Question NW2200 to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
27 September 2021 - NW2200
Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
Whether he has found that his department is ignoring the findings of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition concerning the SA Music Industry Council that breached the Memorandum of Agreement, and therefore signalling that government departments are not working together and/or undermining each department’s authority; if not, what is the basis for such, where public funds are irregularly spent without accountability or even an attempt to recoup the funds; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The Department was not aware of any agreement between the Department of Trade and Industry with SAMIC.
This challenge is largely due to the lack of a centralised Government wide database of defaulting beneficiaries, so that we are able to identify and isolate them until they comply with all prescripts of the contracts without fail.
Internally, the Department’s Legal Unit has initiated a recovery process and black listing of defaulters.
However, upon approving the grant, the Department entered into a contractual agreement with SAMIC stipulating terms and conditions of the funds dispersed to ensure that they will be used to achieve the intended purpose.