R25-million and six years later, Soweto centre still needs millions to be completed
SIU investigates unfinished arts centre backed by music legends Caiphus Semenya and Letta Mbulu
To date at least R25-million has been spent on the National Academy of Africa’s Performing Arts. Photos: Kimberly Mutandiro.
- After receiving R10-million from government in 2018 and a further R15-million from the Lottery in 2021, the National Academy of Africa’s Performing Arts in Soweto remains unfinished.
- The former arts minister said that the academy – headed by South African music icons Caiphius Semenya and his wife, Letta Mbula – would train future Grammy winners.
- The academy now wants another R28-million to complete the project.
- Meanwhile, the Special Investigating Unit has launched an investigation into the funds the National Lottery Commission (NLC) awarded the academy.
- The NLC has no documentation on the project except a letter acknowledging its funding application, according to a well-informed source.
More than six years and over R25-million in funding later, the National Academy of Africa’s Performing Arts (NAAPA) in Soweto, headed by South African music icons Caiphius Semenya and wife, Letta Mbula (both of seminal musical King Kong fame), is yet to open its doors. Instead, almost R28-million more is wanted to complete the facility “to the point of functionality”, lawyers acting for Semenya told GroundUp.
Speaking through his lawyers, Semenya said the Caiphus Katse Semenya Foundation “currently anticipates the project to be completed during the course of 2026”.
Meanwhile, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is investigating National Lotteries Commission (NLC) funding for the academy after it received a tip-off from a whistleblower.
The academy received funding of at least R10-million (possibly R12-million) from the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC) in 2018, and a further R15.1-million from the NLC in September 2020 for “the completion of a music academy”.
The lottery funding was approved on 23 September 2020 by the organisation’s former, discredited administration, less than a month before President Cyril Rampoaphosa signed a Presidential Proclamation empowering the SIU to investigate corruption involving NLC grants.
Despite doling out millions, the only document the NLC has on file is a letter confirming receipt of a funding application from the Caiphus Semenya Foundation. “Nothing else,” a well-informed NLC source said.
The NLC confirmed it was unaware of issues with the grant until the SIU informed it of its investigation.
GroundUp has reliably learned that – unlike the NLC – the SIU does have documentation relating to the grant. It is unclear if it obtained these from the whistleblower.
The NLC said the grant was awarded as proactive funding, the mechanism at the heart of the looting of the lottery. Pro-active funding was previously awarded by the NLC for emergency disaster assistance and areas identified as priorities. Unlike other lottery funding, pro-active funding did not require a grant application.
The new NLC Board has suspended pro-active funding since it took over and replaced it with more stringently controlled “research-based funding”. The NLC’s priorities in the current financial year for such funding is gender-based violence and femicide, food security and child hunger, safe hubs and the creative industries.
Soon after GroundUp spoke to Semenya, he hired a leading firm of attorneys. The attorneys, having responded to some of our questions, asked for a further week to answer follow-up questions, because “our client has been travelling for the past week and we have thus not had the opportunity to take instructions in relation to your correspondence”. GroundUp had given extended deadlines for responses to follow-up questions and declined the further request.
R28-million wanted on top of R25-million spent
Early in March, GroundUp visited the academy, situated within the precinct of the Soweto Theatre in Jabulani. We found a double-storey building that appeared to be almost complete on the outside, but inside there were signs of pending construction.
People working within the precinct said that work had ground to a halt because “they have run out of money”.
A budget dated 3 March 2023, supplied by Semenya’s lawyers, indicates the cost of completing the academy to “the point of functionality” is estimated at R28-million. This included
- the costs of “completion of construction” of the recording studio complex;
- the purchase of the “necessary recording equipment, instruments and academic resources”;
- the furnishing and waterproofing of both buildings; and,
- the installation of the “appropriate security implements (e.g. gates, burglar guards and the like)”.
