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 strik...

MME Connie Chiume does not deserve a building in her honor.  By Vuyani Vusi Pambo Image Source: EFF Facebook There is a moment in Bloke Modisane's devastating memoir, Blame Me on History , where he walks through the ruins of Sophiatown after the bulldozers have come. He stands in the dust and feels, as he puts it, "the closing of the cycle of my life in its destruction." I thought of Modisane this week when the Gauteng ANC Youth League announced its plan to build a theatre in honor of the late, great Mme Connie Chiume. Not because the proposal honors memory—but because it threatens to repeat a dangerous pattern. It seeks to build something new without first asking what we have already allowed to crumble under this government. Image Source:  Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty Images Like most black South Africans, I grew up watching Mme Connie in shows such as Mohlolohadi and not so long ago, Gomora. It goes without saying that Mme Connie amplified South African storytelling to...

  OPEN LETTER TO MR VINCENT MASHALE, NAC ACTING CEO To: Acting Chief Executive Officer National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC) Cc: NAC Council Members Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) Dear Acting Chief Executive Officer, I write to formally raise serious concerns regarding the current staff strike at the National Arts Council (NAC), which has now entered its second day. It has come to our attention that there is a growing disconnect between the realities on the ground and the information being communicated to Council and other stakeholders. The assertion that operations are continuing uninterrupted under a “skeleton staff” is, in our view, misleading and does not accurately reflect the current operational challenges facing the organisation. Key functional areas of the NAC have been significantly affected, including: - Arts Development and project processing - Human Resources - Payments and financial disbur...

The National Arts Council Must Stop Threatening Its Workers By Thami akaMbongo Manzana The recent media statement issued by the National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC) regarding the anticipated strike action on Wednesday, 18 March 2026 by the union National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) raises serious concerns about the tone, posture, and institutional attitude of the Council and management towards its own workers. While the statement attempts to reassure the arts sector that operations will continue uninterrupted, the language used reveals a troubling approach: one that leans more toward legal intimidation than constructive engagement.                           Image  Source: NAC A Tone of Threat Rather Than Dialogue One of the most problematic aspects of the statement is the Council’s assertion that the proposed strike may constitute an “unprotected and unlawful strike” under the Labour R...