The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture announced the establishment of the South African Creative Awards (SACA) which it is hopeful will grow the industry and give Mzansi’s creatives the much needed recognition.
“These awards will be bestowed to South Africa’s leading creatives in the various creative sector categories and subdomains, who exhibit outstanding artistic and technical achievement,’’ said the department Minister, Zizi Kodwa.
The department intends to host the SACA annually and is optimistic that the move will benefit the country’s creative sector.
“This is another way in which the government is developing a participatory cultural platform by supporting artists and arts and culture initiatives, as essential elements to stimulate the growth of the country’s economy’’, the minister added.
The announcement was met with mixed reactions on X.
Some felt that the focus should be on provincial award shows before moving to national level, while others cautioned against favoring celebrities.
The local arts industry has made tremendous strides over the years and efforts to recognize talent have also been on the rise.
Among others, Mzansi has the famous South African Music Awards aimed at celebrating the country’s music greats and the South African Film & Television Awards, to recognize our screen stars.
Moreover, after the Amapiano genre took over the country back in 2019, the first South African Amapiano Awards were held in 2021 to give its artists their flowers.
Kodwa assured the nation that the SACA will uphold the standard by recognizing creatives from across cultural domains that push boundaries of their creative ability and show devotion to excellence and quality.
Details surrounding the launch of the SACA will be announced soon.
