Latest news with #DSAC
News24
3 days ago
- Business
- News24
NFVF CEO Vincent Blennies resigns just one month into role, citing ‘personal reasons'
Vincent Blennies resigned as the CEO of the NFVF just one month after his appointment due to personal reasons. His appointment came amid instability following the resignation of former CEO Thobela Mayinje, who faced various allegations. Despite lacking experience in the film industry, Blennies was chosen for his extensive leadership background across healthcare, telecommunications, and financial services. Vincent Blennies resigned from his position as CEO of the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) just one month after his appointment. The foundation said in a statement that Blennies 'has resigned from his position on 27 May 2025, for personal reasons.' 'Rest assured that we, as your Council, are addressing the matter with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) and continue to work towards ensuring stability and growth within our organisation,' ended the statement by the NFVF. In addition to his role at the new NFVF, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie appointed him to Boxing South Africa's board in November 2024. Blennies' appointment came after former CEO Thobela Mayinje abruptly quit amid an investigation into numerous allegations. The NFVF, backed by the DSAC, funds and helps the local film business develop, produce, market, and distribute local content. While Blennies took on the role without a clear background or experience in the industry, the NFVF said he 'brings over 25 years of C-suite leadership experience in the healthcare, telecommunications, and financial services sectors' to the agency. They added, 'His appointment ushers in a renewed era of stability and strategic direction.' NFVF's new CEO, Mr Vincent Blennies, is a private sector professional and PhD candidate whose experience in telecomms, banking and fund management in the healthcare sector, will drive refreshed energy into the NFVF and lead it to deliver on its 5-year strategic plan. #LoveSAFilm — National Film & Video Foundation #NFVF (@nfvfsa) April 16, 2025 The embattled foundation has experienced several crises over the years. Mayinje, who had been acting as CEO for over a year and a half, was placed on 'administrative leave' in July 2024 for an 'investigation for numerous allegations.' Last year, McKenzie disbanded the NFVF Council, which was replaced with new board members.
The Citizen
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Over R40 million per year spent on salaries for 24 arts and culture CEOs
The highest arts and culture earners were the CEOs of the Playhouse Company and the National Film and Video Foundation. The department of sports, arts and culture (DSAC) has released details of the remuneration packages of its executives. The information was shared via a written response to a parliamentary question submitted this month. It lists the salaries and perks of almost 30 CEOs of department agencies and heritage organisations. All the salaries are in line with levels 13 to 16 of the department of public service and administration's senior management service model. R45 million annually for 24 CEOs The DA's Thamsanqa Mabhena put in many parliamentary questions requesting the salaries of state-run agencies across multiple departments. DSAC responded with the total remuneration package, allowances, performance bonuses and all benefits of the CEOs of 26 entities – 24 for arts and culture and two for sport – under its umbrella. 'The CEOs/Directors of DSAC public entities are not employed under the Public Service Act with the exception of Pan South African Language Board and Boxing South Africa,' the department clarified. The remuneration packages of the 24 arts and culture CEOs totalling at least R45 million per year, while two sport's bodies came in at just under R3.5 million per year. Of the 25, only five were awarded or disclosed the awarding of performance bonuses for either the 2023/24 or 2024/25 financial years. Arts and culture CEO pay The disclosed amounts included housing subsidies, medical aid, pension contributions and UIF contributions. The only two sporting bodies listed were Boxing South Africa and the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport, whose CEOs earn R1.74 million and R1.69 million per year, respectively. Here is the list of the annual CEO remuneration packages for arts and culture entities under the DSAC: Playhouse Company: R3.02 million National Heritage Council: R2.6 million National Film and Video Foundation: R2.6 million plus a R130 000 performance bonus National Library of South Africa: R2.5 million South African State Theatre in Pretoria: R2.42 million Freedom Park at Salvokop in Pretoria: R2.32 million Artscape theatre in Cape Town: R2.3 Million South African Heritage Resources Agency: R2.01 million War Museum of the Boer Republics in Bloemfontein: R1.9 million Performing Arts Centre of the Free State in Bloemfontein: R1.89 million Pan South African Language Board: R1.89 million Afrikaanse Taal Museum and monument in Paarl: R1.77 million plus two performance bonuses of just under R40 000 National Arts Council: R1.76 million plus two performance bonuses totalling R247 000 National Museum in Bloemfontein: R1.69 million Mandela Bay Theatre complex, formerly the Port Elizabeth Opera House: R1.65 million Market Theatre Foundation: R1.63 million plus two performance bonuses totalling R229 000 Ditsong Museums of South Africa, which includes eight historical sites, including the National museums of natural and military history: R1.56 million The Nelson Mandela Museum, Mandela house in Vilakazi Street: R1.56 million National Library for the Blind: R1.49 million plus one performance bonus of R149 000 William Humphreys Art gallery in Kimberley: R1.43 million Luthuli Museum outside Charlottedale: R1.38 million Amazwi South African Museum of Literature in Grahamstown: R1.42 million per year KZN Museum in Pietermaritxburg: R970 000 per year plus R536 000 in undisclosed perks uMsunduzi – Voortrekker Museum in Pietermaritzburg: R878 000 salary per year and R207 000 annual travel allowance NOW READ: SA ministers to earn R2.68m per year, excluding homes and VIP protection
