With just three weeks to go to the National Arts Festival, concerns over service delivery disruptions in Makhanda persist, but organisers and the municipality say plans are in place to ensure the event proceeds as scheduled.
Contingency measures, backed by dedicated budgets, have been put in place to manage potential disruptions, while strong bookings and a comprehensive programme point to sustained confidence in the arts showpiece.
The festival’s chief executive, Monica Newton, said her team looked forward to a rich programme packed with highlights including the Standard Bank Young Artists edition, international works from Australia, Canada, the UK and Brazil, the return of film to the programme and a vibrant Fringe lineup.
“It’s all systems go as we count down to the festival opening on June 25,” she said.
Newton said the music offering was particularly strong this year.
“We’re looking forward to the meeting of exceptional Eastern Cape talent and top SA musicians like Msaki, Concord Nkabinde, Gabi Mothuba, Manana, Nomfundo Mo, Nontokozo Mkhize and the Soweto String Quartet.
“Adding depth and insight to the many themes this year, the Art Talks and Lit Fest schedules hold place for robust discussion and thought leadership.
“Bookings are buoyant and we look forward to welcoming SA and the world to the 2026 edition,” she said.
Graham Hotel owner Eugene Repinz said the long-established Makhanda icon in High Street was 90% booked for the festival period.
“Bookings are already better than last year, and the stays are for most of the festival, which is really good.”
Repinz said though the city had struggled with service delivery for more than a decade, the hotel had come up with some solutions.
“We have water outages, which has been a problem, especially for a hotel, so about three years ago we put in our own borehole.
“We also have solar panels and backup power, so we are quite self-sufficient.
“When the wind blows, the power lines go down. So, while we can run for a while, it’s not forever.
“The potholes are also a problem,” he said.
“I know other businesses have challenges because they don’t have the infrastructure we do, so it is difficult for them.”
Repinz said the Makana municipality had been working on a number of issues in preparation for the festival.
“I do see a lot of work going on in town. They are repairing roads and sorting out some power issues to try get ready for the festival.
“Our main concern is street lights at night, which is a security issue.
“But there are a lot of police and private security companies available over the festival, so crime is kept down quite a lot.
“But it’s still not nice having to navigate dark streets.”
He said they had been pushing the municipality for better street lighting.
“We have put up our own lights around the building, so it is well lit, and some other businesses have done the same.”
Repinz said the Social Employment Fund (SEF) partnered with the festival as part of a project of the Industrial Development Corporation and the Presidential Stimulus Project.
On its website, the festival states: “The SEF programme marries the need for programmes that improve the living conditions of residents with a pipeline to temporary employment for many unemployed people.
“To date, the SEF project in Makhanda has provided temporary employment for 6,977 people and led to recycling projects, infrastructure upgrades, vegetable gardens and repairs to schools.”
Meanwhile, the Makana municipality condemned the “aggression” displayed on Tuesday by service-delivery protesters, who blocked roads, but spokesperson Anele Mjekula said the situation had since quietened down.
“Makana Local Municipality mayor Yandiswa Vara, mayoral committee councillors, the municipal manager and senior officials recently held successful, open engagements with the protesting community members.
“These meetings led to a practical action plan to resolve on-the-spot service delivery issues across Makhanda,” Mjekula said.
“The ... municipality has been engaging the protesting residents and addressing many of the issues raised.
“A lot of work has been done, particularly in wards 3 and 4, to respond to the challenges raised by the residents of those areas.
“Various attempts have been made to resolve the challenges.
“These efforts have, however, been met with continued protest action and aggression.
“The leadership of the municipality has always been open to engage with residents, and the door remains open for constructive engagement.”
Mjekula thanked the transport industry and taxi drivers for assisting in reopening blocked roads and ensuring workers and pupils were able to get to work and school safely.
“We appreciate the responsible and caring attitude they displayed during a period when it could have been easier to add fuel to the fire.”
Mjekula said the city was hard at work preparing for the arts festival.
“The Joint Operations Committee has already started meeting in preparation for the festival to ensure everything goes smoothly in terms of service-delivery-related issues.
“The [committee] is made up of members from the [festival], security and emergency cluster, government departments and other key stakeholders.
“The municipality will issue notices whenever there are service interruptions during and beyond the [festival].”
Municipal manager Pumelelo Kate said on Tuesday that the municipality made provisions in its budget for the festival each year.
“We prepare a contingency plan for the festival.
“We budget for extra operations because we need to ensure plumbers and electricians are available 24 hours a day.
“We also have private companies on standby in case of serious emergencies.”
Mjekula said law enforcement agencies continued to monitor potential protest action and that the municipality would continue to engage residents to address the challenges raised by the community.
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