CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BENEFICIARIES, YET THE NAC QUESTIONS MUST NOT DISAPPEAR  By Thami akaMbongo Manzana  First, congratulations to all the PESP 7 beneficiaries . For many artists, organisations and creative workers, this announcement represents more than a funding outcome. It represents an opportunity to create work, employ people, pay artists, sustain organisations and contribute to South Africa's cultural and creative economy. Congratulations must also go to the National Arts Council (NAC) for keeping its word and releasing the PESP 7 outcomes on 14 August 2026 , as communicated to the sector. In a funding environment where delays and uncertainty have become a source of enormous anxiety, meeting a publicly stated deadline deserves to be acknowledged. But now that the outcomes are out, perhaps we should do something equally important: We should go back to the questions. Yesterday's urgent sector meeting, convened at approximately 5pm on 14 August, was about updatin...

  NAC Must Communicate With Applicants Who Never Reached Adjudication By Thami akaMbongo Manzana  As the arts and culture sector waits for the expected announcement of the National Arts Council’s (NAC) PESP 7 funding outcomes, there is another important issue that deserves attention: the applicants whose proposals were screened out at the compliance stage should be formally informed before the final outcomes are announced. Receiving a decline letter is painful. For many artists and organisations, funding applications represent months of preparation and, in some cases, hope for the survival of a project, organisation or livelihood. However, a clear and timely regret letter is far better than allowing applicants to wait anxiously for an outcome date when their applications never even reached the Adjudication Panel. This is not a new expectation. The NAC has, in previous funding cycles, communicated declines to applicants whose applications did not proceed beyond compliance scree...

Gayton McKenzie’s first legal setback raises uncomfortable questions about power, loyalty, governance and the future of South Africa’s arts funding institution By Thami akaMbongo Manzana There is a moment in every political and institutional battle when the noise stops. No press conference. No victory lap. No angry statement. No dramatic social-media post. Just silence. And in the case of the National Arts Council (NAC), that silence is becoming louder than any statement could possibly be. Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie lost the first round of his legal battle over the dissolution of the NAC Council. Let us be precise. This is not the final judgment on whether the Minister's decision to dissolve the Council was ultimately lawful. The Gauteng High Court has, however, suspended the dissolution and ordered the Council to be reinstated pending the judicial review. The Minister has also been prohibited from appointing a replacement Council while that review is pen...

  THE OLD VOICES ARE GETTING LOUDER BECAUSE THE NEW VOICES ARE NO LONGER ASKING FOR PERMISSION By Thami akaMbongo Manzana There is something uncomfortable happening in South Africa's Cultural and Creative Industries. Something is shifting. And perhaps the most uncomfortable part is that the people who have historically controlled the microphone are beginning to realise that they no longer control the conversation. For decades, information within the Cultural and Creative Industries moved through established channels. Newspapers, magazines, broadcasters, institutions, conferences, universities, government structures and recognised industry bodies determined, to a large extent, what was important, who was credible, whose opinion mattered and which stories deserved attention. That world is changing. The microphone has been decentralised. The gatekeepers are losing their monopoly. And the new voices are not necessarily asking for permission to enter the room. They are building their ow...