The annual National Arts and Culture Awards took place over the weekend at the Sun City Resort in the North West Province, where the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture handed out 20 competitive awards across six disciplines. The ceremony put the state’s stamp on who gets celebrated, who gets named, and who gets folded into the official story of South African culture.
Who Gets to Decide
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture ran the show. It handed out awards in Heritage, Visual Arts and Craft, Design, Performing Arts, Audio Visual and Literary work, turning a weekend ceremony into a neat display of institutional gatekeeping. The DSAC press release said, “The recipients reflect the breadth of South Africa’s creative and cultural landscape and the contribution made by artists, cultural practitioners and institutions to the country’s cultural identity and creative economy.” That’s the language of managed recognition. The apparatus picks the winners, then praises itself for seeing the whole picture.
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie leaned into the same script. He said, “NACA 2026 was a powerful reminder of the extraordinary depth of talent we have in South Africa.” He added, “The awards brought together the legends who laid the foundations of our arts and culture with a new generation of creatives who are taking that legacy forward in their own bold and exciting ways.” The ceremony framed culture as something that can be sorted, ranked and handed back from above. Nice work if you can get it.
Who Gets Named
The Ministerial Awards went to Leon Schuster, Alfred Ntombela, Felicia Mabuza-Suttle, Rebecca Malope, Alec Khaoli, Miriam Makeba, Mduduzi Shabalala, Don Mattera and Nkosinathi Maphumulo. The state’s praise machine also singled out a long list of winners across the arts, from museums and galleries to books, film and theatre. The names matter because the ceremony made them matter, and because the department decided this was the proper way to measure cultural value.
Among the winners were KwaZulu-Natal Museum for Outstanding Museum Award; Gallery MOMO for Outstanding Art Gallery Award; Madoda Fani - Southern Guild for Outstanding Crafter Award; Bridget Phakathi - Nkosi Sikelel’ iAzania for Outstanding Curator Award; Mellaney Roberts - Waar Bloed Nie Loop Nie for Outstanding Visual Artist Award; Colin Payne for Outstanding Architecture/Interior Designer; David Tlale - David Tlale for Outstanding Fashion/Textile Designer; Siyabonga Masuku - ZULOSOFI for Outstanding Graphic & Multimedia Designer; Themba Ndaba - Breakfast with Mugabe for Outstanding Actor in Theatre; Nomthandazo Rubushe - Comedy Meets Gospel for Outstanding Comedian Performance; Gregory Maqoma - Genesis: The Beginning and End of Time for Outstanding Dance Production; Sisa Benjamin Zako - 45 years of Sizwe Zako for Outstanding Musician Award; Koleka Putuma - Water for Outstanding Poet Performance; The Fatherland for Outstanding Theatre Production; Zenande Mfenyana for Outstanding Actor TV/Film Award; Norman Maake - Sebata, The Beast for Outstanding Film Fiction Award; The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women by Michelle Kekana for Outstanding Book, Fiction Award; Imperfect Harmony by Kutlwano Masote for Outstanding Book, Non-Fiction Award; Die beste sussie vir ‘n baba-draak by Fanie Viljoen for Outstanding Children’s Fiction Award; and Jacana Media for Outstanding Publisher Award.
What the Ceremony Actually Did
McKenzie said, “Honouring our veterans is important because we must never forget the people whose talent, sacrifice and hard work helped shape our cultural identity. At the same time, recognising fresh talent matters just as much, because that is how we show the next generation that there is a place for them and their ideas in the future of South African arts and culture.” He also said, “That is what made this year’s NACA special. It celebrated where we come from, recognised where we are and showed us just how much there is to look forward to. The future of South African creativity is bright, and judging by the talent recognised this year, it is in very good hands.”
That’s the official line: the state as curator, the minister as narrator, the awards as proof that the system is working. The ceremony at Sun City Resort offered a polished image of inclusion and continuity, with the department and minister presenting themselves as the rightful arbiters of cultural worth. The winners got the trophies. The institution got the legitimacy.
The press release said the recipients reflect the contribution made by artists, cultural practitioners and institutions to the country’s cultural identity and creative economy. That phrase ties art to the economy, culture to institutional approval, and recognition to the machinery that dispenses it. The awards didn’t just celebrate work. They showed who holds the microphone when culture gets packaged for public consumption.