Thami AkaMbongo Manzana: Theatre, Musical Theatre and Opera Sector Update.

Dear Theatre, Musical Theatre & Opera Practitioners,

As of 1 April 2025, our sector was supposed to have established a Full-Time Sector Council.

Instead, we find ourselves still debating the tenure of the Interim Board – a situation that raises serious concerns about governance, transparency, and accountability.

How Did We Get Here?

At the Bosberaad convened by Minister Gayton McKenzie and DSAC, sector representatives were elected. In our sector:

Janine Lewis and I were elected for Theatre.

Lesego Niekerk and Tshepo Mohlala-Kgaphola were elected for Dance.

Following these elections, Theatre and Dance agreed to collaborate, recognizing that existing policies – such as the Dance & Theatre Policy adopted by Parliament – should be implemented.

The two sectors worked together in good faith, as reflected in the joint Newsflash updates to the sector.

What Was Agreed Upon?

DSAC tasked sector representatives with:

Defining the Board Composition

Establishing the Selection Criteria

Both Dance and Theatre met these requirements, leading to the formation of a 90-day Interim Board, as clearly communicated in previous Newsflashes.

Provinces elected members with the understanding that this was a temporary structure to support sector representatives in finalizing:

3. A Meeting Plan

4. Meeting Frequency

5. Resource Utilization

6. A Programme Proposal (2025-2026)

DSAC promised to allocate R2 million to our sector, expecting us to propose a structured budget for sector administration, meetings, website and program planning.

Deviation from the Agreed Process

Instead of executing these tasks, certain members of the Interim Board began questioning the legitimacy of the process.

Some publicly discredited the Bosberaad, while others distanced themselves from serving the industry.

 Rather than fulfilling their role as an interim support structure, they demanded additional engagements with DSAC, undermining the responsibilities of elected sector representatives.

Where Are We Now?

DSAC initially promised that by October 2024, sectors would be organized into formal Sector Councils with offices, administrators, and operational budgets.

However, the 1 April 2025 deadline has passed, and DSAC has yet to provide clarity on the transition to a Full-Time Sector Board.

This raises serious concerns:

Has DSAC already received the names of the Interim Board as the Full-Time Council without sector approval?

Why has DSAC and its appointed law firms failed to publicly clarify roles and responsibilities of Sector Representatives and Interim Boards?

Why are different sectors left in confusion about their leadership – who is what sector?

The Discrediting Tactics

I am aware of the discrediting attempts against those who speaks out and challenge this processes, like I am personally discredited in the latest Newsflash of Theatre, Musical Theatre & Opera, which I played major role in developing the content that was shared in previous editions as if it’s a brainchild of one person but I choose to prioritize sector governance over personal attacks. I am not shaken by efforts to silence me.

A Call for Accountability

I urge DSAC to publicly announce the list of names submitted for Sector Councils so that each industry can verify whether proper procedures were followed. This is the only way to ensure transparency and uphold the will of the sector.

To DSAC Senior Management and Officials: many of you are complicit in failing to listen to the sector. If you stand by integrity, you must address these concerns immediately.

I refuse to be silent in the face of deception. Call me rude, difficult, or whatever label you choose – I will always stand for the truth.

Let the truth be revealed.

Thami AkaMbongo Manzana
akambongo@gmail.com
AkaMbongo Foundation Pty Ltd
http://www.akambongo.co.za

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Thami AkaMbongo Manzana writes on his personal capacity.