WEDNESDAY EDITION | OPINION/ ANALYSIS  HOW FUNDING BENEFICIARIES ARE COMPLICIT IN THE COLLAPSE OF ETHICAL PRACTICE IN SOUTH AFRICA’S CULTURAL AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES By Thami akaMbongo Manzana | The Creative Passport WHY THIS CONVERSATION CANNOT BE AVOIDED This article is a direct follow-up to  When Adjudication Becomes Extortion . It is written without fear or favour — deliberately so.  Accountability in the Cultural and Creative Industries cannot end with adjudication panels, councils, departments, or public entities alone.  To stop there would be convenient, but dishonest. Public funding does not collapse ethics on its own. People do. And the moment funding reflects in a personal or organisational bank account, the beneficiary ceases to be a victim of the system and becomes a custodian of public trust. Image: NLC Logo  (Source: NLC) ACCESSING FUNDING IS LABOUR — ETHICAL PRACTICE IS A DUTY Securing public funding is not easy. Applications are techn...

TUESDAY EDITION | PROFILE/ INTERVIEW  As The Creative Passport launches its Profiles & Interviews segment, we begin by turning the lens inward — not in self-promotion, but in transparency. This conversation introduces the Founding Editor, his journey within South Africa’s Cultural and Creative Industries, and the thinking behind the establishment of this platform. C an you tell us about your journey within South Africa’s Cultural and Creative Industries, and how it has shaped your perspective as a practitioner and writer? My journey in the Cultural and Creative Industries began in the early 1990s at a community level. I was part of a dance crew,  NWA , in Mbekweni, Paarl, under the leadership of Tilili Godlo. Through this work, I was introduced to  Sons and Daughters Dramatic Organisation (SADDRO) , led by the late Michael Mahlubandile Ndlovu — may his soul continue to rest in peace. Working within communities at that time gave me an early understanding that the ...

PAYMENTS & APPEAL PROCESSES By Thami aka Mbongo Manzana |  The Creative Passport The  National Arts Council (NAC)  has provided important updates regarding  PESP 6  for all artists and beneficiaries. Here’s what you need to know: 1. Appeal Processes The media statement detailing the  PESP 6 appeals process  was finalized on  24 December 2025  and is scheduled for publication in the  first week of January 2026 . Applicants will have  30 days from the date of publication  to lodge their appeals. 2. PESP 6 Payments Payments for  PESP 6  were successfully made on  24 December 2025  to beneficiaries who had submitted their required documents to the NAC. For those who  have not yet received payments , you are advised to  WhatsApp the NAC CEO with your project numbers  so that payments can be checked. If you do not have the NAC CEO’s contact number,  The Creative Passport can assist you . We...

                             Image: DSAC Logo     (Source: DSAC)  MONDAY EDITION |  UMRHABULO, POLICY & PUBLIC DISCOURSE HOW CORRUPTION IS NORMALISED IN SOUTH AFRICA’S CULTURAL & CREATIVE INDUSTRIES By Thami akaMbongo Manzana |  The Creative Passport There is a disease quietly eating away at the Cultural and Creative Industries in South Africa — and many are too afraid, too exhausted, or too compromised to name it. Let us be clear from the outset: It is ILLEGAL for adjudication panel members, council members, government officials, or employees of public entities to demand payment, favours, percentages, or “gratitude” from funding beneficiaries. Yet it happens. Repeatedly. Systemically. Brazenly. And everyone knows.                            Image: MGE Logo      (Source: DSAC)  WHEN ADJUDICAT...