Question NW867 to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
19 April 2023 - NW867
Madlingozi, Mr BS to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
(1)What are the reasons that his department authorised amounts of (a) R41,5 million and (b) R54,6 million for allocation towards the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra, when the specified amounts were initially intended to be allocated towards the SA National Philharmonic Orchestra; (2) what are the reasons that the specified person was aligned with irregularities of money transfers to entities that are reporting to his department?
Reply:
According to the response received from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture:
(1) The Revised White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage recommended the establishment of a national orchestra in South Africa. However, in the implementation of this recommendation a decision was made to name the national orchestra as the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra. It is important to note that the naming of the orchestra is a separate issue from the recommendation for its establishment. The specific naming of the orchestra may have been influenced by various factors such as cultural significance, relevance, and appeal. It is also a legal and/or registration requirement that names should not be identical or too similar to the name of any existing company in your jurisdiction, as this can cause confusion for customers and may violate intellectual property laws such as trademark. The decision to name the national orchestra the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra may have been made based on these considerations. For instance, Bafana Bafana is our national soccer team. If you hear on the news that Bafana Bafana qualified for the Afcon, bear in mind that we are taking about the same national team. Therefore, allocation of funding to the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra is the same as funding the national orchestra.
(2) There is no one associated with the DSAC or the national orchestra who has been aligned with money irregularities. In addition, the audited annual financial statements of the DSAC, NAC and Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra are all not qualified for the period 2021-2022.