17 Aug 2020
Programme Director, Ms Masechaba Khumalo
The Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Ms Nocawe Mafu,
The Director General of the Department, Mr. Vusumuzi Mkhize.
Members of the Media,
Creatives, athletes and practitioners in the sector,
Fellow South Africans,
It has been exactly two weeks
since our last engagement on the 3rd of August 2020, where we assured the
nation that we will provide continuous updates on our relief plans for the
sector. Since then, we have been working tirelessly to conclude all processes
relating to the 1st Wave of the COVID-19 Relief Fund and to streamline our
2nd Wave of the relief funding process.
Last night, the President announced that we are moving to Level 2 Lockdown. Therefore, it is important to note that we still need to remain vigilant in order to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Hence, we must continue to wear our masks at all times in public spaces, continue observing proper hygiene protocol; including washing of hands, and sanitation. The new announcement under Level 2 still prohibits the sector from having no spectators at sporting events and cultural activities, including the hosting international events. In relation to concerts, entertainment events and cinemas, only 50 people are permitted. The same restrictions will apply to gyms, sports grounds and public swimming pools.
FIRST WAVE COVID-19 RELIEF FUND (STATUS)
To date, the Department has spent a total of R65.7 million which
catered for various categories, such as the digital applications, the living
legends, relief for athletes in the sector as well as relief for our arts
and culture practitioners.
CHALLENGES EXPERINCED AND LESSONS LEARNT FROM 1ST WAVE OF RELIEF
The first wave was not without its challenges. Due to the lockdown, many
applicants were unable to fulfil the requirements of the criteria set on the
open call. The following are some of the challenges experienced while
implementing the 1st Wave:
- Non-compliance of applications due to failure to
submit the required documentation, such as bank statements, tax
certificates, proof of cancelled events and other gigs.
- Lack of access to ICT centres, as most of them were
not operating during the lock-down period.
- Lack of readiness by the Department’s IT system
also posed major challenges. Most applications were large in size and the
system did not cater for such applications.
- Data capturing and adjudication was an extremely
labour intensive and timeconsuming process; as practitioners had to submit
multiple attachments for only one application, while others submitted
duplicate applications.
- Issues of language, access and urgency for
applicants, including geographic issues of urban, peri-urban and rural
access were highlighted as challenges by the sector.
- In some cases, applicants demonstrated
opportunistic and potentially fraudulent behaviour.
- Delays in processing of payments due to verification of banking details and other compliance documents.
ROLL-OUT OF THE 2ND WAVE RELIEF FUND
The Department will be rolling-out two processes to implement the sector
relief. The first process will include the relief for athletes and all
technical personnel in the sport sector. While the second process will
focus on arts and culture sector relief.
Sport Relief
It is important to note that on
the sport side, the same process used in the first wave will apply. Applicants
who are eligible to apply will include athletes, coaches, technical
support personnel and freelance fitness instructors or practitioners. These are
applicants who rely solely on income generated from participating in
sport competitions, events and in fitness activities, who operate as
freelancers. Only applicants who are South African citizens as per Home Affairs
official definition will qualify for relief. Applications for this category of
people should be submitted to the applicant’s respective National Federation.
Only applications from fitness
instructors / practitioners must be submitted to a portal on the Department’s
website. When submitting to Federations and sport entities, the Federations and
sport entities will provide the first line of assurance. These entities will
sign-off with a recommendation and send all recommended applications to the
Department for further processing.
Exclusions for Sport
- Registered businesses and employees who work in
such businesses may not qualify for this relief. They are encouraged to
explore other relief interventions available within government, particularly
the Department of Employment and Labour.
- Sport personnel with other sources of income and
those who are employed or on a fixed term contract do not qualify for
relief. Athletes on fixed-term contracts: These athletes are catered for
in terms of contracts entered into with either the federations or clubs.
- Sport personnel who benefited from the first wave of relief or from any of the provincial relief funds do not qualify. It is critical to note that any provision of false information will be treated as fraud and dealt with through the appropriate criminal justice system.
Compliance Documents for Sport:
All applications must be accompanied by the following:
- Certified copy of South African Identity Document;
date of certification should not be older than 3 months. Passport or
Drivers Licence are not allowed.
- Valid proof of bank account.
- Detailed bank statements showing income earned from
sport competitions, events, activities and fitness instruction services
from March 2019 to February 2020.
- If you are an athlete, coach or technical support
personnel, a signed and dated letter from your federation or organisation
confirming your activities is required.
- If you are a fitness instructor / practitioner, a
letter (signed and dated) from an institution or organisation you provided
fitness instructor / practitioner services for, confirming your work.
- The maximum amount of relief available per
applicant is set at R6 600.
- The Department and any of its agencies reserves the
right to conduct verification, due diligence and request additional
information prior to providing the relief.
- The Department does not endorse the charging of
fees for assistance in completing the application.
Note that a list of all
sport beneficiaries who benefited during the first wave will be posted on the
various Department platforms and also be given to Federations and sports
entities to guard against any form of double dipping.
