The Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) featured prominently in the press and on radio in the past month regarding a GFC deal with business broadcaster CNBC Africa which took effect some two years ago. The deal granted CNBC Africa a US$3m a year funding package from the GFC for a five year period. In April it was confirmed that Gauteng MEC Firoz Cachalia had cancelled the contract due to certain irregularities surrounding the agreement.
There have also been various rumours regarding drastic cuts to the GFC budget and the possibility that the GFC would be merged within the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC).
“The cancellation of the agreement between GFC and CNBC Africa came as a result of internal investigations launched by the GFC management into the contract which was entered into illegally by a former Acting Chief Executive Officer and did not therefore arise from a withdrawal of funding’ as such,” explains CEO of the GFC, Terry Tselane.
Questioned about the GFC’s budget cut for the new financial year, Tselane says this is in line with most other government entities which have been affected by the current recession.”We are therefore operating in a tight fiscal environment. The GFC’s budget allocation for this financial year is in the region of R16m. We are engaging with our principals to investigate additional resources for our programmes.”
Read more in the May 2010 issue of Screen Africa
