The newly appointed Director General of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC), Dr Cynthia Khumalo, is facing a criminal case after allegedly lying to parliament at least twice.
South African Roadies Association (Sara) boss Freddie Nyathela dropped the bombshell, accusing Khumalo of feeding parliament false and misleading information.
“In October 2023, she told parliament R43-million was committed to SARA for 2024/25. Then again, a year later, she claimed Sara was non-compliant and not accounting for funds. They even sent the Auditor-General to dig into our books, but we still haven’t seen that report,” Nyathela fumed.
Lied about Sara funding issues
Nyathela said that he has knocked on every door, from DSAC to the Parliamentary Committee to the Speaker, trying to report Khumalo but got no response.
“Khumalo’s lies are relentless. It’s obvious she wants to shut down our academy. I had no choice but to open a criminal case,” he said.
He said that according to the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act 4 of 2004, lying to parliament is a criminal offence.
“Her false statement is serious and damaging to Sara. She is dishonest and must be punished for that,” Nyathela stressed.
Spokesperson for Gauteng police, Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, confirmed the case. “Police can confirm that a case has been opened at Johannesburg Central Police Station and transferred to Cape Town Central Police Station for further investigation,” he said.
SARA is a long-standing non-profit organisation representing technical and backstage workers in the live events industry. It has often clashed with the department over funding, compliance requirements, and support for skills development.
Vocal critic of ministry over support
Nyathela has been a vocal critic of how DSAC handles arts and culture funding. He claims that bureaucracy and misinformation have stifled opportunities for the sector.
The complaint underscores long-standing tensions between Sara and the department. Particularly around issues of transparency, accountability, and support for technical skills in the creative sector.
The department and the Speaker of the National Assembly were contacted but had not responded at the time of publishing.
