Bloemfontein - The ANC has resolved to prioritise the country's creative economy through the adoption of a resolution to appoint two separate directors general whose focus will be on the sports ministry and the arts and culture ministry instead of having one director general (DG) overseeing both portfolios.
ANC stalwart Obed Bapela addressed members of the media during his presentation of the party's resolution on the creative economy and social cohesion.
The ANC is set to present five of the resolutions of the conference to be presented by ANC leadership led by Obed Bapela on arts, culture, and heritage for a democratic and non-racial society.
"We need to expose those who harbour racism and think they are beyond us as we rebuild the country," he said.
Bapela's address comes just two weeks after the province experienced another race-related incident after a group of white males tried to prevent two teenagers from using a public swimming pool at the Maselspoort Resort and Conference Centre in December 2022.
Bapela said the country's creative industry is important to the country's social cohesion.
"We have identified challenges in the security, and artists do not get salaries, we need a law that makes determination for artists to earn a decent living from their works.
"The ANC leadership has adopted a resolution that seeks to ensure government decision-making is integrated, which is why the commission has proposed that the ministry of arts and culture be integrated where we have two director generals within one ministry ... the department of arts and culture must now have its own DG so that its own focus can be there," Bapela said.
He said that local artists are suffering and feel neglected by the department, which is why a clearer focus is needed to ensure that the government becomes responsive to their needs.
"Artists are suffering and feel neglected, and sometimes there is a big focus on sports. To respond to this, we need to separate the ministry by having two director generals, which is why we need to separate the department to have two departments under one ministry," he said.
He said the ANC has committed itself to protecting the industry and its practitioners, which is why it is important to find a way of streamlining the work of the department to balance the two portfolios.
The Star