Following an investigation and directive from the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has terminated the Silapha Wellness Intervention Programme.
The Programme was a three-year project offered to artists and sportspeople intended to assist them to access resources such as wellness counselling (including mental health, financial well-being, grief support, and performance anxiety), educational resources and assessments to help them identify their specific support needs on the wellness engagement platform, and 24/7 professional counselling services via a confidential call centre.
The service provider was awarded a tender of R18,297,360 for three years and the department was paying a sum of R507,120.01 to the service provider each month.
With serious questions raised about where and how the bulk of the money was being spent, as well as concerns about the actual impact of the programme, the Minister decided the money could be better spent elsewhere. The department is now actively seeking out alternatives to ensure that the families of artists and sportspeople can be assisted effectively in times of distress.
Said Minister McKenzie: “We are exploring innovative ways of ensuring that we do more, and better, for our artists and athletes as a government. We are already seeing that impact and change in sports like boxing, which was badly neglected, but we also need to be more proactive with issues like the families of our legends needing support when they pass away.
“We should be intentional about our plans and know how we will respond in these cases, to offer our athletes and creatives the kind of practical support that’s needed, when it’s really needed.”
Enquiries:
Ms Stacey-Lee Khojane
Spokesperson: Office of the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
Cell: 077 608 7579
E-mail: StaceyK@dsac.gov.za
Ms Zimasa Velaphi
Head of Communication and Marketing: Department of Sport, Arts and Culture
Cell: 072 172 8925
E-mail: ZimasaV@dsac.gov.za
#GovZAUpdates
