15 October 2026
The ANC Parliamentary Caucus Study Group on Sport, Arts and Culture is not surprised by the resignation of five members of the National Arts Council (NAC), including Council Chairperson Eugene Botha. The crisis was foreseeable, as Parliament has repeatedly raised concerns about governance instability, the labour dispute, leadership weaknesses, inadequate communication, and the failure of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to intervene proactively.
We are shocked to see Minister McKenzie and the Department feign surprise at the mass resignation. In March 2026, the Portfolio Committee was informed of the ongoing strike at the NAC and raised concerns about governance failures and the reputational damage being suffered by the institution.
The Minister subsequently proceeded to unlawfully dissolve the Council, demonstrating a reactive and confrontational approach rather than a coherent strategy to restore governance. The dispute ended up in court, resulting in a legal setback for the Department, further exposing the Minister’s incompetence and deepening instability within the portfolio.
We urgently call on the Minister to explain how an institution moved from a labour dispute to dissolution, litigation, court-ordered reinstatement, and mass resignation under his political watch. He cannot govern the arts portfolio through ultimatums, public threats, and abrupt interventions, only to distance himself when institutions become unstable.
The Minister is responsible for political oversight, appoints council members, and exercises statutory powers over public entities within his portfolio. He and the Department must therefore account for their failure to prevent the situation from deteriorating. Both had access to information concerning the labour dispute, governance tensions, leadership instability, and risks to service delivery.
Artists cannot be expected to pay the price for conflict between the Minister, the Department, and the NAC’s governing structures. South Africa’s creative sector requires stable institutions, predictable funding processes, and accountable leadership. It cannot thrive amid recurring governance crises and political uncertainty.
The Study Group therefore rejects any attempt to portray the resignations as an isolated internal matter. They form part of a broader pattern of instability involving labour conflict, ministerial confrontation, the dissolution of the Council, litigation, and deteriorating relations between the political executive and the NAC Council.
The National Arts Council must be restored to stability, accountability, and full functionality without further delay
ISSUED BY THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS PARLIAMENTARY CAUCUS
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