Bulawayo councillors are demanding a budget breakdown of US$300,000 requested to fund the upcoming Bulawayo Arts Festival set to be held in June.
The festival is an annual event held to commemorate city culture and heritage. It was first held in 2019 and this year, it is set to be held from June 2 to June 5, following the commemoration of Bulawayo Day on June 1.
According to the council minutes, US$300,000 was provisionally budgeted for the festival in the hold-on vote, and the Arts, Culture, and Heritage office would develop a program of events for the festival.
In a chaotic turn of events, there was a temporary commotion in the council chambers as the city fathers were divided over the resolution of the requested budget. Some councillors were of the view that the amount was too high, especially at a time when the city was faced with a severe water crisis, while other councillors felt that the budget was justified, noting that the event would uplift local artists and showcase the city’s talent and culture.
Despite the commotion, acting Mayor Cllr Edwin Ndlovu explained that the US$300,000 was the amount budgeted for the whole year to fund the arts sector, while the amount needed for the cultural event was US$26,000.
Ward 21 Cllr Tinevimbo Maposa and Ward 9 Cllr Donaldson Mabuto noted that it was unjustifiable to request such a huge amount of money for one activity.
“We applaud the city for enshrining the culture of the city and commemorating its heritage through such important events. However, how do we justify channeling this much money to one event when we do not have water? We tell residents every day that we do not have enough money to solve the water crisis. How will they look at us when they hear that we have put this much money into one event?” argued Cllr Mabuto.
Cllr Maposa queried, “What is so important in this event that would need a whole US$300,000? I have no problem with the reasons behind the event; instead, I fully support it. We need such events every year. It is the amount being requested that I have a problem with. Can we please have a breakdown of how this money would be used?”
Ward 20 Cllr Sandra Ndebele-Sibindi, a renowned artist, questioned why the budget had been pegged so high. From her experience in the industry, the festival was funded with way less money.
“I am an artist by profession. In my previous experience, the council hardly allocates beyond US$30,000 for the entirety of that event. If each year there was this much money, we would have well-paid artists. We would have numerous arts centres. We would have artists who go outside the country regularly to perform and market their work,” she said.
Cllr Edwin Ndlovu reiterated that when the council budget was being crafted, it was alive to gender mainstreaming and upholding culture.
“US$300,000 was budgeted to that effect, but that does not mean that it will all be used to fund the one-week event in its entirety. The money which shall be spent during the festival is US$26,000 only. Failure to uphold and commemorate such events, we would destroy the city,” he explained.
Ward 17 Cllr Sikhululekile Moyo emphasised the importance of dispelling misinformation, citing ambiguity over the amount needed for the event.
“It is important to always have the correct information given to the people. We read in the newspapers that US$300,000 was required. Now you are stating US$26,000. If we had the correct figure, we would not be having this debate right now,” she said.