Daily Maverick
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Minister McKenzie, your directives are morally repugnant and devoid of legal authority
Fifteen of South Africa's most prominent civil society organisations, including the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Defend Our Democracy, SECTION27 and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, have slammed Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie's xenophobic comments. This is their statement: We, the undersigned civil society organisations, write to express our deep concern and strong condemnation of the recent public statements and directives issued by Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Mr Gayton McKenzie. Speaking at a recent signing of stakeholder compacts with public entities falling within the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC), the minister said of foreign nationals employed by these entities, 'I want them out… Get them out before I get you out.' He demanded of those in attendance: 'If you are [hiring] foreigners… I expect the CEOs, the board chairpersons, and the whole board to take action within two weeks after receiving my letter tomorrow.' The instruction follows a directive he issued on 28 April 2025 mandating an immediate audit of all foreign nationals employed across DSAC entities. Letters have been issued to these entities, following the finalisation of that audit, which require further particulars of employees and the processes followed prior to their employment. Minister McKenzie's actions are morally repugnant and entirely devoid of legal authority. His demand of CEOs that they immediately dismiss foreign employees or face dismissal themselves constitutes an egregious violation of South Africa's constitutional law, its labour laws and its international treaty obligations. South Africa's Constitution enshrines the rights of everyone — including foreign nationals — to fair labour practices. The minister's remarks and instructions undermine these rights and amount to unlawful discrimination based on nationality, which is expressly prohibited under both domestic and international law. Moreover, the threat to summarily dismiss public entity CEOs for failure to carry out illegal instructions constitutes a gross abuse of ministerial power. The Public Finance Management Act and basic tenets of administrative justice do not grant ministers the authority to compel unconstitutional conduct or to bypass lawful grievance and employment processes. Yet not only does the minister appear entirely ignorant of the basic tenets of the constitutional dispensation under which he serves, he appears to be financially irresponsible as to the resources and funds which the DSAC is required to steward. Should institutions act on the minister's directives, they will almost certainly face multiple legal challenges. These actions would inevitably result in costly litigation and damages to be funded by the public purse. Minister McKenzie, in his capacity as a steward of public resources and constitutional values, has a duty to act lawfully, rationally, and in good faith. His directive shows him to be entirely unappreciative of this duty. His remarks are clearly intended to inflame a dangerous and growing xenophobic sentiment in South Africa. It seems unthinkable that the South African executive would accommodate within its ranks such odious hate-mongering, even as our President visits the United States and rightly calls out the deliberate disinformation being promulgated about South Africa and the incentivising of hate and division, and again rightly insists on the value, dignity and equality of Palestinian lives. Those postures can in no way be reconciled with inclusion within the executive of a minister who actively cultivates cruelty and harm to foreign nationals within our borders, many of whom are lawfully employed and contribute to our communities and country. Finally, Minister McKenzie's directive reflects a profound misunderstanding of the very portfolio he has been entrusted to lead. Arts and culture thrive not in isolation, but through dialogue, exchange and the free movement of people and ideas. The global nature of artistic and cultural expression is not a threat to national identity — it is a cornerstone of its evolution and relevance in the 21st century. South Africa's own cultural richness has long been deepened through engagement with international practitioners, historians, educators, performers and scholars. Whether through musical collaborations, museum exchanges, academic residencies, or heritage preservation, the inclusion of foreign nationals has strengthened South African institutions, enriched public understanding and elevated the global visibility of our own cultural output. To treat the presence of foreign nationals in the arts and culture space as a problem to be purged is to desecrate that space. It is not only legally untenable — it is intellectually impoverished, culturally regressive and diplomatically self-sabotaging. In light of the minister's failure to appreciate the obligations of our country's Constitution, its laws, the limits of his authority, the financial stewardship he is required to observe, the demands of the portfolio he has been entrusted, we call for : An immediate public retraction of the unconstitutional directive and associated threats; A formal apology to the individuals and institutions targeted by the minister's comments; Clear guidance from the Presidency and Cabinet affirming that all employment in the public sector must comply with South Africa's labour laws and constitutional principles, regardless of nationality; and A commitment from the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture to uphold fair employment practices, grounded in our Constitution and our laws. DM
Daily Maverick
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Gayton McKenzie's vulgar ‘foreigners' outburst needs to be called out by the GNU he serves
