The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the fact that the prosecution believes that there is enough evidence to prosecute the National Arts Council (NAC) CEO Rosemary Mangope for submitted a fake funding proposal for the South African Roadies Association (SARA) without their knowledge and consent.
This comes after years of frustration from SARA over NAC’s inaction over this matter.
SARA first applied for assistance from NAC in 2014. This was subsequently denied due to issues with submitted documentation. After a meeting between SARA and the CEO in 2015, NAC admitted that there was a mistake on their side and promised to rectify the situation. This never happened.
Only after a whistle blower leaked a submission to EXCO of R350 000 in SARA’s name to SARA President Freddie Nyathela, did Mangope’s subterfuge come to light. This funding proposal was submitted without SARA’s knowledge or consent and was later the subject of an investigation by the Public Protector.
In her report, published in May 2020, the Public Protector (PP) recommended that remedial action be taken against Mangope. This included an apology to SARA from the CEO, the implementation of a standard operating procedure to address inconsistencies in NAC policies, the implementation of a “declaration of interests register” for NAC employees, and a report by the CEO of how this remedial action would be implemented within 30 days following the publication of the PP’s report.
To date, and despite promises from the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa to the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture that the Mangope would take the report on review, none of the PP’s remedial action recommendations have been implemented.
The DA has long held the view that Mangope is not fit to hold the office of NAC CEO. We are delighted that an investigation has been launched into her alleged misdeeds and hopes that she will face the full extent of the law for her actions. Corruption and fraud is a cancer in South Africa and everything must be done to eradicate it.