SowetanLive reports that opera singer Sibongile Mngoma has been staging a sit-in at the offices of the National Arts Council (NAC) in Newtown, Johannesburg, demanding answers about the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP).
The commencement of the sit-in on Monday morning by Mngoma came just a day after the NAC council suspended CEO Rosemary Mangope and CFO Clifton Changfoot pending an investigation relating to the management of the R300m PESP. In her mission, Mngoma is being supported by people’s poet Mzwakhe Mbuli. In a video that Mngoma posted earlier on Monday, she can be heard speaking to someone at the NAC saying: “They are telling me to send the an e-mail … Why do you ask me to send an e-mail when I am here at this office? What I’m looking for are simple things, I’m looking for the list of people who signed the contract for the PESP, and the people who have gotten their letters but still not signed a contract.” The sit-in was not without drama on Monday as the NAC called the police on Mngoma, who was also seen in videos being harassed by security personnel. The main NAC entrance was locked without anyone going in. Even the organisation’s employee were stuck inside the building. Indicating that she was prepared to spend the whole week at NAC if she was not provided with the required information, Mngoma said “I want to know when payments will be finalised…”
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Patience Bambalele at SowetanLive
- Read too, Mbgoma demands answers on funds from NAC, on page 4 of Sowetan of 2 March 2021
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