and Creative Industries, CEOs are entrusted with a responsibility that extends far beyond administration, compliance, and financial management. They are meant to be visionaries, institution builders, innovators, and custodians of public trust. Yet across many public institutions, a troubling pattern has emerged. The same faces continue to move from one institution to another. One leaves a public entity today and appears in another tomorrow. Another completes a term in one agency and resurfaces in a different organisation shortly thereafter. Looking at the landscape, one could easily conclude that South Africa has a pool of fewer than ten individuals considered capable of leading public cul...

DEMOCRACY BEGINS AT LOCAL LEVEL  By Thami AkaMbongo Manzana This weekend presents an important opportunity for all South Africans to take a simple but powerful step in shaping the future of our communities: register to vote or update your voting details. If you are not yet registered as a voter, use this weekend wisely and make sure your name is on the voters' roll. If you have moved and are currently living in a different area from where you originally registered, take the time to update your address so that you can vote in the correct voting district. Many citizens often focus their attention on national politics, yet the reality is that the quality of our daily lives is heavily influenced by decisions made at local government level. Roads, community facilities, libraries, arts centres, public spaces, local economic development, and many of the services that directly affect us are managed by municipalities. For years, many South Africans have argued that the traditional top-down ...

  A MOMENT THE CREATIVE SECTOR CANNOT AFFORD TO MISS By Thami AkaMbongo Manzana As the deadline of 19 June 2026 approaches for public submissions on the review of the Cultural Institutions Act 119 of 1998 , I am concerned that many artists, cultural practitioners, creative workers, community arts organisations, and cultural activists may not fully appreciate the significance of this process. This is not merely a technical legislative review. It is an opportunity to interrogate the very foundations of South Africa's cultural landscape and ask difficult questions about transformation, access, equity, representation, and the future of cultural development in our country. The Cultural Institutions Act was promulgated in 1998, during the early years of democracy. While it sought to provide governance and support for cultural institutions, nearly three decades later we must ask:  Has it achieved its transformation objectives? One of the most pressing questions is why most of South ...

   Are We Celebrating Freedom or Remembering a Broken Promise? By Thami akaMbongo Manzana Every year on 16 June, politicians dust off their struggle speeches, lay wreaths at monuments, wear commemorative T-shirts, and tell us how brave the youth of 1976 were. And every year, I ask myself the same uncomfortable question: What exactly are we commemorating? Are we commemorating the courage of young people who stood against an oppressive state, or are we simply participating in an annual ritual that helps us avoid confronting the state of South Africa today? The youth of 1976 did not march for tenders. They did not march for blue lights. They did not march for government positions. They did not march for access to corruption. They marched because they believed they deserved dignity, opportunity, quality education, and freedom. Fifty years later, millions of young South Africans are still demanding exactly the same things. The language has changed. The slogans have changed. The hai...

  POLITICAL WIND-CHASERS, AND THE COST OF RELEVANCE  By Thami akaMbongo Manzana  There is a growing pattern in the cultural and creative space where some artists, performers, and public figures position themselves not as independent voices, but as political chameleons constantly shifting alignment depending on where influence, access, or visibility is strongest. This is not new. It is simply becoming more visible in a digital age where attention is currency, and proximity to power is often mistaken for success. Opportunist alignment whether by artists or cultural figures often follows a predictable cycle: attach to political power, amplify that proximity, and convert it into exposure .  In the short term, it may work. Some gain platforms, bookings, funding opportunities, or media attention. But in the long term, it raises a deeper question: at what cost does relevance come when it is borrowed from political convenience rather than earned through consistent artistic i...

  ARTS , CULTURE AND THE POLITICS WE PRETEND NOT TO SEE  By  Thami akaMbongo Manzana Politics affect us as Cultural and Creative Industries practitioners whether we like it or not. We can debate it, resist it, even deny it but we cannot escape it. The sooner we accept this reality, the sooner we begin to engage the system with clarity rather than confusion. We often hear repeated calls from within the sector: we need a Minister who understands the Arts and Culture sector . This is not a new demand. It has been voiced across generations of practitioners, festivals, workshops, and policy engagements. Yet it is important to understand the constitutional framework within which executive appointments are made. Under Section 91(3)(c) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, the President is explicitly authorised to appoint no more than two Ministers from outside the National Assembly. This means the President does, in fact, have limited but real discretion to...

  THE SOUTH AFRICAN CREATIVE INDUSTRY'S BIGGEST CRISIS By Thami aka Mbongo Manzana Truth be told, the Cultural and Creative Industries in South Africa are suffering from a leadership crisis. We have more followers than leaders. We have more social media activists than industry builders. We have more keyboard heroes than policy warriors. Every day artists flood Facebook, X, TikTok and WhatsApp groups with complaints, insults and gossip. Yet when it is time to confront the structural problems that have crippled the sector since 1994, the room suddenly becomes empty. The uncomfortable truth is that the South African Cultural and Creative Industries remain largely unregulated and fragmented.  Despite numerous policy interventions, funding agencies, strategic plans and consultations over the years, artists continue to experience many of the same challenges: unequal access to opportunities, funding disputes, gatekeeping, weak accountability and political patronage.   Since 1994...

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 ...