R3.2m for McKenzie's meeting with Khoi-San leaders, department accounts for millions spent

Sport, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie has accounted for money spent in outreach programmes, which include an estimated cost of R3.2m for a ministerial meeting with Khoi-San leaders and R3.5m spent on a Heritage Day event. 

McKenzie detailed the department’s spending in a parliament question and answer session this week. He was asked how much the department had spent on ministerial outreach programmes by MP Joseph McGluwa.

For the Heritage Day celebration event which was attended by Deputy President Paul Mashatile the department spent R3.55m. Before that event, the ministry spent R450,000 on the September Heritage Month launch themed “celebrating the lives of our heroes and heroines who laid down their lives for our freedom” in Freedom Park. 

It cost taxpayers an estimated R3.2m for McKenzie’s meeting with Khoi-San leaders on October 19 in Kenilworth, Cape Town. The event was attended by hundreds of people.  Speaking at the event, McKenzie talked about the need for Khoi-San leaders to unite. He told the crowd that traditional leaders from other African tribes were supported by the South African government financially but not Khoi-San leaders.

“I organised this event. I got a letter from minister [Velenkosi] Hlabisa saying. 'we are about to empower traditional leaders. Can you please meet them because you must say what are you giving to them.' All departments are going to look after traditional leaders. The GNU has decided. I went to a meeting [with traditional leaders] and there was no Khoi-San leaders.

"We were about to take serious decisions. I stopped the meeting and asked the Khoi-San chairperson, 'Why is it that my people are not here?' We were about to give people work and money. He said it was because the Khoi-San fight among each other. He was honest and I agree with him,” he said.

McKenzie told the crowd it was important for Khoi-San people to unite and benefit from government programmes.

The department also spent R2,622,498 on the Indigenous Games Festival in Mangaung, Bloemfontein, in September; and R16m on the Big Walk event at Fountain Valley Resort in Pretoria.

McKenzie had a meeting in October with the Kaapse Klopse (from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival) and launched Car Spinning Cape Town, which cost R606,923. During his meeting with car-spinning stakeholders he said the department would allocate R5m to the industry.

For the minister’s handover of music equipment to the Mitchells Plain Music Academy, the department spent R135,255. It also spent R15,056 for a handover of equipment in Khayelitsha.

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