McKenzie holds off on naming select few getting funds

Sport, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie will not publish the names of people who have been receiving funds from the department as this still needs to be discussed further. 

McKenzie yesterday tweeted that the era of only a select, well-connected few benefiting from government support is over.   

“I have instructed that a list be published of all artists, creatives, and sportspeople who have been receiving money from the department of sport, arts and culture, including amounts and reasons. The time when only a select connected few benefits is over,” he said. 

However, his spokesperson Cassiday Jacobs said the list would not be published any time soon.

Jacobs said the minister still needs to meet with everyone this coming weekend for a lekgotla before anything else can be done. 

“One can use his public tweets as a reference for now but officially on behalf of the department, he will not be committing yet until after the cabinet lekgotla. The minister wants to release an official presser on this, but it will until all deliberations have been done.”

The lekgotla is a strategic meeting to discuss and formulate policies.    

“They still need to sit down and meet up with relevant department parties and discuss the policies and what can be done, and that is what the cabinet lekgotla is for. In his meetings so far, he has uncovered a few things that have startled him that he would want to fix as the minister but those can only be fully expressed after the policy lekgotla meeting has concluded,” said Jacobs.

He said McKenzie would only be available to discuss more on it after the meeting.

McKenzie on Sunday tweeted he would dedicate his salary to the Joshlin Smit Foundation for missing children which is the final stages of registration. He was speaking at Backyard Art Gallery in Kagiso on the West Rand.

Joshlin, a Western Cape primary school pupil, has been missing since February. Four suspects linked to her disappearance are in custody. 

“I have instructed lawyers to pay over my first salary to this gallery and the money should be shared by three tremendous artists. I sat with these artists and listened to their many problems while waiting until the money was in their different accounts. I saw gratitude mixed with tears,” he tweeted.