And so what happened behind closed doors in Parliament between the Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture and Minister McKenzie and his officials?

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

And so the much awaited meeting between Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie, DSAC officials and Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture eventually took place behind closed doors on Tuesday, October 29. Sadly it was not live streamed as is normally the case for the benefit of the public.

This meeting follows the Portfolio Committee’s request that Minister MeKenzie, his Deputy Peace Mabe and Acting Director-General Dr. Cynthia Khumalo be present to answer burning questions as well as make a comprehensive presentation about the business of DSAC.  Khumalo had missed a number of scheduled meetings with the Portfolio Committee in recent weeks, and the officials that had attended the meetings with the Members of the Portfolio Committee were unable to answer some of the questions that required to be fielded by the accounting officer of the department.

And so what transpired behind closed doors in Parliament on that Tuesday morning’s great meeting is probably the question on the lips of many a creative and cultural industry practitioner. And there are good reasons for this appetite by a sector that is in desperate need of a new path to calibrate and create a new funding model after suffering several years of funding strategy incoherence.

What with a new minister who has injected a new energy and therefore raising the hope of the sector that at long last the sector will get its house in order.   And also what with a new Portfolio Committee that seems to be in a heightened mood to get accountability of how DSAC uses its resources for the benefit of the sporting and the arts fraternity. The current Portfolio Committee is fairly balanced with members of Parliament from several political parties  constituting mainly members of  the Government of National Unity (GNU). It is composed of  Joseph McGluwa (Chairperson), Lian Jacobs, Gaolatlhe Kgabo, Eric Kobane, Moyagabo Mkgato, Hazel  Mbele, Matsholo Mmolotsane, Eugene Mthethwa, Dr. Cornelius Mulder, Nomgqibelo Nkosi, Adv. Shameemha Salie,  with TumeloRamongalo as alternate Member.

And so what happened behind the closed doors?

CITYLIFE/ARTs understands that although unlike the previous meetings, the great meeting on Tuesday went relatively smooth, and Khumalo was able to answer some of the burning questions from the Members, the Chairperson of the Committee McGluwaremained  only half impressed by DSAC officials’ presentation.  Among several others, the one issue that is said to have been raised is the issue of DSAC not having a substantive Director-General for a long time. This is an influential position akin to the engine of DSAC, that has not been filled since former Director-General Vusumuzi  Mkhize left moons ago. Instead the position has been alternating between Vusi Ndima, Deputy Director-General in charge of heritage, and Khumalo, Deputy-Director-General in charge of Cultural promotions as Acting Director-Generals for the most part. This has frustrated Members of the Committee as they have to deal with a different person when it comes to accounting, depending on who is acting in the position at a specific time.