Covid-19: Sport, Arts and Culture Minister discusses relief funding for athletes and artists
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture is working with a number of organisations to assist those who were not eligible for relief funding.
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa engaged with a number of organisations on 6 May to discuss relief funding for athletes and artists.
According to a statement released by the department, it invited national organisations and the federation of the sector, the Cultural and Creative Industry Federation (CCIFSA) of South Africa, to join the meeting. The national organisations invited included the South African Music Industry Council, the South African Screen Federation, the South African Arts and Culture Youth Forum, the South African Roadies Association, Sisters Working In Film and Television, the Independent Black Film Makers Collective and the Children’s Foundation.
The major objective of the meeting was to deal with the vast majority of applicants who did not succeed in accessing relief funding due to non-compliance with the criteria set to qualify for funding.
“Prior to the meeting, some stakeholders in the industry were suggesting that we make a second call for applications. However, the meeting unanimously agreed that we should instead ensure that all those who had applied initially but were not recommended, are assisted to comply in order to be eligible for relief funding.”
It was further agreed that the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, together with CCIFSA, should engage with these national organisations in order to ensure that their constituent members are assisted with filling their forms and ensuring that their applications are in order.
The industry has made a number of proposals, which are aimed at relaxing the criteria going forward and the fast-tracking of the process of adjudication, among others. The industry has also offered to assist the department in order to achieve this objective. All these suggestions from the industry were wholly welcomed by the department.
Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
