Gatvol artists occupy National Arts Council offices -again
By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor
A group of artists under the auspices of the South African Arts and Culture Youth Forum (SAACYF) led by artist Romeo Ramuada yesterday, September 15, 2023, occupied the offices of the National Arts Council in Newtown, Johannesburg (see video here:https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16ADLwiibj/). The enraged artists among other grievances are demanding that the grant making agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) finalisethe appointment of the adjudication panel for the annual call, for the three year funding grant, and release the Presidential Economic Stimulus Package (PESP).
“’As South African Arts and Culture Youth Forum we have taken a decisive step to come and sleep here at the NAC until they release the funding call, finalise the appointment of the adjudication panel adjudicate the annual call, until they release the PESP call, and announce the three year funding call.
We are tired of sitting outside while people are deciding on our lives as if we do not exist.Ramuada said from inside the NAC offices yesterday where fellow artists spoke about their frustration of not getting funding from the state agency responsible for disbursing funds running into millions to enable them to work. They came well kitted with bags to sleep overnight.
The action of the artists yesterday echoes similar action by artists during the height of Covid-19, when a group of artists then led by soprano Sibongile Mngoma took similar action and occupied the NAC offices for 60 days, complaining about the maladministration of funds released by government to assist artists during the pandemic.
However it appears the more things change, the more they remain the same. When the artists first took that unprecedented action in 2021, the Minister then was Nathi Mthethwa who has since been dispatched to France as South African ambassador.
However since the election of 2024 that resulted in the ANCfailing to win a majority, necessitating the formation of the current Government of National Unity, a coalition of mainly the ANC, DA, IFP, and smaller parties that include the PA among others, DSAC has a new Minister, Gayton McKenzie from the Patriotic Alliance.
After initial optimism as McKenzie promised to reinvigorate and rearrange the cultural and creative sector, through other initiatives promised, the creation of sector councils, 17 in number, the problems remain. The artists are once more up in arms as they argue that their lives remain precarious, funding opportunities are fraught with problems, just like before.
The occupying artists further argue that the situation seems to be worse than before as delays to release calls for funding is delayed, and so is the issue of the appointment of panel adjudicators.
The occupying artists told the Interim Chief Executive Officer Lebogang Mogoera, who was not present but spoke to the artists telephonically, that they were going nowhere till their key grievances were attended to fully. They vowed to sleep in the offices overnight when the CEO said that he was only going to be able to attend to them the following day, Tuesday, September 16, 2025.
He promised to also come to the meeting with some board members on Tuesday to meet the occupying artists.