20 Feb 2026

Plans are afoot to strengthen the creative industry’s legal standing. 

Answering a question in Parliament on Wednesday, the Minister of Sport and Arts, Mr Jacob Kelebeng, said that through National Development Plan 12 (NDP 12), the ministry intends to table the Performer Protection Bill before Parliament soon. 

“This legislation is expected to solidify the legal framework safeguarding the rights and welfare of performers across the country,” Mr Kelebeng said. 

The minister also detailed the payment framework designed to ensure fair remuneration for the creative sector. 

Minister Kelebeng confirmed that the Guidelines for the Procurement of Arts and Culture Products and Services have been in effect since 2018. 

He noted that the guidelines were developed to implement Presidential Directive Cab I (B) of 2015. 

Furthermore, the minister highlighted that following the COVID-19 pandemic, several fee structures were revised upward to support the industry’s recovery. 

Notably, he said the minimum fee for groups, including traditional song and dance, choral and dikhwaere, was increased from P10 000 to P25 000. 

He added that the current payment structures included P25 000 as a standard rate for performance groups and contemporary live bands, P10 000 for Disk jockeys (DJs), one-man bands and contemporary backtrack bands and P5 000 for poets, mmamogolokwane, traditional instrument players and directors of ceremonies. 

Minister Kelebeng emphasised that the figures represented minimum fees intended to guide procuring entities. 

He noted that artistes may be paid higher rates depending on the specific budget and scale of the event. 

The minister’s response followed a question from Kgatleng Central MP, Mr Mpho Morolong, who had sought clarification on whether formal guidelines existed to ensure that artistes were fairly and consistently compensated across different categories. ENDS