Gayton McKenzie's recent xenophobic rant singling out the employment of two Zimbabweans by the Market Theatre is Trumpian in its populist vulgarity. As the country's Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie has sworn an oath to the Constitution of South Africa. Last week, he took the opportunity, while addressing the chairpersons and CEOs of all Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) entities – including museums, theatres and heritage and funding agencies – to unleash a shocking tirade aimed at 'foreigners' in South Africa, regardless of their legal status, it appears. 'Some of you here [have] the audacity to hire foreigners i nstead of South Africans,' he boomed at those gathered. 'I don't care how you used to do it. But for as long as I am the minister, there will be no foreigner [our italics] that will work in an entity while a South African can do the same thing.' He ordered that all 'foreigners' employed by departments needed to be 'out in three weeks'. 'I said it, I want them out, get them out,' he ranted. That none of the other parties in the multiparty Government of National Unity have yet called out McKenzie for his threatening tone and xenophobic rhetoric is a test of the values that bind the GNU. Leveraging unemployment Under the guise of addressing South Africa's shocking unemployment rate, McKenzie singled out the example of two Zimbabweans employed by the Market Theatre, one a personal assistant and the other a handyman. He also singled out a 'foreign' driver. These were not people, said McKenzie, with scarce skills. However, Daily Maverick has ascertained that the handyman and personal assistant were appointed before 2020. The assistant is married to a South African and has the right to live and work in the country, while the handyman, when employed, had the required legal documents. In other words, they have rights in the country. McKenzie raved on: 'Nothing occupies me more than the foreigners working in your departments. I want them out. Get them out before I get you out.' Now Daily Maverick has seen a letter dated 9 May from McKenzie to the chair and CEO of the Market Theatre following up on 'an audit' of 'non-South Africans employed by the various entities incorporated under DSAC'. In the letter, requesting that the paperwork be sent, McKenzie demanded to know how much each employee was paid and 'what process was followed to determine that no South African was willing to do eithere (sic) job?' 'Suicide and riots' It was at a meeting for the annual ceremony for the Signing of Shareholder Compact where each institution has its annual performance strategy ticked off, that McKenzie chose to let loose his rant. This is significant. He blamed the suicide rate in South Africa on high unemployment rates, which he said had the potential of causing 'massive riots' in this country. He said his aim during his term was to promote the employment of South Africans. Not a peep about arts and culture in South Africa, and no distinction between naturalised South Africans, those with permanent residence and those who have secured legal documents. 'All foreigners must go.' Current director of the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KZN, Dr Ismail Mohammed, also a former CEO of the Market Theatre Foundation, who exposed corruption at the institution in 2017, has since hit back at the minister. 'General xenophobia' Mohammed spoke out immediately after McKenzie's attack at the signing ceremony and told Daily Maverick that 'the tone and outrageous commentary is synonymous with his general xenophobia'. Each institution has its annual performance strategy signed off by the DSAC at the event, and McKenzie's presence at the ceremony was because, as minister, it is he who can hire and fire board members. McKenzie was issuing executive orders, like Donald Trump. McKenzie, said Mohammed, had already handpicked chairpersons of boards who would naturally act as his extensions. The minister has no jurisdiction, however, in the hiring and firing of CEOs, as these are appointed by the institutions themselves. Mohammed said that although the legislation referred to them (chairs) as accounting officers to the DSAC, it was the council that was legally responsible for their performance and contracts. McKenzie can recommend dismissal, but the boards will have their hands tied as CEOs would be inclined to take the matter to the CCMA or the labour court. Of course, the correct method of doing this, said Mohammed, would be to give institutions that the minister felt had fallen 'foul' of the law 30 days to 'regularise the situation'. This would give everyone time to secure the correct papers for the employees, and for each institution to 'draw a progress policy document for the employment of foreigners that is in accordance with the South African constitution', said Mohammed. Calls for censure As McKenzie's tirade began to go viral last week, more and more disgusted artists called for some sort of censure or rebuke from the government. As a member of the Cabinet, McKenzie represents the government, and so does his vulgarity. McKenzie is known for his xenophobic outbursts and populist sloganeering while out campaigning for the Patriotic Alliance. But as a minister, however, it is not a good look. Playwright and cultural activist Mike van Graan angrily responded that if McKenzie remained in the Cabinet, 'then Nelson Mandela's speech, 'Never, never and never again will it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another' means absolutely nothing. 'We cannot decry Trump and Europe for the racist manner in which they treat Africans and other migrants of colour and not resist Gayton McKenzie with all that we have and demand his immediate removal from government,' said Van Graan. DM
Metro
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
The worrying reason The Thick of It could never be made today
