Gayton McKenzie accused of turning Sports, Arts and Culture boards into political strongholds

Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC), Gayton McKenzie, has been accused of capturing various boards under the department’s jurisdiction. 

Reports on the DSAC’s performance from quarter 2 of the 2023/2024 financial year to the first quarter of 2024/2025 were presented in a plenary of the National Assembly on 16 September.

Multiple parliamentary members criticised the DSAC’s misuse of funds that should have been allocated to heritage projects and rural facilities.

Commenting on the reports, DA Spokesperson on Sports Arts and Culture (SAC)Leah Potgieter and EFF member of the Portfolio Committee on SAC Eugene Mthethwa alleged that McKenzie is using critical boards in the department to consolidate power. 

Speaking to Newsday, Mthethwa alleged that a pattern has emerged whereby McKenzie dissolves boards or dismisses members, only to replace them with members of his own party, the Patriotic Alliance (PA).

This is dangerous for the entity’s management, Mthethwa said. “If I have people from my own party in these entities, who would say no if I tell them to do as I say as their president?” he said.

Expanding on the comments she made in parliament, Potgieter, whose party co-governs with the PA in the GNU, told Newsday that the DA noted several complaints against the department from the arts sector on the adjudication of the Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) Fund. 

“The chair of the panel, Steve Motale, is the spokesperson for the PA. This wasn’t declared or listed as a conflict of interest,” she said.

“This is a significant person. How do you say that you’re not pursuing political patronage after that?” said Mthethwa. 

The ANC said that the MGE adjudicator selection process had “serious flaws,” and ANC member Matsholo Mmolotsane said in parliament that the panel should be dissolved because the minister failed to follow due process.

Alongside Motale, the new MGE board also includes active PA members Vernon Vraagoom and Francisco Tejada. 

Potgieter said that McKenzie has reconstituted the panel with these members and, based on their advice, redirected funding away from vital projects.

Potgieter said it is unclear what criteria are being used to analyse applications or who received funding from the entity.

However, funding has been withdrawn from some of South Africa’s flagship cultural festivals, including the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, the National Arts Festival, the Suidoosterfees, the KKNK, the Woordfees, Innibos, Aardklop, and the Vrystaat Kunstefees.

A pattern, says Potgieter and Mthethwa

The DA called this an example of the department being used for patronage instead of progress, noting a broader pattern.

Potgieter criticised the Minister for dissolving the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS). 

This was after an investigation found that an amount of R1.4 million spent to appeal a finding by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was irregular.

The board was challenging a notice from WADA that claimed South African legislation was not in line with the World Anti-Doping Code.

This would have blocked South Africa from hosting any regional, continental, or world championships. 

National teams such as the Proteas and the Springboks would not be able to play under the national flag. The board succeeded in its appeal, and the WADA claim was withdrawn. 

Potgieter said that McKenzie failed to take any action against those in his department, claiming that this shows that the minister dissolves boards or dismisses members “where loyalty is lacking.”

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) has experienced the same reshuffling that “doesn’t make sense”, according to Mthethwa, with six CEOs in the past two and a half years.  

McKenzie dissolved the NVFV board in 2024, and handpicked a new 14-member board. The shortlist of candidates was not disclosed.

The Independent Producers Organisation said that this lack of public input from the industry resulted in a board that lacks the technical expertise necessary for the role. 

Two members of the new NFVF council, Chad Louw and Sydney James, are active PA members, although Sydney James resigned on 4 September. 

Additionally, the current chairperson of the National Arts Council, Eugene Botha, advertises on his LinkedIn profile that he is a “strategic advisor to the President of the PA,” according to a description read out by then-DA representative Liam Jacobs in Parliament.

Mthethwa cautioned that these entities could be being used to siphon money out of government. 

The DSAC has a history of weak reporting, missed targets, and stalled projects, according to the parliamentary committee.

Potgieter alleged that the minister is more focused on consolidating power and bolstering his own image and political network. 

Mthethwa agreed, saying that McKenzie’s approach to management shows a regression in South Africa’s politics.

“The GNU dissolved the majoritarian rule that protected corruption during state capture, and now what McKenzie is doing is a reversal of this progress,” Mthethwa said.

PA and McKenzie respond

PA spokesperson Steve Motale told Newsday that the party strongly denies these claims against McKenzie.

“The DA and the EFF are trying to sell the idea that only PA members have been appointed to these boards,” he said.

“An analysis of the make-up of most of these boards immediately shows that this is ridiculous.”

Motale added that McKenzie’s portfolio features a “broad array of board members” from across the social spectrum.

“The minister was at pains to ensure that the boards are filled with qualified people with a strong mix of youth and experience,” he said.

The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture did not respond to queries from Newsday.

McKenzie responded to Potgieter’s remarks on social media, and said that the government has been funding some of these festivals for decades, and that it is time to open funding to other language festivals too.

“We want the arts bigger, and not exclusive to certain languages only,” he said.

Additionally, McKenzie published a letter on 17 September, requesting the department to investigate funding that was disbursed to these festival organisers in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic caused the cancellation of these festivals, but the funding was not returned, according to the minister.

He specifically mentioned the Cape Town Jazz Festival, which was given R3 million in 2020 that was never returned.

“The Department has found itself in relationships with festivals and their organisers where the expectation of funding has become a form of entitlement, despite numerous other promoters looking to fund new and innovative festival concepts,” he added.