According to the information received from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture:
(a) Notwithstanding the fact that the Department did not appoint Mr. Tembe as the CEO of the national orchestra for the main reason that we do not get involved with the operations of the organization. It is important to note that diversity and representation are important factors in promoting equity and inclusion in most of our sectors given our history. This therefore should be applied in the orchestra where many Africans were marginalized. In this context, Mr. Tembe’s appointment as CEO of the Mzansi National Philharmonic is a positive step towards promoting diversity in the leadership of organisations. Therefore, his appointment helps to address historical imbalances and promote greater diversity and representation within the orchestra and the wider orchestral fraternity where African are less represented.
(b) Companies have always developed internal measures to deal with situations like this. It is common practice for officials in companies to declare their interests to avoid potential conflicts of interest. The Board of Mzansi National Philharmonic has appointed a diverse and experienced artistic planning committee which advises the board on funding of artistic entities. Furthermore, Mr. Tembe recuses himself on funding related to the three established orchestras of Durban, Joburg and Cape Town, as he also leads two of those.