OPEN LETTER TO MINISTER GAYTON McKENZIE Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture 20 May 2026 Dear Minister Gayton McKenzie , I write this open letter following the recent Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) media briefing where several critical questions affecting the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) sector were raised by myself on behalf of The Creative Passport Online Media Publication . These questions were not merely for clarity, but reflected the growing concerns, frustrations and anxieties within the sector regarding governance, transparency, labour stability and institutional accountability. The following questions were posed during the briefing: What is the latest update on the National Arts Council (NAC) staff strike, and what resolutions have been reached? Is the Minister concerned about the recent artists’ march at the Playhouse Company in KwaZulu-Natal, and what is being done about the institution’s well-being? Why did DSAC not publicly disclose the amounts alloca...

  Why South Africa Must Reframe Arts and Culture Through the Cultural and Creative Industries Lens by Thami akaMbongo Manzana As South Africa approaches the Local Government Elections on 4 November 2026 , there is an urgent conversation that the Cultural and Creative Industries sector can no longer postpone. Elections at municipal level are not only about service delivery—they are also about how local economies are shaped, who gets funded, which industries are prioritised, and whether culture is treated as decoration or development. For too long, arts and culture has been spoken about as a symbolic or social portfolio. Yet globally, the shift has already happened: culture is no longer just heritage, it is industry, economy, and infrastructure. The question we must ask is simple but uncomfortable: Are we still speaking the language of Arts and Culture , while the world has moved into the language of the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) ? Arts and Culture vs Cultural and Creati...

  Questions Mount for the NAC as Calls Grow for Transparency From Council Members The growing scrutiny around the National Arts Council (NAC) continues to raise difficult questions about governance, accountability and transparency within one of South Africa’s most important cultural institutions. For several years, journalist Zama Nteyi has consistently reported on governance concerns, internal disputes and allegations surrounding the NAC and broader arts sector institutions. While her reporting has often attracted criticism and attempts to discredit her work, many of the issues she raised continue resurfacing publicly through disputes, investigations and concerns raised by artists and sector stakeholders.  Recent discussions circulating within the sector have intensified further following claims regarding the alleged procurement of premium mobile devices for Council members and associated individuals. While the authenticity and context of the claims still require official co...

  WHO IS CCIFSA? AND WHO MUST ACCOUNT FOR R51.8 MILLION? By Thami akaMbongo Manzana  The recent statement by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) confirming serious financial irregularities involving R51.8 million transferred to the Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa (CCIFSA) between the 2014/15 and 2023/24 financial years has opened serious questions that cannot be ignored. According to the forensic investigation conducted by Gobodo Forensic and Investigative Accounting (GFIA), the findings point to extensive governance failures, breaches of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), weak oversight, and financial mismanagement. But South Africans especially artists, cultural workers and practitioners must ask a deeper question: Who created CCIFSA? Who protected it? Who benefited from it? And who must now account? This cannot simply be reduced to an administrative scandal. This is a decade-long political and institutional project involving M...

  Statement on Forensic Investigation into CCIFSA Media Statement 7 May 2026 The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Gayton McKenzie, has received the final forensic investigation report into the Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa (CCIFSA), conducted by Gobodo Forensic and Investigative Accounting (GFIA) on behalf of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC). The investigation, which examined R51.8 million in public funds transferred to CCIFSA between the 2014/15 and 2023/24 financial years, has found extensive financial irregularities, governance failures, and breaches of the Public Finance Management Act and the Department’s own policies. Key findings include: An irregular contract addendum signed in March 2016 increased the original CCIFSA funding agreement by R772,884 with no submission, no justification, and no proper approval. R5.4 million in unspent funds at the end of the 2016/17 contract period was not returned to the Department as requi...

Where Memory Bleeds and Truth Speaks Loud: A Review of Letters From Tomorrow By Thami akaMbongo Manzana Sibusiso Khwinana Theatre  The South African State Theatre  30th April to 10 May Written & Directed by Mbasa Tsesana Lunga Khuhlane as Mkhonto  Anele Matoti as Gqozo Ter Hollmann as Van Schroer Dramaturge by Allen Cebekhulu Stage Manager by  Thandokazi Nasiphi Mahlati  There are productions that entertain. There are productions that educate. And then there are productions like LETTERS FROM TOMORROW — theatre that confronts you, unsettles you, and refuses to let you leave unchanged. Currently staged at the South African State Theatre in the intimate Sibusiso Khwinana Theatre space, this work by the unapologetically bold playwright and director Mbasa Tsesana is a necessary eruption of truth in a time where silence has become far too comfortable. From the moment you enter the auditorium, the tone is set. The haunting sounds of Simphiwe Dana’s Umkhonto ...

  A Day to Gather, Reflect and Rise Together As the Bongani Linda & Peter Ngwenya Soweto Theatre Festival reaches its final day, the energy does not fade—it intensifies . Today is not just a closing; it is a culmination , a powerful convergence of memory, performance, and collective purpose at Uncle Tom’s Hall. After days of reflection, storytelling, and artistic exchange, this last chapter invites practitioners, community members, and the broader arts fraternity to come together and close the festival with intention, presence, and impact . A Programme Rooted in Memory and Continuation The day begins with a deeply meaningful segment: 13h00 – Remembering Peter Ngwenya Through conversations and monologues, practitioners are given a platform to revisit, interpret, and embody the work of Ngwenya. This is more than tribute—it is active remembering , where artists engage directly with legacy through performance and voice. For emerging and established practitioners alike, this space ...

  A Launch That Stirred Memory, Purpose and Possibility Last night at Uncle Tom’s Hall, something profound unfolded. The space was not simply prepared—it was transformed . Lights, sound, and intention came together to turn a familiar hall into a living theatre of memory, where the past met the present with dignity and purpose. The Bongani Linda & Peter Ngwenya Soweto Theatre Festival opened in a way that reminded everyone in attendance why theatre matters—not just as performance, but as a vessel of community, history, and identity.            Image Source:  Artivist Media & TV A Gentle Opening, A Powerful Tone The evening began with the soothing and intentional sounds of Liso the Musician, whose musical offering did more than entertain—it prepared the room . It invited stillness, reflection, and readiness for what was to come. From there, Matjamela Motloung guided the evening as Master of Ceremony with grace and authenticity. Having walke...