This Is Not a Routine Notice — It Is a Turning Point Why Every Creative Practitioner Must Submit and Attend On 23 January 2026 , the Department of Employment and Labou r published a notice proposing to deem performers in advertising, artistic and cultural activities as employees for purposes of key labour legislation in South Africa. For many in the sector, this may sound like another government circular. It is not. It is a structural shift that could redefine contracts, budgets, working conditions, liability, and rights across the entire creative value chain. And the most important part of this process is happening now: public participation . Why Making a Submission Is Critical A written submission is not just a comment — it is a formal intervention in policy formation. When you submit, you: Influence the final wording of the law Protect your specific discipline’s interests Raise practical implementation challenges Propose workable solutions Place your concerns on official recor...

  MONDAY EDITION |  UMRHABULO, POLICY & PUBLIC DISCOURSE DECOLONISATION SHOULD START WITH THE Z83 FORM This article was born out of a simple, friendly conversation with a respected arts administrator and colleague. What began as casual reflection quickly turned into a deeper interrogation of the systems that govern us — the systems we participate in daily, yet rarely question. That discussion led us to something as ordinary as the Z83 form — a document so familiar, yet so unexplored. Perhaps someone out there knows more. Perhaps there is context we have missed. If so, we welcome correction and insight. This is not a declaration — it is an invitation. Because real transformation begins when we are brave enough to ask uncomfortable questions about the systems we have long taken for granted. We speak loudly about decolonisation. We challenge statues. We interrogate curricula. We critique policy language. But there is one document almost every South African has encountere...

  PHD SYNDROME IS KILLING THE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES IN SOUTH AFRICA There is a PhD that is meant to be celebrated — a Doctor of Philosophy, the highest academic achievement, a symbol of discipline, research and mastery. But there is another PHD quietly destroying the Cultural and Creative Industries in South Africa. PHD: Pull Her Down. Pull Him Down. And this one is not a qualification. It is a sickness. We are an industry that gives flowers when someone has passed on. We write long tributes. We post heartfelt messages. We speak about “legends” and “icons.” Yet many of those same people were not fully supported, protected, or celebrated while they were alive. Their brilliance was often met with silence, jealousy or quiet resistance. Why is it easier to honour the dead than to uplift the living? This is an industry where the spotlight can feel like a curse. The moment it is your time to shine, someone — somewhere — is working overtime to dim that light. To question your l...

Why This Open Letter by Townahip And Rural Creative Freelancers Network Must Be Heard As The Creative Passport , we find it deeply concerning that the President can open a State of the Nation Address with the powerful words of a Khoi-San poet — drawing on the spiritual and symbolic strength of arts and culture — yet remain silent on the actual state of the arts in the country. If poetry is powerful enough to frame the nation’s direction, then the sector that produces that poetry deserves more than symbolism. It deserves policy attention. It deserves budget commitment. It deserves structural support. Arts cannot be used as inspiration at the podium and then be absent in planning, funding and national priorities. That contradiction is precisely why this letter must be heard.            Image: Pres. Cytil Ramaphosa      (Source: SA Government ) To: His Excellency, Cyril Ramaphosa From : Township and Rural Creatives Network Subject: A Call to Tak...

HIGHER LEARNING INSTITUTIONS SHOULD NOT TAME & INTIMIDATE US: WE SHOULD EMBRACE THEM WITH A CLEAR VISION AND MINDSET By Thami akaMbongo Manzana    Image: Thami akaMbongo Manzana       (Source: Facebook) There are moments when memory forces reflection. Standing in the Yvonne Banning Studio at Wits University recently took me back to conversations with the late Simba Pemhenayi, who once warned: “Institutions can either make you or break you.” That warning still matters. Today, the Cultural and Creative Industries face serious governance and leadership challenges.  Many practitioners feel excluded from decision-making spaces, while higher learning institutions are often viewed with suspicion or fear. But perhaps the real question is not whether institutions tame us — it is whether we are entering them with clarity, purpose and strategy. This conversation matters because the future of our sector depends on who occupies positions of influence. If we are...

The Compromised State of South Africa's Department of Sport, Arts and Culture: A Call for Urgent Overhaul and Leadership by Industry Experts By Farook Mohammed           Image  Source: Farook Mohammed  As a dedicated artist, activist, and Pan-Africanist deeply embedded in South Africa's cultural landscape, I have watched with growing alarm as the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) under Minister Gayton McKenzie has descended into a state of profound compromise . Appointed in July 2024 amid the formation of the Government of National Unity, McKenzie's tenure has been marred by controversies that undermine the very essence of artistic freedom, transparency, and equitable support for creatives.  Far from fostering the social cohesion and creative excellence the department is mandated to promote, his leadership has amplified divisions, stifled voices, and prioritized political patronage over the needs of artists.  This is not mere mis...