Gayton McKenzie’s office will reportedly investigate the case of a ‘missing’ R3 million allocated for the maintenance of the Johannes Stegmann Theatre in Secunda, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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The theatre was built by Sasol in 1985, opened in 1986 and quickly became known as a world-class facility for hosting performances from all over South Africa.
In 2015, the Govan Mbeki municipality, which now owns the theatre, reported a failure in maintaining the facility and requested funding to address the issues it was experiencing.
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In the 2016/17 financial year, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture approved the municipality’s request for funding for theatre maintenance.
This was approved and the Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (MEGA) was appointed as the implementing agency.
In June 2023, the Democratic Alliance (DA) revealed that the municipality’s funding model request included purchasing the latest sound and lighting equipment, among other factors.
During an oversight at the theatre, the DA discovered the following:
- The lighting was not up to standard, in some rooms there was no lighting at all
- There are makeshift cables right across the audience centre
- Windows were removed in the sound booth
- The sound system is old and non-functional
- Water leaks in the basement
- Broken tiles in some of the bathrooms
- The electrical backup supply unit has been exposed to water
‘In their funding request to the department, the municipality emphasized that the theatre needed to be upgraded to ensure that there was a sustainable business operating model for creatives,’ the DA said in a statement.
‘They also reiterated that it will help in restoring the dignity of this town.’
However, News24 reports that the theatre is ‘gradually rotting away’, seven years after the refurbishment funding was approved and allocated.
At the time of the revelation into the state of the building, the DA called on Godfrey Ntombela – the head of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture – to investigate the alleged missing R3 million that was allocated.
The office of Gayton McKenzie, the newly appointed minister of sport, arts and culture, told City Press that the ministry was aware of calls for an investigation.
According to Rangata-Jacobs, the ministry is directly in charge of six theatres, with the minister as a shareholder.
These are:
- The Performing Arts Centre of the Free State
- The State Theatre in Pretoria
- The Market in Johannesburg
- Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape
- The Playhouse in Durban
- Cape Town’s Artscape
The rest are reportedly either privately owned or part of ‘lower spheres of the province, particularly municipalities’.
She added that the department has to engage with the provincial MEC since the funds were routed via the province.
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