SA’s Provincial Governments Spend Millions On Music Festivals

SA’s Provincial Governments Spend Millions On Music Festivals.
Provincial governments came up with an initiative to sponsor musical festivals that take place usually towards the end of year with the aim to promote arts and culture in SA.

These governments have planned to spend millions on the festivals, many of which include international artists inorder to boost local economies.
In Limpopo, about R10 million was allocated for the Mapungubwe Arts, Culture and Heritage Festival in Polokwane According to a report by City Press.

US R&B star Anthony Hamilton and Nigeria’s D’banj were booked for the festival, but cancelled. Some of the artists who were set to perform at the festival were Judith Sephuma, Selaelo Selota, Caiphus Semenya and Letta Mbulu.
Also the Mahika Mahikeng Cultural Festival, which is largely sponsored by the North West government. While figures for this year’s event were not yet available, the province’s arts and culture department spent R16.7 million on the festival last year.

The department claimed that the money was well spent as it created 4 200 jobs, and R8.2 million was spent on locally based service providers.
The four-day festivities included music, art workshops, a hip-hop festival known as Maftown Heights, comedy nights and Joyous Celebration gospel music. It wraps up with a jazz concert today.

In her budget speech earlier this year, North West Arts and Culture MEC Ontlametse Mochware said R2 million was allocated for the development of 22 cultural villages. This means that the estimated R16 million directed to the Mahika Mahikeng Cultural Festival could have developed at least 176 cultural villages or funded the construction of two libraries.

In Mpumalanga, R14.5 million was set aside for this year’s Innibos Festival and the provincial cultural festival held last year.

The Free State government spent the most on its annual Macufe Mangaung African Cultural Festival – a whopping R42.5 million was provided from its 2016/17 budget.

Arts and Culture MEC Mathabo Leeto boasted: “The socioeconomic impact assessment conducted by the Centre for Development Support of the University of the Free State in 2015 leaves no doubt that Macufe is an important tool boosting Mangaung’s economy. Macufe generates approximately R91 million in visitor expenditure in Bloemfontein.”