Artists want independent audit of Covid-19 funds

Group doesn't needs arts department deal with probe

The group of artists and creatives staging a sit-in at the National Arts Council (NAC) offices in Newtown, Johannesburg, has rejected a recommendation to have the department of sports, arts & culture heading the forensic audit at the institution.

Speaking to the parliament portfolio committee for sports, arts & culture on Wednesday, the group that has been protesting at the NAC for 36 days recommended that the forensic audit be handled by an independent auditor.

“We want the audit to be done by an independent auditor because we are dealing with the minister [Nathi Mthethwa] who has been failing artists.

“We want the portfolio committee to appoint an independent mediator who will mediate between us, the NAC and the department.

“We want people who are not captured so that they can engage properly. We want the court eviction process be stalled until the portfolio committee appoints an independent mediator,” said actor and director Thami ka Mbongo, who is participating in the sit-in.

The group said it also wanted the five council members who benefited from the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP) to recuse themselves until the audit has been completed.

“If they are there, they are going to interfere or influence the investigation because there is a conflict of interest. We want these council members to declare their interest in public.”

Portfolio committee chair Beauty Dlulane said: “We have collected all information and have been listening to all your presentations. We are going to sit down as a committee and interrogate it and write our own report.

“The report will be shared with all of you and have recommendations that will have time frames. We are going to follow this up.”

Committee member Boy Mamabolo concurred with artists that the department was not coping with handling sports, arts and culture issues and needed to separate sports from arts and culture.

NAC board spokesperson

Tshepo Mashiane said: “Minister Nathi Mthethwa did seek legal opinion regarding the issue of council members who have been approved to receive funds. The legal team has looked at the matter and [found that] there was no conflict of interest.

“As the council, we took a decision that those council members approved for funding will be paid once all other applicants have been paid. With that understanding, it does not mean that they have been exonerated, it is an issue of morality.”

He said there was no need for those council members “to recuse themselves because they are not involved in the investigation”, which he said was independent.

“The council isn’t done with the terms of reference,” Mashiane said.