The National Arts Council (NAC) has temporarily shut down its offices, leaving many uncertain about when normal operations will resume.
This follows the Council’s decision to postpone the announcement of the 2025 Annual Project Funding results.
The call for project funding was opened in July, with results initially scheduled for release on Friday, October 17.
However, on Thursday, October 16, the NAC issued a statement announcing that the results would instead be released on October 31.
Funding outcomes postponed
The statement reads in part: “The National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC) opened the 2025 Annual Project Funding Call. …It’s inviting active arts practitioners in the disciplines of Craft, Dance, Literature, Music, Multidiscipline, Theatre, and Visual Arts to submit applications for funding.
“The outcomes were initially scheduled for release on 17 October 2025. To uphold the highest standards of fairness, quality, and integrity of the adjudication process, the NAC has resolved to postpone the announcement of the outcomes to 31 October 2025.
“This decision follows a comprehensive review of the adjudication process. It revealed that while some adjudication panels are progressing according to schedule, others require additional time. This is due to the substantial volume of applications under evaluation.
“This extension ensures that every application receives meticulous and equitable consideration. In line with the NAC’s commitment to transparency and accountability.”
The statement was later deleted from the NAC’s website.
Questionable panel of adjudicators
According to insiders who spoke to Sunday World, the adjudicators responsible for evaluating applications were only appointed about two weeks ago.
“They were given only one week to adjudicate all the applications. Given the amount of work involved, that was impossible. And they were forced to postpone,” said one source.
The source added that the NAC’s internal disorganisation contributed to the delay.
“They failed to plan properly. There are serious issues within the NAC, including the appointment of adjudicators. The Council continues to disregard proper procedure. This time, they brought in former NAC and DSAC employees as adjudicators. Some of whom left under questionable circumstances. A handful have no track record in the creative sector. But they are expected to assess artists’ applications,” the source claimed.
Sunday World has seen the list of adjudicators, which includes former DSAC and NAC employees. One of them resigned from DSAC in 2023 following a series of adjudication-related controversies.
Artists found doors locked
On Friday, October 17, frustrated artists gathered outside the NAC’s offices to demand answers. They found the doors locked. Many took to social media to express their anger.
Opera singer and activist Sbongile Mngoma wrote:
“Mr Vincent Mashale the acting CEO, is the one who has decided that artists don’t deserve to be treated with dignity. He is even instructing the security to lock the doors. He is the one taking unilateral decisions. The council is not happy. The adjudicators are not aware that they are not done doing their job.”
Another Arts activist, Les Cohn said: “When will the NAC deliver on its mandate timeously & with efficiency? It seems to be mired in ongoing instability.”
When Sunday World reached out for comment, the NAC declined to respond. It promised to issue a formal statement in due course.
