The organisers of the local Dikoma Cultural Festival have expressed disappointment after the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) declined to fund this year’s event.

This comes despite Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu declaring during his State of the Province Address (Sopa) earlier this year that dikoma (initiation) falls on the provincial calendar and requires support.

Festival committee member Emmanuel Mokoena said organisers were shocked to learn that the cultural event would not receive financial backing from the MTPA. He added that the MTPA offered marketing support, but said the event urgently needs direct funding.

Organisers plead for urgent backing

Mokoena said other events highlighted by the premier received funding. “We feel, as the Mapulana tribe in Bushbuckridge, our most celebrated culture is being undermined. When everything else gets support, ours does not.”

Mokoena added that the festival provides exposure to dikoma, offers a platform for local Mrupelo artists and boosts the local economy. “We are pleading with the MTPA, provincial government and businesses to assist us with funding to host another successful festival.

Without proper support, the event will be doomed,” he said. “We appreciate the support received from the MTPA over the past two years, and we need them on board again.”

MTPA cites financial constraints

Mpumalanga government spokesperson George Mthethwa said that when the premier makes commitments during Sopa, government departments and entities carry out implementation. “As the Office of the Premier, we cannot get involved in whether they receive funding or not; they need to speak with the MTPA,” he said.

MTPA spokesperson Simphiwe Shungube said the agency acknowledges the important role the festival plays in promoting cultural diversity, heritage, social cohesion and tourism.

“The entity recognises the festival’s creativity and its potential to contribute to tourism growth. Over the past two years, the MTPA demonstrated its commitment through financial contributions of R500 000 in 2024 and R300 000 in 2025,” he said.

Shungube added that these allocations reflect continued support, making suggestions of unfair treatment or discrimination incorrect.

He explained that the MTPA is operating under significant financial constraints, which necessitated scaling down event funding.

“As a result, the entity is unable to allocate funding to the festival during the current financial year. We encourage the organisers to source funding from the private sector and other agencies. In the current financial year, we supported only one cultural event, Innibos,” he said.

He confirmed that the MTPA remains committed to supporting the festival through non-financial marketing and promotional assistance across its digital platforms.

Preference is given to events that attract tourists, generate visitor numbers, stimulate economic activity and promote Mpumalanga, with limited marketing budgets prioritised for strategic marketing and infrastructure.