Gospel Singer Writes Letter to Minister Gayton McKenzie Demanding Answers After Years of Rejection

• Gospel star and events planner Betusile Mcinga penned an open letter complaining to Minister Gayton McKenzie
• In his letter, shared on his Facebook page on 29 November 2025, Betusile Mcinga proposed solutions to McKenzie after his application for funding was rejected for the sixth year in a row
• Mcinga's open letter sparked mixed reactions, with some offering advice and others pointing to alleged funding bias involving some of the music industry's heavyweights

A disappointed gospel musician has written a letter demanding answers from Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie.

McKenzie has been the subject of constant scrutiny ever since he was appointed the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July 2024. The Patriotic Alliance (PA) politician is now under the spotlight after gospel musician Betusile Mcinga wrote him a letter out of frustration.

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Gospel star confronts Gayton McKenzie over rejected funding

In his open letter, Mcinga, who is also the organiser of the O.R. Tambo Gospel Music Festival, said the National Arts Council (NAC) had turned down his funding requests for the past six years.

Disappointed and frustrated, Betusile Mcinga wrote an open letter to Gayton McKenzie seeking clarity on why his funding requests have been rejected for over half a decade, despite his and his team's efforts to meet the NAC’s requirements.

In the open letter shared on his Facebook page on Saturday, 29 November 2025, Betusile Mcinga expressed frustration that the same organisations and events are awarded funding annually, while they are rejected without a clear explanation.

“We are now asking ourselves unanswered questions because we notice that every year, almost the same companies and same events are receiving funding, but we are always excluded. It’s as if we targeted exclusion for benefiting from your department and NAC. Maybe it’s because we are based in a small town? We don’t know, but the trend is really not fair and frustrating for us,” part of the letter reads.

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In his letter, Mcinga proposed a solution to the issue by suggesting that funding be rotated so that everyone gets a piece of the pie, rather than just a select few. The Ngena Noah hitmaker also suggested that the NAC should detail why a funding application was rejected and what applicants should do differently to increase their chances next time.

“Why not rotate to make sure others benefit also? If we have to do something else, except the stipulated rules in the document, in order for us to qualify, please make us aware so we can try to meet that requirement, because the criteria used to disqualify us is really not clear,” he added.

Read the full letter below:

SA reacts to gospel star's open letter to Gayton McKenzie

In the comments, several social media users sympathised with Mcinga and provided solutions, while others highlighted that Arthur Mafokate has continued to benefit despite his alleged lottery scandal.

Here are some of the comments:

Khulasi Leyonce Deyi proposed:

“Have you tried applying for funding with Cathsseta? If not, let me know, I can try to arrange a Teams meeting with my manager to discuss a way of getting funding from the seta.”

Larry Matlala alleged:

“Ask yourself why Arthur Mafokate got funded again, even after the scandals of him benefiting from the lottery. NAC funded him for his awards event, and then he received another from DSAC. Now you'll see Funding is managed, and you'll never get it until you're connected to those inside.”

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Yoliswa Faltein shared:

“I am waiting for an answer. We would like to hear what he has to say while they are giving funds to the same company for consecutive years.”

Bonang Matheba side-eyes Gayton McKenzie over his fiery Shein rant

Meanwhile, Briefly News reported that Bonang Matheba reacted to Gayton McKenzie's fiery response after he was criticised for endorsing a foreign company.

Bonang Matheba's reaction focused on two words from Gayton McKenzie's lengthy response. Her reaction sparked a flurry of social media responses, with some questioning Gayton McKenzie’s wording and others defending the minister.

Source: Briefly News