The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture has decided to terminate its contract with the Silapha Wellness Intervention Programme.
The department says the decision follows investigations into the use of funds allocated to the programme.
“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, Minister Gayton McKenzie decided the money could be better spent elsewhere,” said Stacy-Lee Khojane on behalf of the Department.
Some of the functions of the Silapha Programme included assisting artists and athletes to access mental health, financial and grief support, as well as to manage performance anxiety amongst others.
It consisted of a wellness engagement platform and 24/7 counselling services through a confidential call centre.
However, McKenzie expressed dissatisfaction with what he referred to as the negligence of other sporting codes like boxing by the Silapha initiative and called for more intentional efforts to address the challenges faced by professionals in sports and the creative sector.
In addition, Khojane guaranteed that the department is seeking other alternatives to ensure that there is continuous support provided to artists and sportspeople during this time.
