WATCH | KZN artists stage coffin protest over ‘death’ of arts industry

KwaZulu-Natal artists staged a dramatic protest outside The Playhouse Company in Durban on Friday, carrying coffins to symbolise what they describe as the “death” of the arts sector. The protest, led by the Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa (CCIFSA) KZN and a concerned artists’ task team, marks an escalation in a long-running dispute over funding models, governance and the sustainability of artistic programming in the province. The group is demanding the removal of the Playhouse board and management, as well as urgent intervention from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), accusing both of ongoing mismanagement and failure to address industry concerns.

Artists gathered outside the institution’s Durban premises, saying repeated engagements with both the Playhouse leadership and the department had failed to resolve what they describe as systemic challenges in the performing arts sector. CCIFSA KZN provincial secretary, Howard Msomi, said the industry had reached a breaking point. The industry is bleeding as a result of selfish interests of those who are entrusted to safeguard and protect it.

Msomi added that despite ongoing efforts to engage both the Playhouse board and DSAC, artists had been ignored. “All these efforts have proved to have reached earless people,” he said. At the centre of the dispute is the Playhouse’s “in-association” production model and how funding is allocated.

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Artists argue that too little of the institution’s R57 million operational budget is directed towards actual artistic programming. They say the model places disproportionate financial risk on independent producers while allowing the institution to retain a share of box office revenue.

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