Johannesburg – The NAC welcomes the creative and cultural sector to another PESP Industry Briefing. These webinars provide weekly updates on the progress made with respect to the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP) and the disbursement of funds. This webinar follows the previous briefing session, which was held on Friday, 30th of July 2021.

The NAC received an allocation of R300 million, of which R285 million was allocated for PESP funding. As of today, the following milestones have been achieved:

1. To date, a total of R254 415 949 (TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR MILLION FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND FORTY-NINE RAND) has been paid to 1 309 beneficiaries, which is a combination of 70% of the grant value (the first tranche) and the full grant amounts payable to beneficiaries.
2. Second tranche payments are being paid in various intervals following receipt of the required reporting from beneficiaries.
3. The number of beneficiaries who have been paid their final tranche has increased to 68%, following the submission and verification of their reports. This is made up of 91% of Stream 1 beneficiaries and 60% of Stream 2 beneficiaries.
4. The anticipated number of job opportunities retained and created by contracts returned stands at over 26 000, however this will be finalised upon receipt of all final reports.
5. 551 PESP funded events have been published on our website’s Event Calendar and across all our social media platforms.
   The acceptance of PESP reports and outstanding payments to PESP beneficiaries continues, and as the project draws to a close, the PESP Team is working hard to ensure that all reports are received, and final payments are made as efficiently as possible. Beneficiaries who require assistance with reporting can let us know and one of our team members will gladly assist by phone or zoom.

The NAC urges all beneficiaries who have received 70% of their grant and have not yet submitted an interim or final report to do so, as per their contractual obligations. There are currently 60 First Reports outstanding.

The NAC understands the urgency of completing the reviewing of reports and the need for final payments to be made and are making it a priority to ensure that beneficiaries who have already submitted their reports are paid as quickly as possible.

Once again, we emphasise the need for beneficiaries to check on their tax status, as payments can only be made to beneficiaries who are tax compliant.

The DSAC Appeals Committee is finalising the reviewing of appeals and the date of the final outcome will be announced.

We thank all beneficiaries who have shared their innovative projects with us, and the invitations received to events. We continue to urge beneficiaries to share any updates and press coverage with us by tagging us on our social media pages or via email at communications1@nac.org.za.

This Council remains fully committed to successfully completing the PESP process, which has, enabled the retention and creation of much-needed job opportunities in our sector.

Council hosted its Strategic Planning Session on 16th and 17th July 2021. One of the most important outcomes from the session was a response to the industry’s request of changing our approach towards our annual Call for Funding.

Council has resolved to follow a “Discipline-Based” approach towards its Call for Funding. This means practitioners will be able to submit their applications for project funding in the disciplines of craft, dance, literature, multidiscipline, music, theatre, and visual arts. Due to limited funding allocated for the year, the minimum funding applicants can apply for is R50,000 and the maximum funding allowed per project will be limited to R350,000. This is to spread the limited funding to more arts practitioners.

In addition, the call for International Bursaries will be amended to include undergraduates in all disciplines, instead of focusing only on Post Graduate bursaries.

The call for funding for both Project Funding & International Bursaries is soon to be announced, shortly. We encourage Arts Practitioners to check our website and social media websites for information on how to apply.

Provincial Roadshows will be held to create awareness of the NAC Funding guidelines, funding criteria, navigating the Grant Management System and assessment criteria to assist applicants. Due to the rising challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic in alignment with the current level 3 lockdown regulations, the NAC will be making every effort to ensure the safety of all our Stakeholders by migrating this initiative to a virtual engagement.

This Women’s Month, the NAC invites the sector to its three-day webinar series titled, “Roadmap to Success: Womxn in the Arts Dialogue”. The goal of this webinar series is to initiate knowledge sharing platforms between established and emerging professionals from the arts, culture, and heritage sectors. This Womxn-led webinar series will take place on the 11th, 18th and 25th of August 2021 at 2 pm on Zoom and live on NAC’s Facebook page. For more information on this exciting initiative, please visit our website or social media platforms.

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