PLANS UNDERWAY TO REVIVE MACUFE

By Bongani Tshabalala

KOPPIES-Sports , Arts , Culture and Recreation MEC Mahasa  has announced that  popular events such as the annual Mangaung African Culture Festival (MACUFE)  will have to continue  with an exploring option of contacting them  virtually.
“The Department will explore other alternative revenue generating avenues. We will pilot a project similar to Outdoor Open-Air Cinema but featuring music and comedy. Ladies and gentlemen, to keep the spirit of Macufe alive, we are going to host an Outdoor Open-Air Musical and Cultural Festival in the Mangaung Metro in 2021” she said.

She announced that athletes and artists in the province have been provided with relief to the tune of over R6 million since the pandemic hit the country last year.

Tabling her department’s R638 million budget for the 2021/22 financial year, Mahasa said the department will try to continue supporting artists while the bulk of the budget will go towards four key programmes which are Administration and Financial Management, a programme that includes filling vacant positions in the department; the Cultural Affairs programme that includes events such as Macufe and others; Library and Archive Services as well as Sport and Recreation.