McKenzie, DSAC criticised for publishing amounts paid to Makhadzi

JOHANNESBURG - The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) have joined a chorus of those criticising the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, as well as its minister, for publishing the amounts it paid to musician Makhadzi.

The league has also condemned the department for making public a list of artists who received financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newly-appointed Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie also announced that his department would no longer cover the costs of transporting and accommodating "super fans", who follow local teams to big tournaments.

The ANC Youth League’s Zama Khanyase has described these actions as unethical.

"It is absolutely unacceptable for a department, that should be the stronghold of our nation’s creatives, artists and dedicated superfans, to instead engage in actions that lower and undermine those it is supposed to uplift."

At the same time, the department has been hauled over the coals for its decision to make public how much international award-winning artist, Makhadzi, was paid for rendering services to the government.

Makhadzi revealed recently that she had to loan money to travel to the BET Awards due to financial trouble.

The EFF said that the department was wrong to turn a legitimate plea from the public for her to be assisted to humiliate her.

"The department must desist from victimising artists who are already struggling in an unregulated, untransformed industry because, for 30 years, this department had not been doing its job. If Makhadzi had done something wrong or stole those amounts that the department has released, they would have been well within their rights but this was unprovoked, it was unprofessional," said EFF member of Parliament, Fana Mokoena.