My department’s report is not fraudulent, says Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s Deputy Director-General Cynthia Khumalo

This is as Dr. Cynthia Khumalo “takes exception” to criticism of the department’s report by Members of the Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture in a meeting that took place on September 2024.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS editor

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s Deputy Director-General Dr. Cynthia Khumalo has challenged the views of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture. This is as Committee Members on September 20, 2024, dismissed the department’s presentation about its achievement after heavily criticising the officials for presenting a document that it said was further from reflecting the truth about its performance.

However the Portfolio Committee stands by its views on the matter, CITYLIFE/ARTS was told yesterday, Thursday, September 3,2024.

The Portfolio Committee had among other issues pointed out the perennial issue of under-spending and half-completed projects, as examples of sloppiness by DSAC in using its allocated budgets effectively for arts development.

In an unprecedented harsh language, several Portfolio Members expressed their feeling about the presentation, and among other words, describing the report as “rubbish”, “scary”, “wish-washy” and “fraudulent”, before sending the officials packing, including Khumalo and Acting Director-General Vusi Ndima. They then instructed them to go back to the drawing board (see here: https://citylifearts.co.za/high-drama-in-parliament-as-department-of-sport-arts-and-culture-officials-are-sentpacking-over-fake-rubbish-and-wishy-wash-presentation/ as reported by CITYLIFE/ARTS.

You can also access the full minutes of what transpired during that presentation here: ( https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/39539/).

However this week, Monday October 1, 2024, Khumalo took umbrage to the criticism, arguing that her report was not fraudulent, in a move that is unusual as the response was made outside the procedures and protocols of an issue discussed in Parliament. However the media release indicated that a “detailed response addressing this matter has been sent to the Portfolio Committee.”

What seems to be at the heart of Khumalo’s argument’ in the media release released by DSAC is the description of the department’s report as fraudulent for which she takes exception.

DSAC currently does not have a substantive Director-General and instead Ndima and Khumalo are alternating as Acting-Director Generals. The report that was presented in Parliament as an overview of the work the department did when Khumalo as Acting Director-General was the accounting officer for DSAC.

“The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) has noted with concern allegations and media reports that it tabled a supposedly fraudulent report to the Sport, Arts and Culture Portfolio Committee that sat on the 20th of September 2024.

The Department, while appreciating the role of the Committee in taking a firm stance holding the DSAC to account, and exercising oversight over its work, takes exception to the accusations and media reports as an inaccurate reflection of the tabled report.  

The Deputy Director-General, Dr Cynthia Khumalo vehemently disputes the narrative that she presented a fraudulent report to the Portfolio Committee on Sport Arts and Culture. This narrative is damaging to the reputation of the Department and that of its Ministry. A detailed response addressing this matter has been sent to the Portfolio Committee,” the statement reads.

(Read the full statement here: https://shorturl.at/w9LmK

CITYLIFE/ARTS contacted Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture’s Media Liaison Officer Sibongile Maputi for comment from the Committee Chairperson Joe McGluwa. Maputi however declined to comment, saying “it is not a practice for committee chairs to comment on what government officials say in private.”

He instead referred this publication to a statement on the matter that the Portfolio Committee issued on September 2024 on the matter.

He added: “Our statement, as well as the website story, was never disputed. The facts in it remain unchallenged, and the committee position”.

That statement Maputi is referring to reads as follows: “The Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture had said the incident to send the Department back on account of ill-preparedness was unfortunate but necessary.

The Chairperson, Mr Joe McGluwa, said it was against the spirit of accountability that theDepartment sent something to the committee and presented something else to the committee.

The committee needed to set an example quite early in its term of office. It was unfortunate that the departmental officials had to be sent back on account of inconsistencies in their own presentation and what they claimed to be their performance.

“We do not take kind to this kind of behaviour as is tantamount to fraud and misleading the legislators who in the end must motivate for the budget of this department. We are not about to compromise on accountability; in fact, the committee is visiting some of the projects where sums of money had been reportedly spent in the first week of October.”

“Sending the officials was painful but a necessary step the committee will do again if

misrepresentation of fact happens. This committee is not about to go soft on its responsibility of playing the oversight role, no matter what and who is involved,” Mr McGluwa said.

On Friday, the committee refused to accept a presentation from the department as it was fundamentally different from what had earlier been submitted. The committee demanded that an explanation of how different information could be submitted occurred, and a thorough analysis of the information and the departmental annual performance plan.

Mr McGluwa said the committee members were responsible public representatives, and that how the money of government is spent should be accounted for.

The committee will undertake official oversight visit to governmental projects including the Sarah Baartman Heritage site in the EC. “We will not compromise on our oversight role whoever is involved; our people must experience service delivery beyond the paper presentation,” Mr McGluwa added.

Creative and cultural industry activist, Freddie Nyathela, the President of South African Roadies Association (SARA), who is one of DSAC and its entities’ fiercest critics called for an inquiry into the issue.

“In SARA’s view; Section 17 (2) (d) (e) of Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act (Act 4 of 2004) inquiry (complaint) should be urgently instituted by Parliament to decisively deal with these serious allegations,” he said.