Artists have been without work and incomes since the start of the lockdown at the end of March. The organisations staging the protest said the promised government relief was poorly co-ordinated and too little to sustain them.
“Covid-19 has taught us something. We had time to reflect while in lockdown and that is why we need to fight for our space and what is due to us.This is the beginning. We will fight until our sector is treated the same as other sectors. The creative sectors and creative practitioners are ill-treated. Our sector is not regulated. It is being neglected,” Mailula said,
“The economic stability of our sector has been compromised by 26 years of insufficient and inept regulation. There has been a continuous lack of efficiency by the DSAC, as evidenced by the prolonged delay in the execution of the White Paper. The situation is further compounded by operating in an environment of zero social security or other societal protection mechanisms like the Unemployment Insurance Fund,” read the memorandum.
“Our sector keeps hearing from the DSAC about an economic stimulus package, of which R1.2bn is earmarked for sports, arts and culture, but we have received no indication about when this much-needed stimulus will become a reality, and how it will be apportioned between our sector and that of sports,” said the memorandum.
“The second wave of relief funding has had an overwhelming application comeback rate attributed to [these] factors. We have also witnessed those with correct documentation being asked to reapply.