DAY 3 OF NAC STAFF STRIKE
The NAC Staff Strike Affects YOU
A Call to Beneficiaries and Stakeholders of the National Arts Council
By Thami akaMbongo Manzana
The ongoing staff strike at the National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC) is not an isolated internal matter. It is not just about employees and management.
It affects you. Directly. Immediately. Personally.
If you are part of South Africa’s Cultural and Creative Industries, this moment demands your attention.
Image Source: Mandisi "Dr Disi" Sindo
If You Are a Beneficiary — You Are Already Affected
Let us be clear and direct.
If you are a PESP 6 beneficiary who has received your first tranche and submitted — or are preparing to submit — your progress report:
You are affected by the strike.If you have lodged an appeal for PESP 6 and are still waiting for an outcome:
You are affected by the strike.If you applied for the Annual Arts Organisation Support Funding (AOSF), with outcomes expected around 31 March 2026:
You are affected by the strike.If you were funded in the 2025 Annual Funding Call and are in reporting or compliance stages:
You are affected by the strike.If you recently submitted your application for the 2026 Annual Funding Call:
You are affected by the strike.
This is not speculation. It is reality.
Without staff, there is no processing.
Without processing, there are no payments.
Without payments, there is no sector.
Image Source: Mandisi "Dr Disi" Sindo
The Illusion of “Operational Continuity”
Despite assurances from leadership, the idea that the NAC is operating normally is misleading.
The institution depends on skilled personnel in:
Arts Development
Finance and Payments
Monitoring and Evaluation
Human Resources
These are not interchangeable roles. They require authority, institutional memory, and technical competence.
A “skeleton staff” without decision-making power cannot:
Approve reports
Process disbursements
Finalise funding decisions
The longer this strike continues, the deeper the disruption.
Image Source: Mandisi "Dr Disi" Sindo
What Stakeholders Need to Understand
If we truly care about the sustainability of the NAC, we must confront uncomfortable truths.
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1. Leadership Cannot Pretend Ignorance
The Acting CEO, Mr Vincent Mashale, has been within the NAC system for years as Council Secretary. He understands the institutional history, the governance challenges, and the operational realities.
This is not a crisis that appeared overnight.
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2. Continuity in Council Means Continuity of Responsibility
The current Council is not entirely new. Some members served in the previous Council, including the current Deputy Chairperson.
This means accountability cannot be avoided.
Decisions taken in the past are part of the present crisis.
Image Source: Mandisi "Dr Disi" Sindo
3. Governance Must Be Above Politics
Council members are appointed through both national and provincial processes, including appointments linked to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and provincial governments.
Where political alignment influences decision-making, institutional integrity is compromised.
The NAC cannot become a site of political convenience.
It must remain a public institution serving artists — not interests.
Image Source: Mandisi "Dr Disi" Sindo
4. The Issue of Staff Welfare Is Not Optional
At the centre of this strike is a fundamental issue: the well-being and fair treatment of workers.
The Council has the authority to:
Engage meaningfully
Find solutions
Explore lawful mechanisms to address staff concerns
Instead, the posture suggests that staff demands are unreasonable.
They are not.
A functioning institution requires motivated, respected, and fairly treated employees.
Image Source: Mandisi "Dr Disi" Sindo
5. A Culture of Undermining Staff Must End
There is a growing perception that management has consistently undermined its own staff, failing to engage constructively until external intervention — including from formations like TORO NATION — forced dialogue.
This is not sustainable leadership.
It is reactive governance.
Image Source: Mandisi "Dr Disi" Sindo
The Hard Truth: You Will Feel This
When things go wrong at the NAC:
You do not call the Council
You do not call the Minister
You do not call management
You call the staff.
And when frustrations rise:
It is the staff who absorb the anger of the sector.
Even after this strike ends, that pattern will continue — unless we change how we respond as a sector.
Image Source: Mandisi "Dr Disi" Sindo
A Call to Action
The longer this strike continues, the more damage is done.
One day is already too long.
If you are a beneficiary, stakeholder, artist, organisation, or practitioner:
Ask yourself:
What are you doing right now to ensure that the NAC serves the Cultural and Creative Industries with integrity, fairness, and accountability?
Silence is not neutral.
Silence enables dysfunction.
If we all care about the NAC — not just as a funder, but as a public institution — then we must all take responsibility.
The future of the sector depends on it.
Image Source: Mandisi "Dr Disi" Sindo
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