Dr Cynthia Khumalo, Acting Director-General of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, has defended the appointment of Vusi Leeuw as the National Arts Council (NAC) representative in Gauteng, stating that there is no issue with the decision.
This follows criticism from the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Tuesday, 27 May 2025, which questioned why Leeuw, the current president of the South African Music Industry Council (SAMIC), was appointed.
The Committee raised concerns that SAMIC was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) due to non-compliance and was also blacklisted by two departments — the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), and then by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC).
Appointment questioned
As such, Eugene Mthethwa questioned the criteria used to appoint the NAC board and provincial representatives.
“I see in Gauteng they nominated Vusi Leeuw as the NAC representative, and within the same Department, he appears on the list of sector representatives for KZN. Clearly, the Department didn’t vet these sector leaders. By the way, this is the same Department that blacklisted SAMIC. Also, Leeuw is the same individual we’re still going to dig issues on regarding the mess in Downtown Music Hub, where he served as CEO. He has failed to report on what he did during his term at Downtown Music Hub.
“Right now we’re subjected to mediocrity, and that’s why we have a federation that cannot account, it’s because we’re recycling people who have already failed at corporate governance,” said Mthethwa.
David Kgabo echoed Mthethwa’s sentiments, saying: “It is clear the NAC has become a dumping site for people who cannot perform. That’s what we’re seeing here. If someone couldn’t account for R500,000 in his organisation, how do you expect him to manage millions of rands? Dr Khumalo, you’re not taking the cultural industry seriously.”
Leeuw defended
However, Dr Khumalo defended Leeuw’s appointment, saying he was not part of the SAMIC leadership that failed to account for funding.
“The Department funded SAMIC for their conference, but they failed to account for the monies given to them, which eventually led to their blacklisting. The current leadership of SAMIC was not involved at that time. However, we have explained to them that, legally, SAMIC remains a going concern. Blacklisting means they must address this issue otherwise, we cannot engage them on funding matters,” Khumalo said.
