McKenzie dissolves NFVF council again, cites unlawful acting-CEO appointment and governance failures

Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie dissolved the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) council with immediate effect on 23 September, invoking section 6(10) of the NFVF Act. According to The Citizen, the move is the second dissolution in recent years after a prior dissolution in July 2024 amid allegations of mismanagement and corruption.

What the minister said

McKenzie told stakeholders the central dispute concerned the council’s appointment of Nondumiso Madlala as acting CEO in July. According to The Citizen, the minister said this appointment ran contrary to section 13(4) of the NFVF Act, which bars appointing an acting CEO from outside the foundation.

The Citizen reports the council received written notice from the minister in July and was offered two lawful options to resolve the issue, but did not take either option. The council’s written representations, according to The Citizen, conceded that Madlala’s appointment was unlawful.

Governance concerns and contested resignations

The Citizen says the council also acknowledged that Madlala’s resignation was defective, leaving her in an executive role while still a council memberan arrangement the minister regarded as creating an oversight conflict.

Later, Madlala was replaced as acting CEO by Neliswa Bam without a public announcement to the industry, The Citizen reports. The article also cites the council chairperson’s resignation and the handling of the former acting CEO’s suspension as additional factors in McKenzie’s decision to dissolve the council.

Accountability, continuity and next steps

McKenzie described the dissolution as an accountability measure and said it was not an allegation of dishonesty against council members. The Citizen quotes him saying that accountability at an entity

“cannot be optional.”

To limit disruption, McKenzie directed the NFVF CEO to assume accounting authority under the Public Finance Management Act until a new council is appointed. The Citizen reports that approved and committed funding, including the current PESP6 Blockbuster cycle, will continue to be processed and that an independent whistleblower investigation will proceed.

The Citizen also notes McKenzie cited the previous July 2024 dissolution, saying funding approvals stalled for three months then, and that he intends to appoint a new council quickly to avoid passing governance consequences on to people who rely on the foundation.

Source and verification

These details are taken from The Citizen’s report. According to The Citizen, it could not independently verify the underlying ministerial statement, the council’s representations, or separate commentary from the NFVF or affected parties.