The group, comprising of about 19 unions, forums and associations, have handed over a memorandum to the of the president in Pretoria.
A group of artists and entertainers blocked the roadway earlier and staged a mini-concert on the N3 in KZN on Wednesday, 2 September 2020. Picture: Screengrab/Twitter video
JOHANNESBURG – A group of artists and creatives which has marched to the Union Buildings on Wednesday has accused government of being impractical and out of touch when creating the COVID-19 relief fund.
The group, comprising of about 19 unions, forums and associations, have handed over a memorandum to the of the president in Pretoria.
Other marches were held in Cape Town and Pretoria under #VulaPresident and #UnitedWeStand.
The group has questioned why only people between the ages of 60 and 69 being eligible for the fund.
They want the immediate reopening of performance venues to up to 70% capacity provided that the COVID-19 protocols are observed.
The group also wants an immediate allocation of R600 million to the arts considering the impact of COVID-19.
The South African Creative’s Practitioners Union’s Brian Mokoena said: “It must become law for private and publicly-owned broadcasting services in this country to broadcast at least 70% local content like in all the other countries so that our artists can be able to get something, whether it’s in the form of a film, advert or music.”
They have given the president 14 days to respond.
