Question NW4330 to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
13 December 2022 - NW4330
Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
What are the relevant details of the detailed budget and business plan of the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra (MNPO), including the (a)(i) total number of musicians, conductors and support staff who will be permanently employed and (ii) proposed salaries as well as other remunerations and (b) breakdown of budgets for all planned concerts and tours for 2022, including (i) transport and accommodation, (ii) venue and instrument hire and transportation, as well as (iii) the estimated income from the concerts and tours and (iv) an indication of (aa) what amount of the total amount designated to the MNPO has already been made available to Mr Bongani Tembe, The Chief Executive Officer of MNPO and (bb) how it was used?
Reply:
The Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra (MNPO) is updating its business plan. This process is being informed by the realities on the ground and the continuous engagement with various stakeholders. The MNPO board will then hold a strategic session early next year and forward the revised business plan to the National Arts Council of South Africa first, before it is forwarded to the Department, before 31 March 2023.
While the Department transfers ring-fenced funds to the MNPO via the National Arts Council, the MNPO has a board of women and men of the highest integrity, who then run that institution and are required and expected to report back on utilization of all resources provided. At the end of the financial year, the MNPO board will submit audited financial statements to the National Arts Council, which will contain financially related matters. The NAC will the scrutinize the AFS and then report to the Department. If there are any serious problems, with the AFS, then the Department will take the necessary steps, but it doesn’t act before that process has been followed. In this case, based on engagement with the NAC and the MNPO board, there are no indications of any problems.