Gayton McKenzie has come out guns blazing on social media after a week as sport, arts and culture minister, saying he will pull the plug on superfan funding and publish a list of creative recipients of department funding.
“I have given an instruction that a list be published of all artists, creatives and sportspeople who have been receiving money from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture [DSAC] be published inclusive of amounts and reasons,” McKenzie said in a post on X on Monday.
“The time where only a select connected few benefit is over,” he continued.
McKenzie said in a subsequent post on X that the list would be made public on Tuesday.
If you did nothing wrong or didn’t benefit untowardly you have no reason to fear, I have given a clear instruction that the public be made aware of the people that got funding, today! I was shocked when I realised how many complaining artist are receiving money from DSAC.
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) July 9, 2024
However, SowetanLIVE reported that, according to McKenzie’s spokesperson, Cassiday Jacobs, the list would only be published after the Cabinet meeting this weekend, as it still needed further discussion. Daily Maverick contacted Jacobs with queries about the details of McKenzie’s public statements — which he declined to answer until after the Cabinet lekgotla.
Last week, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni cautioned ministers against making certain announcements before the lekgotla, after several DA ministers made public statements about actions they intend to pursue within their departments.
McKenzie, the Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader, had been eyeing the Police and Home Affairs ministries, but was instead named sport, arts and culture minister last Sunday night. Eyebrows were raised at the former criminal’s appointment as minister of a department that has gone through the wringer in the years following the Covid-19 pandemic, but McKenzie says we can expect “massive changes within a short space of time”.
“In 100 days, if I have not delivered anything tangible, then I am not waiting for the President to reshuffle me, I will resign voluntarily because I’m going to bring about massive change,” he told Daily Maverick on the sidelines of the swearing-in of MPs Cabinet members last Wednesday. McKenzie added that more attention had been paid to sports than culture in the department and “that’s about to change”.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Very big, very bloated, but will the government of national unity Cabinet be better?
Some within the arts sector have welcomed McKenzie’s appointment. In an open letter to the minister on Tuesday, the Theatre and Dance Alliance and Sustaining Theatre and Dance Foundation said they hoped McKenzie’s appointment “signifies a turning point.
“It’s crucial that your leadership addresses systemic issues within the DSAC and restores faith among artists and cultural workers. We urge you to publicly affirm your commitment to the arts alongside sports, recognising their role in our cultural identity and societal wellbeing.”
The artists urged collaboration with other ministries, including Trade, Industry and Competition; Employment and Labour; and Basic Education, “to bring systemic change and regulation to protect the creatives in the sector”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1wJ_YDIVRE
No more fanfare
On Tuesday, McKenzie wrote on X that he would halt trips for superfans at the department’s expense.
“I have stopped all trips for superfans; we have athletes and [artists] who are struggling to raise money to attend sporting events and exhibitions. How do we justify paying for fans? We shall no longer be paying for these trips and will use that money where it’s needed the most,” he wrote.
I have stopped all trips for super fans, we have athletes & artist who are struggling to raise money to attend sporting events and exhibitions, how do we justify paying for fans? We shall no longer be paying for these trips and will use that money where it’s needed the most.
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) July 9, 2024
South African superfans like Mama Joy Chauke’s travels to big sporting events have come under fire in recent years. In 2023, taxpayers forked out R1.3-million when the department sponsored travel and accommodation for Chauke and Botha Msila’s trip to the Rugby World Cup in France, TimesLive reported.
The department, at the time, defended Chauke and Msila’s attendance at the 2023 World Cup. It said the duo were “recognised in the world of sport as the epitome of promoting a winning, active and inspiring nation.
“The Department has supported many South Africans to participate in arts, music and cultural events hosted in various international platforms. This kind of support did not start now with [Chauke] and [Msila].”
Chauke declined to comment on McKenzie’s statements when contacted by Daily Maverick on Tuesday.
Salary donations
McKenzie took to X to announce that he would donate his ministerial salary to the Joshlin Smith Foundation — an organisation which he said he was registering with his lawyers. McKenzie will earn R1.27-million annually as a minister, News24 reported.
McKenzie was, throughout his political campaign, vocal about Smith’s disappearance — even offering a R1-million reward for her safe return.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Joshlin Smith missing for 11 weeks – what we know so far
However, residents have accused the PA leader of using the missing six-year-old as a political tool to strengthen the party’s position in the Diazville informal settlement in Saldanha Bay. The PA subsequently emerged as the dominant party in the community.
In the same post on X, McKenzie said he would donate his first pay cheque to the owners of the Backyard Art Gallery in Krugersdorp.
I dedicated my salary as a Minister to the registered Joshlin Smit Foundation for missing children, the lawyers are in final stages of registering the foundation although i already received first salary which has not been paid over until finalisation of the foundation. pic.twitter.com/EAJq8zYvl0
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) July 7, 2024
‘Listen to the people’
“Many within the arts sector — like an abused spouse that hopes that this time, with the appointment of a new minister, things will be better — are hopeful that [McKenzie] will bring an energy; a maverick spirit which resonates with creatives, an approachableness and some vision that previous ministers lacked,” said playwright and cultural activist Mike van Graan.
“Compared to the last two ministers — Zizi Kodwa is facing jail, while McKenzie has already served time, and as for Nathi Mthethwa, McKenzie has written books whereas it’s doubtful that Mthethwa actually read books, particularly South African literature. So, in those respects, perhaps he’s better than the last two we’ve had,” he added.
Van Graan said that a key priority for McKenzie would need to be meaningful engagement with those in the sector.
“Previous ministers have established and emboldened sweetheart organisations by funding them, but he would need to engage with organisations created by the creative sector themselves,” he said.
This was echoed by the Afro Arts SA director, Roshnie Moonsammy, who added that the minister needed to “listen and talk to the people. The other ministers only listened to people who were in the camp already.”
Arts practitioner and owner of The BUZ Hive, Bridget van Oerle, said that she welcomed McKenzie’s plans to make a list of department beneficiaries public.
“He’s made a lot of statements in the past few days which have excited a lot of people in the industry and also are maybe making other people uncomfortable … There are a lot of people who do get funding again and again and again,” she said.
On Tuesday night, the DSAC released a statement noting the “public reaction” that followed McKenzie’s instructions to publish a list of names of creatives and athletes who had received money from the department.
The DSAC gave no further details about when the list would be released, but said it had received queries about the alleged lack of financial support provided to South African artist Makhadzi, who recently won a BET Award for Best New International Act.
“DSAC strongly rejects the assertion that it has not supported Makhadzi. Over the past 14 months, Makhadzi has been booked by DSAC to perform in several national engagements, receiving as much as [R230,000],” it said.
At the time of writing, Daily Maverick was unable to contact Makhadzi to confirm the payments. DM