Arts, Culture and Heritage Relief
The relief will be available to individuals in the arts, culture and heritage
sector/cultural and creative industries. The categories to be provided with
relief will apply only to:
- Performance and celebrations
- Music
- Festivals and events
- Books and publishing
- Heritage practitioners
Other practitioners will be
covered through the partnership with the Department of Small Business and Development
(DSBD). A joint allocation of R 23 million has been set aside by both
Departments to respond to a plea from the Cultural& Creative Industries
Federation of South Africa (CCIFSA) for the craft, design and visual arts
sectors towards relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Exclusions for Arts, Culture
and Heritage Relief
- Applicants who do not rely solely on the income
earned from participating in arts, culture and heritage activities.
- Arts, culture and heritage practitioners on
fixed-term contracts may not apply.
- Companies/NPIs/NGOs, group applications (choirs,
bands, etc.). These will be catered for on the Presidential Employment
Stimulus Programme.
- Applicants who benefitted in the first cycle of the
DSAC Relief Fund or its provincial counterparts or any other government
relief funding do not qualify.
- Support sectors such as catering, transport and
accommodation will not be catered for.
Who will be eligible for this relief?
- Practitioners who rely solely on income generated
from participating in sports, arts, culture and heritage activities, as
mentioned.
- Practitioners who are dependent on gigs, who are
freelancers and independent contractors.
- Applicants must provide proof of having earned
income through arts, culture and heritage activities
(providecontracts/invoices/bank statements/municipal trading permits) in
the 12 months period ending on February 2020.
- Practitioners will need to prove their
applicability in the sector through provision of their profiles/portfolio
of work/ academic achievements in the sector and/ or reference from other
prominent practitioners who have been in the field for 10 years or more.
2ND WAVE APPLICATION PROCESS
- Only one application form should be submitted by
applicants either via WhatsApp or through the website; as submitting two
applications will lead to disqualification.
- All first wave beneficiaries Identity Numbers are
going to be loaded on Both Systems as the system has been made in such a
manner that should any of the first wave beneficiaries take a chance and
submit an application, the system will then reject it.
- A list of those who are recommended to be paid and
not yet processed will also be loaded onto the system so that upon their
submissions both BASA and NAC Systems will reject them.
- Departmental communication and information
platforms will also publish the names of all first wave recipients,
serving as a reminder to those who initially benefited to not take a
chance and submit.
- All applicants upon submitting their applications
via WhatsApp on 087 153 1027, will get an SMS acknowledging
their applications.
- Should applicants seek clarity and information on
their application status, they can call 0800 724 278 at
no cost. This measure was introduced to further strengthen our
communication with all sector applicants.
- Language practitioners who can converse in more
than three languages will be utilised and will be equipped with all
required information.
THE SOLIDARITY FUND (STATUS)
The Solidarity Fund has made
available 10 000 food or cash vouchers of R700 to the department amounting to R
7 million. The Department, working with sector organisations and the provinces
to develop a list of practitioners who will benefit from these vouchers. Each
province will receive 1 000 vouchers which can either be redeemed as cash or
for food.
Beneficiaries will be identified as follows: 50% urban and 50% rural areas. The
vouchers will be made available to the athletes, artists, freelancers, sport
and arts legends. Those that are receiving social grants and UIF will be
excluded from benefiting.
Our database will be screened
through the Department of Social Development to ensure that beneficiaries are
not recipients of SASSA grant.
Criteria:
- Between the ages of 36 and 59.
- Active and ex-professional athletes / Arts
practitioners who are unemployed and have no alternative source/s of
income.
- Ex-professional athletes / Arts practitioners
should have been active for at least a period of 3 years.
- The criteria also covers, technical staff such as
coaches, referees, sound engineers.
Voucher Receipt Process:
In terms of the payment process, a list of beneficiaries will be submitted to
the Solidarity Fund who will verify the eligibility of beneficiaries through
the SASSA system. An SMS will then be sent to potential beneficiaries
acknowledging receipt of the application. Once verified, the information will
be sent to Standard Bank to process the payment, which can be redeemed at the
ATM or their agents being Spar, Checkers, et al. The Department will then be
notified and once the process is finalised, the information will be deleted
from their system as per the POPI Act 2000.
BUDGET AVAILABILITY
A total of R77 million is set aside for Relief. Of which R11.5
million has been ringfenced for contribution towards the partnership
with the Department of Small Business Development. If the entire amount is to
be paid specifically towards beneficiaries and no other costs are considered,
the allocation will cover a total of 11 666 practitioners (athletes
and artists) based on the following estimates:
The relief will be paid as a once-off payment of R6600, instead of
three staggered payments. This decision was made after consulting with
implementing agencies, the NAC and BASA. The approach cut on a lot of
administrative processes and time consumption.
ROLE OF THE SECTOR ORGANISATIONS
The sector organisations will
play a role in raising awareness within the sector, enabling access to
information because they have an advantage of reaching remote and disadvantaged
areas. The organisations will assist members with the application process and
explore measures to prevent duplication and double dipping.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am
pleased to officially announce that the 2nd Wave of COVID-19 Relief Funding for
the Sector is officially open as of the 18th of August 2020.
The closing date for all
applications will be the 31st of August 2020.
To apply, simply log onto our
official websites information on the criteria and requirements.
Our websites are www.dac.gov.za and www.srsa.gov.za .
I thank you.
