THE Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has paid more than R50 million to artists and athletes as part of the third phase of relief funds totalling about R70m.
Briefing the sport, arts and culture portfolio committee on Tuesday, deputy director-general Cynthia Khumalo said they had concluded the adjudication of applications.
“As at July 22 the total number of individual applications was 7 446 from the arts and culture sectors,” Khumalo said. She said that 1 167 of the applications were duplicates, resulting in 7 220 being adjudicated.
Khumalo also said 6 332 artists had been approved by adjudicators, while 763 applications were declined.
“A lot of effort was expended in ensuring that as many of the applicants that had put through their applications received funding and were adjudicated, and positive results followed. The total number of rejected applications sits at fewer than 1 000.”
Khumalo added that 5 100 applications had each been successfully paid R10 000. She said R51m had been paid to the beneficiaries at the time the report was prepared, on July 22.
Khumalo said the 5 100 successfully paid artists excluded about 252 who were being followed up due to their bank accounts being closed, or having provided incomplete information.
“A total of 303 were being processed at the time of reporting,” she said.
Khumalo added that 1 103 applications from arts organisations were received, and 1 088 were adjudicated. A total of 15 needed verification, and 222 were recommended for payment while 33 were referred for outstanding documents.
She said a total of 833 arts organisations’ applications had been rejected.
Khumalo said that out of the 205 living legends, 108 applications were processed for payment as at July 22.
There were 122 still to be paid, while 14 had applied online and three were not interested in obtaining the third phase of relief funds. She said they were pursuing 23 of the living legends, and they had decided not to follow up on 38 others who did not provide documentation over a month-long period.
Khumalo told the MPs that the department had received 1 085 individual sport applications, which included 185 duplicates. A total of 900 applications had been adjudicated, and 25 referred to the arts section, she said.
Khumalo also said R780 000 had been paid to 78 individual sport applications that were approved, and that 797 applications had been declined.
She stated that a total of 153 sport organisations’ applications had been adjudicated, and 119 were declined, three were referred to the arts section, 17 applications were duplicates and 11 individuals applied as organisations.
“A total of three applications, out of those adjudicated, were recommended,” Khumalo said.