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 28^th of May 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:

1. The NAC announced a total of 1 331 applicants that were approved for the PESP funding.
2. To date, a total of R 217 576 978.60 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.
3. We can now say that 99% of 1 331 beneficiaries have now received 70% of the grant value (the first tranche) and full grant amounts.
4. As of this afternoon, the first tranche payments that are still due comprises 18 applicants: made up of 10 contracts still to be sent to beneficiaries on receipt of the revised required information, 4 contracts sent but not yet received back from beneficiaries and 4 contracts with specific queries.
5. The balance of the second tranche/final payments will be paid in various intervals following receipt of the required reporting.
6. The NAC has, to date, paid 20% of all beneficiaries their final tranche, following the verification of their reports.
7. The anticipated number of job opportunities retained and created by contracts returned now stands at just over 26 000.

We can confirm that as of today, there are only 10 beneficiaries who have not submitted their documents and who, unfortunately, stand to forfeit their grants. Beneficiaries with outstanding documentation or contracts not yet returned were already notified of the deadline.

The NAC would like to announce that an extension has been granted until 30^th June 2021. This means that all beneficiaries must submit their reports and complete their projects within the new timeframe. It is important that all final reports are submitted by no later than 21^st June 2021 so that final payments can be made by the end of June.

Reporting is open on the GMS portal, and beneficiaries can view the requirements and guidelines for reporting on the NAC website: https://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 finalization 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.

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.

We thank all beneficiaries who have shared their innovative projects with us, and the invitations received to events. We continue to urge beneficiaries to keep sharing their posters and marketing material with us on our social media pages and via email at communications@nac.org.za. The NAC and DSAC logos are available on our website.

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 industry.

ENDS…

For Media Enquiries: Council Spokesperson, Cllr. Tshepo Mashiane – 072 037 3358