Afrikaans festivals in limbo after government pulls funding

The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC) will be investigating some of South Africa’s biggest festivals for funding irregularities.

This, however, is a move which the Democratic Alliance (DA) has criticised as a “propaganda campaign” to defend its decision to pull large amounts of funding from these events. 

DA Spokesperson on Sports, Arts and Culture, Leah Potgieter, whose party governs alongside that of McKenzie’s Patriotic Alliance in the GNU, said in a Parliamentary plenary on 17 September that numerous moves by the department are worrying.

The DSAC has withdrawn funding for some of the country’s biggest festivals, leaving them at risk of cancellation after being supported by the Department for several years. 

The affected the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, the National Arts Festival, the Suidoosterfees, the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstfees, the Woordfees, Innibos, Aardklop, the Vrystaat Kunstfees, and the Open Book Festival. 

The vast majority of those affected are Afrikaans cultural events. McKenzie said this is part of an effort to open funding to other languages and expand the arts. 

“These festivals are the backbone of our cultural economy. They sustain thousands of jobs and bring billions of rands to local economies, and showcase the very best of South African talent to the world,” said Potgieter. 

She alleged that McKenzie ignored organisers’ pleas for support and channelled money toward projects that serve his political agenda. 

In the past, these events were financed under the Provincial Flagship programme. Each province was allocated millions for these events, and it was at the discretion of provincial leadership to determine how the funding was used and for which festivals.

In a November 2022 parliamentary meeting, it was disclosed that R60 million was provided by the department to 32 events across the country.

The alternative to this funding, the Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) Fund, has been “captured,” Potgieter said, adding that the criteria for funding have not been made public and the adjudication board is packed with political loyalists.

According to a parliamentary presentation by the department in June 2025, changes were made to the MGE, which allocated cultural events and public art a maximum grant of R2 million per project.

The adjudicators on the MGE board are now in charge of allocating funding for events. Event organisers were told to apply directly to MGE, but were then rejected.

McKenzie responded to these allegations on social media, saying that the department will not withdraw all of its funding, but that it “must support other language festivals too” and that the industry must be open to new festivals.

Following this, McKenzie sent a letter to his colleagues within DSAC indicating his intention to investigate festivals such as the Cape Town Jazz Festival. 

McKenzie investigates festival spending

The minister said that funding that was provided to the festival before the COVID-19 pandemic caused the national lockdown and the cancellation of the event. This funding was never returned, according to McKenzie. 

“On a deeper level, the concerns raised around the funding of festivals where there may be little to no way for the Department to determine how state money is actually being disbursed by festival organisers remain pertinent,” he said. 

He added that the department has now found itself in a situation where festival organisers’ requests for funding have become a form of entitlement, despite other promoters presenting new and innovative festival concepts. 

Potgieter described the investigation as a “shocking propaganda campaign” and accused the minister of using the pandemic as a “retroactive excuse for reckless defunding.”

She added that McKenzie’s decision to cancel upcoming festivals, which support small-town economies and provide thousands of local jobs, has alienated him from people desperate for work in these towns.

The Cape Town International Jazz Festival generates around R900 million and supports over 5,000 temporary and permanent jobs.

It has been running for 22 years. The first rendition, originally the North Sea Jazz Festival Cape Town, attracted 6,000 people to the Goodhope Centre. 

The event blends local talent with global visiting jazz celebrities to bring in both local and international visitors. 

The Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees attracts over 100,000 attendees annually and generates R72 million in direct economic impact for Oudtshoorn. 

The festival is national arts event with a focus on Afrikaans language in the performing arts. It was established in 1999 to create an event celebrating Afrikaans culture in the post-apartheid era.

A ‘retroactive excuse for reckless defunding’

The Stellenbosch Woordfees draws over 100,000 attendees to celebrate Afrikaans word art. It began at Stellenbosch Univeristy in 2000. It features a programme of theatre, music, art and films. 

Suidoosterfees invites over 8000 learners to experience the arts and supports over 4,000 jobs. 

It aims to promote an inclusive, non-racial society through the arts and features emerging writers, singers and performers. 

Aardklop in Potchefstroom generates R50 to R60 million annually for the North West province. 

Aardklop began as a platform for Afrikaans performance art, but has grown to showcase multiple languages.

The National Arts Festival is a platform for about 2,000 performers and attracts over 200,000 attendees, generating R350 million annually for Makhanda’s economy. 

It’s a multi-disciplinary arts festival that began in 1974. It was a critical space for protest art during apartheid and continues to focus on art that connects with South African society and politics. 

Non-profit Organisation, Artists United, said that the decision to pull funding for these events is a “big mistake” and said it would have a devastating impact on employment. 

The United Civil Society in Action added that the minister should have consulted the creative, cultural and sporting fraternities before making the cuts,