Reshma’s appointment follows the suspension of the entity’s CFO relating to the management of PESP.
The new council of the National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC) has announced the appointment of Reshma Bhoola as its acting CFO. The NAC has also appointed Julie Diphofa as its new acting CEO.
The appointments follow the suspension of the NAC’s CFO and CEO, pending an investigation in relation to the management of the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP).
According to a statement by the NAC, the decision follows robust engagement with management over the past weeks, which left the council “seriously dissatisfied” with the progress on the rollout of the PESP.
The NAC is entrusted with the responsibility to administer the PESP on behalf of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC). To this effect, the NAC was allocated a total amount of R300 million to be disbursed through two funding streams, at R100 million and R200 million for Stream One and Stream Two respectively. Stream One was intended to enable job retention, whilst Stream Two was for work opportunities within the arts, culture and heritage sector.
The council said it took these decisive steps in the interest of service delivery as it relates to the PESP, which is meant to support hundreds of arts, culture and heritage practitioners.
