The South African Arts & Culture Youth Forum (SAACYF) Free State has called for urgent intervention in the province’s arts and culture infrastructure, citing widespread neglect of government-owned facilities.

Mmabana centre without power for months

The Mmabana Arts and Culture Centre in Thaba Nchu has been without electricity since 21 May 2026, after power utility Centlec cut supply over unpaid debt. The Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture & Recreation is currently undertaking renovations at the facility, but the continued lack of electricity has disrupted services to creative practitioners and communities using the centre.

Pattern of decline across the province

The organisation says the situation extends beyond a single facility. Arts and culture centres across the Free State, from local municipal halls to provincially managed venues, are experiencing deferred maintenance, interrupted basic services, and no clear upkeep plans.

Lekgutsa Mbele, SAACYF Free State provincial chairperson, said these centres should serve as the backbone of the creative sector.

“They are where young people first learn to hold a microphone, where community theatre groups stage their first play, where elders pass on language and dance that would otherwise disappear. But the reality in most towns and townships is that these facilities exist in name only,” Mbele said.

Three demands from creative sector

SAACYF Free State has outlined three requests to provincial and local government:

• Province-wide audit: An urgent assessment of all government-owned arts and culture facilities to determine which centres are operational, partially functional, or abandoned.

• Funded maintenance plan: A resourced programme with public timelines and accountability mechanisms for repairs and upgrades.

• Community oversight: The inclusion of practitioners and community members in oversight structures to ensure facilities serve their intended purpose.

Infrastructure failure hampers sector growth

The organisation maintains that the condition of public venues directly affects the ability of creative and cultural practitioners to work, train, and contribute to the province’s economy. It argues that without functioning facilities, government commitments to supporting the cultural and creative industries cannot be realised.