www.businesslive.co.za/
In November 2020, the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme was announced with the promise to inject R500bn in grants across the country to promote innovation and reignite job opportunities.
Though the creative cultural industries contribute R75.3bn to SA’s annual GDP and employ 1.3-million people — 7% of total employment — they were allocated only R1.2bn.
Culture is at the heart of SA society and has been a fountain of inspiration in these difficult times, yet the sector is among the worst affected by the lockdowns. The presidential stimulus grants were therefore crucial, yet due to non-spending, the Treasury took back half the money. The balance was disbursed via the department of sports, arts & culture to its funding agency’s National Film and Video Foundation and the National Arts Council (NAC).