Parliament, Tuesday, 08 May 2018 – Highlighting its dissatisfaction with the manner in which the department responds to queries from the public, the Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture today called on the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) to revise its response strategies. This comes after the committee today received a briefing from the Robben Island Museum on the state of governance at the entity, among other matters.

The committee learnt that the DAC has yet to respond adequately to a letter received from ex political prisoners at Robben Island, which complained about the lack of maintenance and dilapidated buildings, amongst other things. This is because the DAC is waiting for information from Robben Island officials.

This delay raised questions about the DAC’s response time, the manner in which it responds to queries and also how it manages its entities. The committee called on the DAC to review its strategy on responding to queries, as the current method is not acceptable. The committee further said that investigations in response to letters of complaint should include on-site visits, not just waiting for information to be supplied.

The Director-General of the DAC, Mr Vusimusi Mkhize, said that discussions with the Department of Public Works (DPW) are underway to deal with the challenges relating to infrastructure at Robben Island. However, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture, Ms Xoliswa Tom, dismissed this, saying that such entities receive 80 percent of the DAC’s budget. “The department cannot continuously blame the DPW for its failures to monitor and ensure that entities actually do their work,” she said.

Meanwhile, a DPW official who is also a member of the steering committee established in 2014 between the DAC, the DPW and the Robben Island Museum, Mr Dumisane Gqibela, explained that maintenance challenges are a result of communication breakdowns.

Ms Tom said that Robben Island is a global site and does not belong only to South Africa. A world heritage site has a deep and rich history that must be maintained. The committee will prioritise its site visit to Robben Island, to assess the various challenges associated with governance and maintenance.

ISSUED BY PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON ARTS AND CULTURE, MS XOLISWA TOM.

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