It's been 20 years since The Thick Of It launched on the BBC, making a total mockery of governments, past and present – but no one could have known quite how accurately it would predict the future. It's something that even shocked creator, Armando Iannucci, who revealed to Metro that three policies mentioned in the very first episode – when ministers were scrambling to come up with ideas in the back of a cab on the way to their big announcement – later became laws. '[The three laws were that] everyone has to have a plastic bag of their own, pet ASBOs and Chris Addison came up with a national spare room database, which became the bedroom tax,' he explained. At the time, the show was lauded for its sharp and hysterical portrayal of British politics. The raging foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) was a dead ringer to Tony Blair's former director of comms, Alastair Campbell. While many fans have long speculated that the parallels between the dimwits on screen and actual ministers was in equal measures uncanny and alarming. The first two series followed the fictitious Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship (DSAC), led by the colossally incompetent minister Hugh Abbot (Chris Langham) and his equally useless team of advisers. Early on, a TV critic described him as the 'political equivalent to the house wine at a suburban Indian restaurant', which proves to be quite kind. He's eventually sacked and replaced by Nicola Murray, who is inexperienced at every level of the job, but still manages to climb the ranks through sheer ineptitude of her party to become Leader of the Opposition. Two decades on, I still watch the DSAC trip-up repeatedly at the starting block – even making hurdles for themselves that don't exist – and wonder: Would they have done a better job than the 13 years of Tory rule we just survived? Abbot and his team essentially pluck policy out of thin air – like when Ollie suggests having a policy in your back pocket for the last cabinet before reshuffle. His suggestion: 'Tripling the number of quiet carriages on intercity trains', admitting that he 'just thought of that'. And we also see them backtrack when their policies are clearly a colossal mistake – the first episode is a shambles as we see them announce, un-announce and then re-announce the same policy. We've certainly seen plenty of U-turns in real life, but unlike The Thick Of It ministers, our government have broken promises on popular policies. HS2, limiting earnings on MPs' second salaries, conversion therapy – need I say more? Sadly, I'm beginning to fear they would have been better than this Labour government, too. At the very least, I don't think they'd pander to the opposition in the same way I believe Starmer and his ministers are. By far, The Thick of It is the single best political comedy of all time – every single performance is still the career highlight for actors who have gone on to win Baftas, Emmys, and travelled through time in the Tardis. But it could never return. Peter Capaldi perfectly summed up why on LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr in 2024, telling the host: 'The reason I'm not terribly keen on [a revival] is because I think it's beyond a joke. And joking about it just in some way, takes the spotlight away from the problems. And I think that [the] problems are profound.' He's spot on. The fictionalised department of Social Affairs and Citizenship actually sounds like a very legitimate department in 2025. Even the Thick of It would have felt like it had pushed satire too far if it had introduced a minister for common sense. I remember watching Esther McVey – a Tory MP – on Question Time trying to explain her new role, which was reportedly set up to combat wokeness. In 2024 McVey said her aim was to tackle 'left-wing politically correct woke warriors' in the public sector, and she introduced a ban on public servants wearing rainbow lanyards. When Fiona Bruce asked if her position was created because the cabinet she belonged in didn't have 'enough' common sense, the entire Question Time audience burst into laughter. It could so eerily have been lifted from a scene in The Thick of It. And that's just the start. The Tories' reaction to the pandemic was The Thick of It on steroids. Matt Hancock – who implemented social distancing – couldn't have been closer to his aide Gina Coladangelo, caught on CCTV snogging her in his office while his wife and kids were locked down at home. Dominic Cummings broke lockdown rules to drive to Barnard Castle (after previously breaking them to drive to dad's house), but said the unnecessary trip was actually designed to 'test his eyesight' after having had Covid-19. But all that paled in comparison when it then emerged while most of the country stayed at home and didn't see loved ones on their deathbed, our government was having parties. Even our own Prime Minister attended his small birthday party while ordering his country to 'stay indoors'. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Malcolm Tucker would have imploded. It's been years of wince-inducing cock-ups from governments that make The Thick Of It feel all-too close to home. Labour isn't much better – its rudderless direction, lack of vision might be on par with what we see in the show, but its pathetic pandering to the right is truly unique to this government and becoming more disappointing than another four years of Tory rule. More Trending At times – as a lifelong Labour supporter – I sometimes wonder if I miss the Tory Government that was at least entertaining in its absurdity. I can't imagine Iannucci could ever have predicted that the bumbling fools running the country in his comedy would feel more reliable and trustworthy than the people actually in charge. Of course, it's still a great watch and always will be. View More » But it's a hard pill to swallow knowing that the truth has become so much stranger than fiction. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Swipe right? Under 40s are more open to dating Reform voters than Tories MORE: Gary Lineker confirms he's quit the BBC after 'error and upset' over antisemitic post MORE: BBC 'warned about disgraced presenter Huw Edwards as far back as 2012'