It is unclear how the R28-million will be raised to bring the facility to the point of functionality, but Semenya’s lawyers said the Foundation is currently liaising with DSAC “to flesh out the specific funding obligations to be assumed thereby, i.e. the manner, timing and extent of the expected disbursement of funds”.
“The Foundation is also in the process of identifying appropriate civil society/private sector funders to serve as contingencies to the extent that the final grant from DSAC is unable to cover the outstanding construction costs.”
It said delays were also caused because “previous engagement between the Foundation and DSAC had been directed by/through former Minister Nathi Mthethwa” and the project has to “be reintroduced or re-pitched to the current minister, Gayton Mackenzie, and deputy minister, Peace Mabe”.
“The Foundation has engaged in fruitful discussions with the current leadership and understands that DSAC intends to continue its prior support of NAAPA.”
Zimasa Velaphi, DSAC’s chief communications director, failed to respond to questions about the academy and its funding.
Academy launch
In July 2019, Mthethwa sang the praises of the academy during the arts and culture expropriation bill.
“The department has allocated R12-million for the support of the academy. This support will run for three consecutive years because we don’t want Ladysmith Black Mambazo to be the only ones who win Grammy Awards. Our youth and those who are still on the way should as well,” he told Parliament.
“In December 2018 we launched phase one in the process of building the National Academy of Africa’s Performing Arts. This initiative is headed by Mr Caiphus Semenya and Ms Letta Mbulu, under the Caiphus Semenya Foundation.
“The academy will offer professional art training in music, dance and drama. It will promote the highest level of human aspiration and artistic integrity through the composition, documentation and performance of the art.”
The department had already contributed R10-million towards the construction [of the Academy], he said.
After the launch of the academy, Mthethwa, who is currently the South African ambassador to France, tweeted: “Today I am proud to be attending the Press launch of The National Academy of Africa’s Performing Arts, a new Pan-African art institution founded by South African music legends, uBaba uCaiphus Semenya & Mam Letta Mbulu in Jabulani, Soweto. #NaapaInAfrica.”
With the centre still not functioning years and millions of rands later, the NLC awarded Semenya’s foundation a R15.1-million grant in a single tranche “for completion of a music academy”.
Asked if the Foundation had satisfactorily reported on the grant in interim and final reports, the NLC responded with a single word: “No.”
“The NLC has ringfenced all proactive funding projects due to internal and external investigations still underway,” the NLC told GroundUp. “However, this project was red-flagged by the SIU and they informed the NLC informally that an investigation was underway.”
During his budget vote in May 2023, new arts and culture minister Zizi Kodwa told MPs that the Academy “is almost complete with minor touch-ups on construction, supported by the department”.
But when GroundUp visited the academy, we found there were more than touch-ups needed.
The exterior needs painting. The main interior does not yet have a ceiling. Areas around some door frames must still be plastered. Some rooms are missing their doors. Bags of cement leaning against a wall suggested work was still in progress.
Several lecture rooms have been completed, we were told. But the recording studios, the heart of the complex, are incomplete and unequipped.
GroundUp was also told that some inside walls had to be demolished and rebuilt.
We were told that the project was being built in three phases: the first was funded by the department and the second by the NLC. Fundraising is underway for phase three, for the studios and other outstanding work, a source said.
Confusion over grant
Even though the NLC grant was allocated to the “Caiphus Katse Semenya Foundation”, Semenya told GroundUp that the academy was not a “personal” project but rather an initiative of DSAC.
In a phone conversation, Semenya said there was a “misconception” that the academy was an “NLC project”. While the NLC allocated lottery money towards the academy, the project “belongs” to DSAC.
Although the R15.1-million lottery grant was paid to Semenya’s foundation, he claimed that DSAC, not his foundation, had requested the grant.
“Yes, we got money from Lotto, which came through the Department of Arts and Culture; they asked for that money; it was Mr Mthwetwa who did that.”
