South African Government To Celebrate Artistic And Technical Achievements

South Africa's minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa, announced on Tuesday that the government was all set to host the South African Creative Arts Awards (SACA) to celebrate outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the arts and culture sector.

The announcement was made in Pretoria, with Kodwa saying the all-encompassing awards ceremony will drive creative economic growth in South Africa.

"The creativity and imagination of the South African designers, artists, producers, writers, and performers are continuing to shine the light on the global stage and driving the growth of our creative economy," Kodwa said, SA News reported.

With this initiative, the government will develop a "participatory cultural platform" to support the artists and arts and culture pursuits, Kodwa said, adding that these activities were essential to stimulate the growth of the country's creative economy.

He explained that SACA will help talents from across the cultural domains to push the "boundaries of their creative ability and show devotion to excellence with uncompromising quality, ground-breaking creativity and relentless innovation that defines those that are outstanding from the best."

The minister said the launch date of the award show will be announced soon.

The announcement comes as the country gets ready to host the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) Under 19 Cricket World Cup from Jan. 20 to Feb. 11. The tournament was supposed to be held in Sri Lanka, before the ICC Board decided to move it to South Africa.

Kodwa disclosed the reason behind this move was the Sri Lanka government's extensive interference in the board's administration.

The tournament will witness participation from 16 countries, and the minister clarified that no funding from the South African government was required, as the International Cricket Council and Cricket South Africa will take care of the finances.

The event will take place at several stadiums, including Buffalo Park Cricket Stadium, East London; Diamond Oval, Kimberley; JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom; Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein and Willowmore Park, Benoni.

The minister also shed light on the preparations for South Africa's participation in the 2027 Netball World Cup, noting that an Independent Advisory Panel has been appointed to create a blueprint for the development of Netball in South Africa.