Gauteng artists and athletes' livelihoods ruined while MEC Hlophe wastes R105k on corporate gifts

14 November 2021

Instead of providing much-needed grants to artists and athletes who lost their livelihoods and were forced into unemployment during the Covid-19 lockdown, the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) has increased its expenditure on corporate gifts by 1804% in the 2020/21 financial year. 

There are still many artists and athletes in the province who are struggling to make ends meet and the utter lack of consideration and sympathy by this department in terms of priorities is unacceptable. 

 This information was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Mbali Hlophe in a written reply to my questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

According to MEC Hlophe, the department has spent R105 725.00 on corporate gifts for the 2020/21 financial year, 19 times more than the R5553.00 spent in the 2018/19 financial year. 

Since the 2015/16 financial year, the department has only spent R5553.00 during 2018/19 and R105 725.00 during 2020/21, while there was no money spent in other financial years. In total, the department has spent R111 278.00 for the past six financial years.

This money spent on corporate gifts in the 2020/21 financial year could have been used to pay 17 athletes and artists R6000 each as part of the Covid-19 relief grant. It could have gone a long way to ease the pressure off artists and athletes during these trying time as the industry has been severely affected by the lockdown restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

While we understand the importance of corporate gifts, however, considering the social and economic impact of Covid-19, the department should not have overspent on corporate gifts and considering the suffering of residents during this time, the money should have been channeled in accordance with the department's core mandate. 

The DA will not hesitate to hold MEC Hlophe to account for department funds to be allocated according to priorities. 

It is high time that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely to benefit our people who are in dire need of financial support.

Issued by Kingsol Chabalala, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR), 14 November 2021