Unresolved issues between Parliament and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture in 2024 that are poised to spill into 2025

By Edward Tsumele

In 2024, the newly installed Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture had a hard time regarding issues of accountability by senior officials of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, and these issues threaten to spill into the new year as they seem not to have not been completely ironed out in 2024. Here CITYLIFE/ARTS has compiled some of the issues that defined the relationship between the two parties.

What the Parliament- Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture has said….

23 July 2024 – https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/39176/

“The Chairperson thanked AGSA and remarked that the misuse of resources in DSAC is big and it is a huge challenge for the Committee. R50 million has been spent on social cohesion. However, the previous Committee had asked by whom it was administered and for their names and contacts – but to no avail.  He referenced the R7 million loss which is just gone. We as a Committee must revisit and influence the budget.

“The Auditor General findings are that the material irregularities total over R200 million, which is a concern. The Public Audit Act has given the AG some leverage and some power and the next step is to utilise these powers.”

“Mr Mokoena referred to the AGSA statement that the R7.5 million is “in recovery”. He wanted to know how – through the court system or in what way.”

“Ms H Mbele (MK) agreed with the Chairperson’s comments. There are irregularities from wasteful expenditure; however the department keeps on having these. Why?”

20 September 2024 – https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/39539/

“The Chairperson “He said he would not recommend the adoption of the report and said that the Department had to go back and rectify the ‘rubbish’ that had been presented before the Committee. He said he would not recommend the adoption of the report and said that the Department had to go back and rectify the ‘rubbish’ that had been presented before the Committee.”

“Mr G Kobane (MK) The Department was treating the Committee as fools. The Department should provide a truthful report that shows what was happening. The Department was treating the Committee as fools.”

“Mr L Jacobs (DA) said that the report was scary, wishy-washy and something that was not doing any justice to South Africans.”

“Adv S Salie (Al Jama-ah) said that the presentation was a tick box exercise gone wrong and that not even copying and pasting can be an excuse for what the Committee was currently witnessing.”

29 October 2024 – https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/39736/

“Mr Mthethwa spoke about lies being told. The Committee told DSAC that it could not continue with the 22 October meeting because there were inconsistencies in the report. Instead of responding to the accusation, DSAC made a statement to the newspapers about the Committee meeting.”

“Ms Salie mentioned that as a legal person, it broke her heart to see the glaring inconsistencies in the reports and requested that the Minister look at the reports presented to the Committee and comment if he would be content with the content presented.”

“Ms N Nkosi (ANC) said that given the importance of the Annual Report meeting that was supposed to happen on 22 October, Committee members felt undermined. DSAC was not taking the Committee seriously since the senior officials were not present at the meeting.”

“With reference to Annual Reports, the Chairperson had witnessed some peppered reports, misrepresentations and miscalculations of facts. He noted to the Minister that this is the last opportunity to blame his predecessors when it comes to output in DSAC.”

01 November 2024 – https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/39806/

“The Committee was concerned about the funds lost due to irregular expenditure and they observed that the funds were being passed around to far too many entities, which could give rise to money laundering. They also wanted to know why there was little mention of arts and culture but vast mention of sports in the report.”

“Mr E Mthethwa (EFF) said that the Committee should insist on Annual Reports that comply with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).” 

“Adv S Salie (Al Jama-ah) agreed with Mr Mthethwa in saying that she was very conflicted abour adopting the report. What was on paper did not match reality.”

19 November 2024 – Eastern Cape Oversight Report; Minister’s rejection to the PanSALB Board; Cultural Creative Industries Federation of SA briefing; Freedom 2023/24 Annual Report | PMG

Chairperson – “but he wished to raise several red flags. This included handling communication, where there would be no responses from the Department at times. Stakeholders had also raised issues around the responses to complaints related to corrupt activities, as well as the handling of internal appointments within entities.”

“Some of the complainants had tried to bring these to the attention of the Minister, and the Chief of Staff committed to ensuring this, but it did not materialise”

Mr G Kgabo – “said that an enabling environment had been created for the Minister to think he was above the Committee. Too many things had happened already at DSAC, and he had gotten away with not accounting for them.” 

Mr Mthethwa – “He said the Department had also spoken of a R12 million as if it was an allocation to CCIFSA, when in fact it was for Usiba Awards which was a programme that was allocated to it initially and was later managed elsewhere”. “He agreed with the President of CCIFSA that the Department had lied to the Committee on many things.”

“Where accounting officers failed to act on maladministration, they should be declared as delinquents.”