The DA will write to the Minister of Sports Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, to launch an urgent independent investigation into numerous allegations of malfeasance at the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (Pacofs).
It’s no wonder that artists have staged a sit-in at Pacofs as little was done after a 2018 investigative report by forensic auditing firm, Morar Incorporated, revealed all manner of corruptive behaviour at the Centre. This, amongst other allegations, seemingly continues to this day.
Some of the revelations and allegations from the Morar report, and other sources, are:
- The fact that in 2017 a portion of the artistic budget was used to employ an artistic director, even though the post did not exist at that time. The post was then filled without being advertised;
- There are numerous allegations of whistleblowers being targeted when reporting corruption and then facing dismissal. Should the whistleblowers win their cases at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), it seems to be common practice to drag out the appeals at the Labour Court for as long as possible costing Pacofs R4 452 352 in 2019/2020 alone; and
- The Business Development in the Annual performance report seems to indicate that Pacofs has moved away from its mandate to host productions – down from 54 productions in 2016/2017 to 12 in 2018/2019 – while almost 70% of the artistic budget is spent on salaries.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown just how rotten some artistic institutions meant to foster and grow the arts and culture industry in South Africa can be.
That artists and those employed in the sector have had to endure this long before the pandemic came to our shores, and the fact that multitudes of cries for help and calls for discipline of the guilty have fallen on deaf ears is shocking but not surprising.
But the Minister must not ignore what’s happening in the sector any longer. Corruption must be rooted out and destroyed and the arts and culture industry protected. It’s time for the Minister to earn his exorbitant salary for a change.
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