The crisis within the National Arts Council (NAC) has intensified after five council members resigned amidst a confrontation with Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gethon Mackenzie. The conflict arose over the minister's alleged refusal to appoint a permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
On Wednesday, the NAC announced the departure of five members, including Chairman Eugene Botha, reducing the council's membership to sixteen. Although the official statement did not provide reasons for these resignations, sources reported that the decisions were made following a council meeting where some members voted in favor of the process to fill two vacant positions.
Botha confirmed this information in his resignation. According to sources, the resigning members support Mackenzie or the Patriotic Alliance and agreed with his decision to suspend the appointment process. The NAC, established by an Act of Parliament in 1997, functions as a state body under the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC). Its primary role is to serve as the department's largest fund and structural unit for visual arts, performing arts, crafts, and literature across South Africa.
The dispute between Mackenzie and the NAC regarding the CEO and CFO positions stems from stalled recruitment processes, suspension of executives, and governance collapses. The NAC has lacked permanent leadership in the CEO and CFO roles since 2021. This followed the removal of former CEO Rosemary Mangope and CFO Clifton Changfut due to allegations of widespread mismanagement related to the President's Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP) amounting to 300 million rand. Both were subsequently charged and dismissed.
Furthermore, Mackenzie temporarily suspended former Acting CEO Julie Difofu and Acting CFO Rashmu Bulu last year. These suspensions followed allegations of irregular staff recruitment during the moratorium, as well as broader governance and financial issues. Both positions were advertised last year, but the vacancy filling process was halted after the minister demanded it from the council.
On August 19, the council sent a letter requesting the temporary appointment of Lebogang Mogera as Acting CEO until the permanent hiring process was complete. In response, Mackenzie refused to authorize permanent appointments for the CEO and CFO due to ongoing legal instability concerning the legitimacy of the NAC Council. He explained that the council had only been reinstated on a temporary basis, while its long-term legal status remained unresolved in court.
Mackenzie dissolved the entire NAC council in May 2026 due to unresolved labour disputes and financial incompetence. However, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria temporarily stayed his decision and ordered the immediate reinstatement of its members, deeming the decision irrational and unfounded.
In his letter, Botha expressed concern over the appointments of the permanent CEO and CFO, noting the minister's previous written instruction to suspend the process until further notice. The letter stated: 'Despite this communication, a group of council members voted against maintaining the suspension and supported the continuation of the process. This raised serious concerns for me regarding respect for ministerial directives, the exercise of collective responsibility by the council, and the consequences of governance given such a message.'
Nevertheless, sources claimed that this was part of the council's duty and should be carried out, adding that they could not allow the NAC to be run through the minister's office. One source stated: 'And we make decisions every day as a council, so why this? Why is the minister writing a letter saying: 'Don't do it'? What about the decisions we made?' Supporters of supporting the minister lost the vote, and the process has already begun.
Sources also claim that the resigned members are linked to Mackenzie and the Patriotic Alliance. However, Mackenzie refuted these claims, stating that the NAC is not a political body and its members are not appointed to represent or support any political party. He clarified that members are appointed in accordance with section 4(3) of the National Arts Council Act from a list compiled by an independent commission following public nominations and interviews.
He added that the request to suspend appointments was made because the validity of the council itself is being challenged in the High Court, and if permanent leaders were hired now, they would remain in their posts for years, even if the court decided to uphold the dissolution of the current council. The NAC did not respond to questions sent on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the ANC Parliamentary caucus for sport, arts and culture reported that the relevant committee had been informed of the ongoing strike at the NAC in March and expressed concern over management disruptions and the reputational damage incurred by the institution. This caucus noted that, despite this, Mackenzie subsequently 'illegally' dissolved the council, demonstrating a reactive and confrontational approach rather than a coherent strategy for restoring governance. The caucus added that this dispute ended in court, which became a legal hurdle for the department, further exposing the minister's incompetence and deepening instability within the portfolio. Representative Khlengive Hadebe stated: 'We urgently call on the minister to explain how the institution moved from a labour dispute to dissolution, litigation, court reinstatement, and mass resignations under his political oversight. He cannot manage the arts portfolio through ultimatums, public threats, and sudden interventions only to distance himself when institutions become unstable.'