KZN Arts and Culture being driven into the ground

DESPITE numerous calls by the DA to Premier Sihle Zikalala to immediately dismiss KwaZulu-Natal’s Arts and Culture (DoAC) MEC Hlengiwe Mavimbela, this department continues to be driven into the ground. The calls come after numerous ongoing failures on the MEC’s part

One of these issues is the purchase of two 65-seater buses – to be used as mobile libraries – at a cost of R4 million each. In October 2021, the DA exposed that the buses had been left parked and unused for seven months at KZN’s Museum Services in Pietermaritzburg. Seven months later, there has still been no action taken.

The department’s excuse is the buses cannot be converted into mobile libraries as their mechanical structure does not physically allow for such a change. The DA has since established the only way the department can get around the problem is by spending millions of rand on upgrading the suspensions.

That the buses have remained idle for 14 months is a clear sign the MEC and her department are clueless as to how to rectify the problem. To add insult to injury, the DoAC initially had four mobile libraries; however, a hasty decision was taken to sell two at an auction. This despite one of the vehicles not meeting government criteria of more than 100 000km before auction, with 9000km on the odometer.

The concept behind mobile libraries is to teach communities about library services and encourage them to become members. It is clear the DoAC is not fully dedicated to ensuring the success of this programme and that it is failing KZN’s people, particularly those living in areas without libraries. This is also evidenced by the fact that KZN’s mobile libraries at one stage housed computers, which the DoAC failed to replace when they became outdated. The R8m spent on these two buses could have gone a long way in ensuring existing technology was upgraded and usable computers installed.

The DA will continue to pressure the premier to apply the necessary consequence management.