Nathi Mthethwa Says R300m Is Not Missing but Poorly Allocated
- Arts Minister Nathi Mthethwa spoke about the 'missing' R300 million meant for Covid-19 relief for artists
- Mthethwa stated that the money is not missing but some has rather been disbursed and is still being disbursed
- The Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officers from the National Arts Council have reportedly been suspended over the scandal
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The National Arts Council’s (NAC) Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer have been suspended following an investigation regarding the accountability of the R300 million meant for those involved in the creative field.
R300 million was allocated to the NAC while R150 million was allocated to the National Film and Video Foundation and R60 million to the Sports Trust. This brings the total allocated among all the departments to R665 million with the remaining R155 million being shared between sports compliance projects, heritage, presidential and economic projects.
Among the departments impacted by Covid-19, the arts and culture industry is among the sectors that have been impacted the most.
Source: Getty Images
According to eNCA Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa, the R300 million given to the NAC isn't missing but instead has been allocated poorly by the council. The new council then went to the NAC management for answers on the disbursement process.
The department was also looking at getting additional grant funding, but has so far been unsuccessful with the National Treasury - the mismanagement playing a part in their rejection, Mthethwa said.
A report by IOL stated that Mthethwa apologised to creatives and stated that people had 'overcommitted' the money allocated. Mthethwa added that part of the R300 million is there but part of it had been and still is being disbursed.
Previously, Briefly.co.za reported on Mzansi rappers' reaction to the missing money. Mthethwa publicly announced that he will be taking action against those who allegedly misused the funds that were meant to provide relief to artists during the pandemic.
Briefly.co.za complied a list of Mzansi rappers who reacted to the news that the Covid-19 funds were misused by others.
AKA was not impressed when he heard about what happened to the funds but most of all, he was actually shocked that there was such a thing as a National Arts Council.
L-Tido took the opportunity to talk about corruption in South Africa and showed that even though he was disappointed, he was not surprised at the turn of events.
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Source: Briefly News
