Question NW967 to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
15 April 2021 - NW967
Mhlongo, Mr TW to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
1)(a) What is the total budget allocated to the established Ministerial Advisory Team (MAT) in the 2021-22 financial year and (b) where will the budget come from; (2) whether he consulted other sectors in the industry before appointing the MAT; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) what was the reason (a) for establishing the Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa (CCIFSA) and (b)(i) that there is no budget for the CCIFSA and (ii) the MAT was appointed to do what CCIFSA should be doing?
Reply:
(1)(a).The total budget allocated to the established Ministerial Advisory Team (MAT) amounts to three million (R3 million)
(b). The budget is sourced from the Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) Goods and Services allocations.
(2). Yes, the sectors in the industry were consulted during several meeting at Freedom Park addressing the challenges faced by the sector.
(3) CCIFSA was established to address challenges of fragmentation in the arts and culture sector. The Department only provided the necessary support for the establishment. CCIFSA is therefore an industry body that was established to lead activism in cultural and creative policy development, and to guarantee coherent implementation of developmental programs. For this, CCIFSA is a structure that is independent from the DSAC and government.
(b)(i). The Department has provided financial support to CCIFSA in the past years, including in this financial year. Given our mandate, it is only reasonable to continue supporting CCIFSA for the benefit of the sector.
(ii) MAT was established not to replace CCIFSA but to assist with the current challenges faced by the sector as a result of COVID-19 impact on the sector. The new challenges warrant new or different approaches to ensure stability and sustainability in the sector; MAT will approach these challenges by employing five (5) work streams to ensure that practitioners are taken care of during the pandemic, as we are not sure as to when the world will return to the usual normal. CCIFSA is part of MAT, responsible for one of the five work streams, namely Wellness Programme working closely with DSAC and service providers to develop well-structured communication between practitioners and implementers of desired services.