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Transform Innibos or face cut
22/06/2007 09:54 - (SA)
Buks Viljoen, Beeld
Nelspruit - Mbombela municipality's sport and culture sub-committee decreed on Wednesday that the Innibos (Lowveld) National Arts Festival should support disadvantaged artists, businesses and welfare organisations, or face "limited" municipal support.
The mayor of Nelspruit, Justice Nsibande, was furious about this.
"I have no knowledge of the demands and I will investigate this immediately," he said on Thursday morning when Beeld brought it to his attention.
"This is an important festival for the city and such demands are not acceptable. We don't make that kind of demand on other festivals, like the recent Jazz Festival."
'All demands have been withdrawn unconditionally'
By Thursday afternoon he had intervened and said all the sub-committee's demands had been withdrawn unconditionally.
The sub-committee's list of six demands to the Festival committee included the following:
That 5% of the festival's profit should be donated to a welfare organisation of the council's choice, in a formerly disadvantaged community;
that Innibos should provide financial support for disadvantaged artists and cultural groups;
that stalls should be provided free of charge to disadvantaged business people;
that artists from the disadvantaged community should perform at all festival venues and
that Innibos should expand their marketing campaign to include Radio Ligwalagwala FM and a black community newspaper.
Free water and power
The committee said in its letter that "the advantage for the festival committee was improved levels of trust and support from the Mbombela municipality."
Festival marketing manager Sandra Jacobs said since Innibos began three years ago, the city council had provided free water and power to it every year.
By Thursday evening the council had not yet responded to a request to again donate water and power to the festival.
Jacon Dladla, municipal manager said on Thursday he was also unhappy about the sub-committee's demands.
Bessie Pienaar, the city's communication officer, said Dladla had given the order to go ahead with the donation of water and power to Innibos.
'Festival belongs to everyone'
The council also agreed to provide the city theatre, city hall, waste removal and traffic control, free of charge.
"This festival belongs to everyone. Demographically, it may be mainly Afrikaans, but there are still huge financial spin-offs for the city," said Jacobs.
Last year, the estimated income to the city was more than R20m.
Jacobs said at least R165 000 was donated to welfare organisations such as Lions, and schools.
"All communities benefit from the money.
"Food stalls are also made available to churches and welfare organisations," Jacobs said.
- Beeld
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South Africa
