The Johannes Stegmann Theatre, a once-thriving cultural hub in Secunda, Mpumalanga, now stands as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of neglect and mismanagement of public funds. This world-class facility, built by Sasol in 1984, has fallen into a state of disrepair, its once-bright lights dimmed by years of neglect.
The theatre, named after the former Sasol chairperson Johannes Stegmann, was donated to the Secunda Town Council in 1986 and is now under the ownership of the Govan Mbeki Local Municipality. It was a beacon of the arts and tourism in the region, hosting performances from across the country.
However, the municipality's failure to maintain the theatre to its original standard became evident in a 2015 report to the council. The municipality, acknowledging its shortcomings, requested funding from the national Department of Arts and Culture to salvage the theatre.
In response, the department allocated R3 million to the municipality in the 2016/17 financial year, with the Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency appointed as the implementing agency for the project.
But despite this financial injection, the theatre continues to deteriorate. A supervisory visit by the DA in June 2023 revealed a grim picture: substandard lighting, makeshift power cables, missing windows in the sound booth, a faulty sound system, water leaks in the basement, and an exposed electrical backup supply unit.
Sindiso Nkosi, a veteran theatre practitioner and producer, paints a poignant picture of the theatre's decline. He recalls the theatre's golden years, when it was a vibrant hub for performing arts, hosting the world tour of the iconic Sarafina! musical in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
"Our Sarafina! world tour began in 1987 and ended in 1993," Nkosi reminisced. "I then noticed the appetite of factories using theatre to train and run safety awareness campaigns for their workforce. I then took advantage of this industrial theatre and worked on organising performances at the theatre, drawing huge numbers of people and creating a source of income for budding actors."
Nkosi, the founder of Izigi Performing Arts Productions, laments the loss of this valuable platform for aspiring theatre groups, saying, "I was not even aware that there was money allocated for the maintenance of the theatre. My plea is for this facility to be revived for the benefit of our communities and performing arts."
The Govan Mbeki Local Municipality and the provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation have remained silent on the matter, ignoring requests for comment.
The Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture, under the leadership of Minister Gayton McKenzie, has taken notice of the theatre's plight and the alleged disappearance of the R3 million allocated for its refurbishment.
Cassiday Rangata-Jacobs, the Minister’s spokesperson, confirmed that the ministry is investigating the matter.
"We are aware of the concerns that were raised… the minister will direct that [criminal] cases be opened if it is indeed true that money has been stolen. We are in a new era of accountability under the government of national unity," Rangata-Jacobs stated.
She explained that the ministry directly oversees six theatres, including the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State, the State Theatre in Pretoria, The Market in Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape, the Playhouse in Durban and Cape Town's Artscape.
"All other theatres are either privately owned or fall under lower spheres of the province, particularly municipalities," she said. "The department of sport, arts and culture does not administer these theatres directly and relies on government partners to manage them well."
Rangata-Jacobs expressed concern about the theatre's condition, highlighting its potential to benefit the community.
"However, we will have to engage with the provincial MEC, since the funds for the upgrade were routed through the province and any future plans for the theatre would require reassurances that the municipality is now in a state to manage the project. We may need to explore alternatives for how to make and keep the theatre operational and sustainable."
The ministry acknowledges the significance of the theatre economy and is committed to ensuring the efficient functioning of public theatres.
"We are currently doing a full assessment so that the minister can make decisions around how to get the most out of these centrally important platforms for the expression of the performing arts in South Africa," Rangata-Jacobs concluded.
