Gauteng gave international festivals R16.6m – what about locals, asks DA

The Gauteng department of sport, arts, culture and recreation has spent R16.6m in the past five years to support nine festivals featuring international artists.

This was revealed by MEC Matome Chiloane on Tuesday in response to questions from the DA in the provincial legislature.

Here is the breakdown of the funding for each event:

• R240,000 for the Back to the City (2019/2020 financial year);
• R2.5m for DStv Delicious 2019 featuring Raphael Saadiq and Corrine Bailey Rae;
• R500,000 for Back to the City (2022/2023);
• R2m for Homecoming Africa (2022/2023);
• R400,000 for Back to the City (2023/2024);
• R2m for BeBe Winans Live in Gauteng (2023/2024);
• R3.5m for Dru Hill All-White GP Experience (2024/2025);
• R3m for the 2024 Gauteng Multicultural Experience (Johnny Gill Live in SA); and
• R2.5m for DStv Delicious 2024 featuring Busta Rhymes, Jill Scott and Jason Derulo.

These funds were used to bring international artists to Gauteng, boosting the province’s cultural events and tourism. However, the funding has raised concerns, particularly from the DA. The party's Gauteng shadow MEC for sport, arts, culture and recreation, Kingsol Chabalala, criticised giving money to international artists, saying the money could have been better spent on local musicians and athletes.

“The DA believes this money could have been better spent supporting our local musicians and athletes, many of whom struggle to make ends meet,” said Chabalala.

He said funds should rather be directed towards developing local talent. “These funds could have been allocated to grassroots initiatives and programmes aimed at discovering and nurturing local talent in Gauteng’s arts and sports sectors,” he said.

While the DA is not opposed to hosting international artists, Chabalala said support for locals must come first.

“When the government spends public money on artists, the priority must be to support local and upcoming artists who desperately require support to survive,” he said.

Some people weighed in on social media:

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