“We Stand With Lord Gayton”: South Africans React As Department of Sports, Arts and Culture Continue Releasing Lists of COVID Beneficiaries
Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture Gayton McKenzie recently issued an instruction to the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC) to compile a comprehensive list of COVID relief beneficiaries within the creative sector. Since the 10th of July 2024, the Department has been steadily rolling out the list of names, with the latest document – known as the 3rd Wave – hitting the fans on the 11th of July 2024.
Between 2020 and 2021, South Africa was one of the countries globally hit hard by the Coronavirus pandemic, enduring back-to-back lockdowns with increasing intensity which crippled the country’s economy. Bearing the severe brunt caused by the lockdowns, the sports and arts and culture sectors suffered untold losses of revenue, with sport stars playing in empty stadiums whilst musicians could no longer hold concerts and tours due to such events being chalked up as superspreaders.
Because of such circumstances and restrictions, artists and sports people had no other choice but to approach the DSAC for funding and assistance to get by during these periods of compromised activity which resulted in loss of income.
“I have given an instruction that a list be published of all artist[s], creatives, and sports people who have been receiving money from the Department of Sport, Arts & Culture be published inclusive of amounts & reasons. The time where only a select connected few benefit is over,” Gayton McKenzie posted on X, just two days before the official release of the first wave.
The first batch of names was a colossal document which included over 3700 beneficiaries, which included stars such as executive producer and kwaito legend Arthur Mafokate (and his son), jazz composer Caiphus Semenya, controversial musician David Scott (The Kiffness), and renowned podcaster MacG, who, according to the document, was one of the highest paid beneficiaries, obtaining R75 000 from the Department.
The first wave also included the grand total the Department parted with when they paid the individuals, with the total amount adding up to R72 million. The 90-page list accounted for creatives of the 2020-2021 period.
Read the list of the first wave by clicking here
Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture Gayton McKenzie
The second wave, released on the 11th along with the third wave, pick up from where the first document stopped. With only 18 pages of data, the former is the shortest of every released document so far, with each listed beneficiary, a total of 622 people, receiving R6, 600, on the dot, from the DSAC.
Read the Second Wave here
The third wave is the longest of all documents, spanning 156 pages and including a maximum payout of R100, 000 to fourteen designated beneficiaries.
Read the Third Wave here
The release of the list has been met with polarised reviews from the public, with the general public praising the new DSAC Minister and nicknaming him “Lord Gayton”, whilst detractors have been critical of McKenzie’s approach, questioning the point of publishing such lists. The Minister has not taken the criticism without throwing a few jabs at his critics, the most notable encounter being him responding to actor Fana Mokoena, who took to X to question his first assignment.
“We already have people who came forward that didn’t receive money nor applied but are listed as having received. We have people not aligned to the arts who received money, we saw people who are not from SA benefitting. Wait & see after all lists have been released today & tomorrow,” said Gayton McKenzie, quote-tweeting Fana Mokoena’s post in which he panned the naming-and-shaming.
Advocating for transparency, Minister Gayton McKenzie has defended the publication of these lists on X – with more to follow on the Friday, 12th of July – citing that the mandate of the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture is to “show that they [the DSAC] were there for artist during the worst times and also expose those that misused the opportunity [during COVID times].”
Netizens on X stood beside the Minister under the “Lord Gayton” tag, defending his move to have the lists published.
@Ori_RSA posted: “We stand with Lord Gayton McKenzie in these difficult times of being attacked by clever blacks and corrupt individuals.”
@ChrisExcel102 wrote: “From all the ministers appointed in the cabinet, it’s only Lord Gayton who has started working and his work is visible.”
@Chhaukke commented on the list in the first wave, pointing out the list of beneficiaries who were non-South Africans, saying: “South Africa is a movie. While we are busy accusing boShimza, Makhadzi and Mama Joy of chopping Arts and Culture money, look at the list Lord Gayton just dropped. Look who’s chopping the money. Who are these people?”