Mthethwa’s National Orchestra will silence regional talents
14 July 2022
The DA in the Western Cape joins the growing calls on Minister Nathi Mthethwa to stop his ridiculous proposal for a National Orchestra. Just weeks after he attempted to spend R22 million on a flagpole, Minister Nathi Mthethwa is reported to be set on spending R30 million on creating an unnecessary national orchestra for no apparent reason.
Not only does this represent a further example of wasteful expenditure from national government, it also stands to damage the country’s existing orchestras, including the celebrated Cape Town Philharmonic.
Mthethwa’s proposal will silence local talents as it would see musicians employed in regional orchestras appointed to an ad hoc national orchestra. Many figures in the industry have warned that the proposed orchestra will be impractical, expensive, and unable to serve all of South Africa. The project has already solicited a negative response from the industry with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra expressing their opposition to the proposal, and many in the South African music sector warning that Mthethwa’s proposal has the potential to degrade and stifle the ability of regional orchestras to stage performances.
MPP Gillion Bosman says: “Despite my best efforts, I cannot understand Minister Mthethwa’s approach to this matter. South Africa is fortunate enough to be blessed with wonderful musicians, who now face the prospect of being forced to partake in a project that will damage the cultural sector. This comes at a time in which government should be doing whatever it can to aid the cultural sector, which is only now beginning to recover from the needless and authoritarian Covid regulations enforced by national government until recently.
This project is a folly, borne from the ego of one man. Minister Mthethwa must stop pursuing useless and expensive vanity projects, and invest the funds allocated to his department to uplifting the arts and culture sectors.”
Issued by Gillion Bosman, DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Cultural Affairs and Sport, 14 July 2022
