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A petition with 32,000 signatures from those opposed to the R22 million SA flag initiative Will be submitted by the DA on Friday. Nathi Mthethwa, the minister of sport, arts and culture, revealed information about the flag in May 2022. according to MP Tsepo Mhlongo the DA’s shadow minister for the same department, South Africans were right to oppose the initiative. He called it “wasteful.” Mhlongo said, “The moment the R22 million initiative was announced, there was a national outrage. Rightfully so”. He said with the little assistance from the minister, the arts and cultural sectors have had to battle to exist for over two years. Many artists struggled to provide for their families, and their appeals for help mostly went unanswered but surprisingly the department had R22 million to throw away on a massive glow stick that the minister intended to keep alight despite Eskom’s rolling blackouts.
Mhlongo claimed that the petition represents the resentment South Africans have for Mthethwa. Nathi Mthethwa, the minister of sports and arts and culture, sports, has justified the choice to spend R22 million to raise a 100-meter-tall flag. He also explained that the flag topic was still up for discussion with the government and that no decision had yet been reached.
Tsepo suggested that The money would have been prioritized to close the gaps at the numerous dilapidated museums, galleries, and historic sites around the nation if the minister had actually cared about the arts and culture sectors.
Mhlongo said South Africans deserve a compassionate government that prioritizes meeting their immediate needs over hollow ideas. “The R22 million might significantly contribute to employment growth in the arts and cultural industries”, He explained. It was discovered in May that the project had been approved by the government without examination. Ramaphosa claims that the R22 million flag was authorized by cabinet without cost consideration.
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