Johannesburg – The NAC welcomes the creative and cultural sector once more, for another PESP Industry Briefing. This webinar provides weekly updates on the progress made in respect of the disbursement of the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP) and how the funds are distributed. This follows the previous briefing session, which was held on Friday, the 4th of June 2021.
The NAC received an allocation of R300 million, of which R285 million was distributed for PESP funding. As of today, the following milestones have been achieved:
- The NAC announced a total of 1 331 applicants that were approved for the PESP funding.
- To date, a total of R219 603 664.60 (two hundred and nineteen million, six hundred and three thousand, six hundred and sixty-four rand and sixty cents) has been paid to 1 306 beneficiaries, which is a combination of 70% of the grant value (the first tranche) and the full grant amounts payable to beneficiaries.
- We can now say that 98% of 1 331 beneficiaries have now received 70% of the grant value (the first tranche).
- As of this afternoon, the first tranche payments that are still due comprises 19 applicants: made up of 10 contracts still to be sent to beneficiaries on receipt of the revised required information, 7 contracts sent but not yet received back from beneficiaries and 2 contracts with specific queries.
- Second tranche payments will be paid in various intervals following receipt of the required reporting.
- The NAC has, to date, paid around 32% of all beneficiaries their final tranche, following the verification of their reports. This is made up of 83% of Stream 1 beneficiaries and 15% of Stream 2 beneficiaries.
- The anticipated number of job opportunities retained and created by contracts returned now stands at over 26 000, however, this will be finalised upon receipt of all final reports
The NAC would like to announce that an extension has been granted until 30th June 2021. This means that all beneficiaries must submit their reports and complete their projects within the new timeframe.
Reporting is open on the GMS portal, and beneficiaries can view the requirements and guidelines for reporting on the NAC website: http://www.nac.org.za/funding-news/pesp-reporting-requirements-and-guidelines/
The submission of the interim reports, which needs to indicate the project activities and provide proof of expenditure, must be followed by the submission of the final report, which will indicate the remaining activities and expenditure to complete the project. Final reports will be accessible to all beneficiaries on the GMS portal upon approval of the interim report. We urge beneficiaries to submit correct and credible proof of expenditure as part of their interim reporting as insufficient information is delaying the process considerably. Once final reports are submitted with compliant tax clearance pins, the second (final) tranche payment will be processed.
The NAC is experiencing a large number of queries with reports received from beneficiaries, which is impacting the process and delaying the finalisation of reports and payments. This is mainly in relation to the reconciliation of expenses, whereby the NAC is unable to reconcile between the expenses reflected on the interim report and the evidence of expenses being provided. We are appealing to all beneficiaries to submit clear financial information of how expenditure from the first tranche was made, and to provide proof of payment and/or a bank statement reflecting these expenses, as lack of this causes further delays in reviewing other reports submitted.
We would like to further apologise for the delay in communication with beneficiaries who have submitted their reports and would like to assure you that we are doing our utmost best to overcome this. Unfortunately, the current load shedding is also having a negative impact on the process, as all reviewing of reports takes place online.
We thank all beneficiaries who have shared their innovative projects with us, and the invitations received to events. Since the beginning of April 2020, over 120 PESP funded events have been published on our website’s Event Calendar. Additionally, we have shared and published posters and content related to PESP funded programming across all our social media platforms. This includes 65 posts on Facebook, 94 tweets and retweets on Twitter and 237 posts on Instagram and Instagram Stories. We continue to urge beneficiaries to share their invites, press releases, press coverage as well as posters and marketing material with us by tagging us on our social media pages and via email at communications1@nac.org.za. The NAC and DSAC logos are available on our website for download.
The tender for a company to be appointed to lead the PESP investigation closed on 03 June 2021. The Bid Evaluation Committee commenced their meetings on 08 June 2021 and will conclude by today. The Bid Adjudication Committee will meet early next week, and shortlisted companies will be asked to present to the NAC before a final award is approved.
Following the call for Provincial Partners, who will assist the NAC in disbursing the COVID-19 relief funding to the sector, we published a list of organisations that had gone through the first phase of review and were shortlisted to proceed to the second phase. Site visits, for further due diligence, were conducted in the month of May. Currently, our advisory panel are in the final stage of reviews, which will be followed up by approval from the Council. We envisage that the process will be completed by mid-July to the end of July 2021.
With regards to the processes unfolding towards the announcement of the NAC Call for Funding for 2021/22, Council will be hosting its Strategic Planning Session on 16 and 17 July 2021 to finalise plans for the NAC trajectory for the next four years. The Council intends to host focused Industry Consultations, prior to the sitting of the Strategic Planning Session. The outcomes of the session will provide the NAC with the direction on what the call for applications will focus on.
Provincial Roadshows will be held to create awareness of the NAC Funding guidelines, funding criteria, navigating the Grant Management System and assessment criteria.
This Council remains fully committed to successfully completing the PESP process to ensure that the PESP funds reach all beneficiaries, enabling them to retain and create the much-needed job opportunities in our sector.
ENDS…
For Media Enquiries: Council Spokesperson, Cllr. Tshepo Mashiane – 072 037 3358