“I understand that there is a misconception that this is a Lotto project. No, it’s not, it’s the Department of Arts and Culture,” Semenya said.
“Lotto just gave us some money to do certain things that they asked for; this whole thing is (for) the Department of Arts; it’s not my project, it’s not mine. That’s the thing that I want to clear [up].”
Semenya, who is yet to be interviewed by the SIU, confirmed that he was aware of its investigation.
“We are waiting for an official letter from whoever will be conducting this investigation so that everything should be done officially,” he said.
Semenya did not respond to written questions from GroundUp but instead suggested a meeting at the academy at an unspecified date and asked that we bring our evidence. GroundUp declined and asked Semenya to respond in writing to our questions, and gave an extended deadline.
Instead, Semenya hired leading South African attorneys Webber Wenzel to respond to our questions.
Semenya’s lawyers denied that the academy was a DSAC project.
“In referring to the involvement of DSAC, Mr Semenya sought to convey that NAAPA is not a private commercial undertaking in the ordinary sense in that it enjoys both the ideological and financial support of DSAC.”
The lawyers said NAAPA was “conceived” by Semenya and Mbulu.
“The project was launched through the Foundation which continues to be responsible for its construction and management. Due to an alignment of values, as they relate to the importance and development of arts education in South Africa, DSAC has adopted a supportive approach to the project and has endeavoured to assist the development to the extent possible. DSAC has not, however, assumed any formal responsibility or managerial control over NAAPA.
“NAAPA is an initiative of the Caiphus Katse Semenya Foundation, a registered non-profit organisation that is wholly dedicated and focused on the reclamation, propagation and perpetuation of South Africa’s indigenous performing arts,” Semenya lawyers told GroundUp.
“The foundation also is registered as a Public Benefit Organisation with the South African Revenue Service and was established for the purpose of developing NAAPA.”
Website
On the academy’s website, as of late March 2025, there is no indication that the it is yet to open its doors. It shows pictures of young musicians and actors against a background of what appears to be an artist’s impression of the academy. It also has a video of an artist’s impression of a completed academy. The site also features photographs of a still-under-construction academy. The section with photos of “Phase Three” – the final phase of the construction – suggests that the academy is complete and does not explain that it is still under construction.
A document dated 5 June 2023 lists the academy’s board as “Hon. Lindiwe Mabuza, Mr. Caiphus Semenya, Ms. Letta Mbulu, Ms. Angie Mokwetla, lshmail Semenya, Mosese Semenya, Vule, Brenda Sesani, Zamo Magwaza, Monareng Mokwetlo, Zamo Sibisi”. (Mabuza died in 2021.)
On its website, the academy says: “The Foundation is administered by the Patrons and Board of Governors. The Patrons of the Foundation are Mr Caiphus Semenya and Ms Letta Mbulu and there are nine (9) Board of Governors.” The board members are not identified.
It adds: “The National Academy of Africa’s Performing Arts is the brainchild of SA’S icons Mr Caiphus Semenya and Ms Letta Mbulu both gifted music composers, song lyricists, stage performing artists and founders of the Caiphus Katse Semenya Foundation.”
Links to Cuba
Dr Cynthia Khumalo, director-general for the department’s Arts and Culture Promotion Development branch, told Parliament’s arts and culture portfolio committee in August 2022 that construction of the school had been completed.
However, she said, payment has not been finalised, as some reports were outstanding at the time of reporting.
She said that the department had partnered with the Caiphus Semenya Foundation to build a school for African performing arts and to teach students contemporary dance – and music.
Khumalo said that the project was linked to South Africa’s bilateral agreement with Cuba, and was aimed at “bridging the gap between universities and schools”.
The project falls under the academies that the department supported and focused on training and capacity building in the creative sector.
“NAAPA also intends to attract students from the African diaspora, including African Americans, Cubans, and those from the Caribbean Islands who seek to study the African arts,” Semenya’s lawyer told GroundUp.
A view of the interior.
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