The Board of the National Arts Council of SA, has advised
the Minister of Arts & Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, of their decision to
appoint current board member, Zolani Mkiva as the Interim Chief Executive
Officer, effective September 25, 2018.
Current CEO, Rosemary Mangope has been placed on special
leave to face disciplinary charges. This follows a Gobodo investigation
instituted by the department of Arts and Culture.
“On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Mr Mkiva, for
stepping up and showing willingness to assist us at this time of transition.
Our mandate is clear; it is to develop South Africa’s arts sector and creative
industry and promote excellence in the arts. Mr Mkiva understands this, and has
the support of the Board”, commented Advocate Hartley Ngoato, Chairperson of
the Board.
Zolani Mkiva is an internationally acclaimed heritage
practitioner and cultural activist. He is a well-respected policy maker who
employs indigenous knowledge systems in carrying out his role. He comes from a
family with a lineage of oral traditional poets and regiments of African
Royalty.
He holds a BA in Social Science from the University of the
Western Cape (UWC), an Honours in Developmental Studies also from UWC, and
Finance Management from UCT Graduate School of Business. Zolani Mkiva was part
of the founding council members of the National Heritage Council, and served
two full terms.
As an organic intellectual, Mkiva has also authored and
published books and papers. In 2008, he was appointed as a Government Advisor
on Traditional Affairs, working directly with the National Minister responsible
for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. During his tenure as
Government Advisor, he managed to turn around a number of areas in the
traditional affairs landscape. He was very instrumental in the establishment of
the new national department of Traditional Affairs, formulating its strategic
plan and structure. Recently, he similarly, availed himself as the Interim CEO
of PACOFS, an agency of the Department of Arts and Culture.
Zolani Mkiva said he was humbled by the Board’s request for
him to steer the ship at this time. “The Arts play a critical role in advancing
social cohesion, and it is incumbent on the National Arts Council to develop
and promote our artists. Our immediate challenge is to restore the confidence
of all our stakeholders and fast track the disbursement of funds to the arts
sector. I will count on the board’s support to ensure that we stabilise the
National Arts Council and roll out the implementation of our new strategy” said
Mkiva.
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