‘It was only R20k,’ declares Zandile Khumalo after appearing on the DSAC list

by Bongiwe Mati

After an instruction from the newly appointed Minister of Sports Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie for the names and amounts of the people who have been receiving money from his department to be published, many were left in shock after seeing the list.

As the lead, Gayton is on a quest to clean up his department, and for him to do so, he has to look at the work done by his predecessors and hold those who benefited unlawfully from government funds responsible.

Announcing his order to have names published, the minister took to his X (former Twitter) to share:

“I have given an instruction that a list be published of all Artists, Creatives & Sports people who have been receiving money from the Department of Sport, Arts & Culture be published inclusive of amounts & reasons. The time where only a select connected few benefit is over.”

Singer Zandile Khumalo came out to defend herself after her name was listed as having received R20k from the ministry. Addressing the matter, the singer took to her Instagram page to comment, “Haybo guys it was just R20 000 for me that was obtained legally, sesingaze singalali musani ukudlala ngathi, sekungaze kunekwe amagama ethu kanje sengathi sangena kwa Arts and Culture sagqekeza i safe (don’t play with us, why are we now unable to sleep as if we went into the department of Arts and Culture and broke the safe)?’

She went further to add, “A call for applications was issued by the Dept of Arts and Culture for people who lost work and income during that dreadful and horrible time and we applied, complied and we were approved, well at least me that’s how it went so umsindo owani (what’s the noise about) coz mina I wanted 200k kahle kahle bangincisha (they denied me that amount).”

Also see: WATCH: A sobbing Makhadzi shares she never unlawfully benefited from government money