South Africa's National Arts Awards Honors 20 Creative Fields at Sun City Ceremony

Sun City Resort in the North West hosted South Africa’s National Arts and Culture Awards on Friday evening, where the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture presented 20 competitive prizes spanning heritage, visual arts and craft, design, performing arts, audio visual and literary work. The ceremony ran under the theme “Celebrating Our Nation’s Creative Excellence” and was broadcast nationally on SABC 1 the following day.

Hosts Pamela Mtanga and Vafa Naraghi guided the evening through a program that wove musical and dance performances into the formal award presentations, drawing artists, nominees, cultural practitioners and industry leaders to a setting marked by formal dress and artistic tributes.

The Department went beyond the competitive categories to honour nine recipients of Ministerial Awards, recognising individuals whose work has left a lasting mark on South Africa’s arts and cultural landscape. Those recipients were Leon Schuster, Alfred Ntombela, Felicia Mabuza-Suttle, Dr Rebecca Malope, Alec Khaoli, Dr Miriam Makeba, Mduduzi Tshabalala, Don Mattera and Nkosinathi Maphumulo.

Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie framed the evening as a deliberate bridge between generations. “The awards brought together legends who laid the foundations of our arts and culture with a new generation of creatives who are taking that legacy forward in their own bold and exciting ways,” he said. He was equally direct about why veterans matter: “Honouring our veterans is important because we must never forget the people whose talent, sacrifice and hard work helped shape our cultural identity. At the same time, recognising fresh talent matters just as much, because that is how we show the next generation that there is a place for them and their ideas in the future of South African arts and culture.”

Now in its third year, the 2026 edition drew creative direction from the concept “Going Way Back,” engaging South Africa’s cultural memory across generations. The timing carried particular weight, falling during National Women’s Month in a year marking 70 years since the Women’s March of 1956, five decades since the Soweto 1976 Uprising, 30 years of South Africa’s Constitution and 50 years of television in the country.

The awards spanned institutions and individual practitioners alike. The KwaZulu-Natal Museum received the Outstanding Museum Award for heritage, while Gallery MOMO was recognised as Outstanding Art Gallery. In design, Colin Payne won Outstanding Architecture/Interior Designer, David Tlale received Outstanding Fashion/Textile Designer, and Siyabonga Masuku of ZULOSOFI was named Outstanding Graphic and Multimedia Designer.

Performing arts honours went to Themba Ndaba for his role in “Breakfast with Mugabe” (Outstanding Actor in Theatre), Nomthandazo Rubushe for “Comedy Meets Gospel” (Outstanding Comedian Performance), and Gregory Maqoma for “Genesis: The Beginning and End of Time” (Outstanding Dance Production). Sisa Benjamin Zako received the Outstanding Musician Award for 45 years of work as Sizwe Zako. Koleka Putuma was recognised for “Water” (Outstanding Poet Performance), and “The Fatherland” won Outstanding Theatre Production.

Meanwhile, in audio visual and literary categories, Zenande Mfenyana received the Outstanding Actor TV/Film Award, and Norman Maake’s “Sebata: The Beast” won Outstanding Film Fiction Award. Michelle Kekana’s “The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women” was named Outstanding Book, Fiction, while Kutlwano Masote’s “Imperfect Harmony” won Outstanding Book, Non-Fiction. Fanie Viljoen’s “Die beste sussie vir ‘n baba-draak” received Outstanding Children’s Fiction, and Jacana Media was recognised as Outstanding Publisher.

Corporate partners including Super Group Dealerships, JETOUR, Metropolitan, AMKA and Yamaha supported the ceremony, reflecting a collaboration between government, business and the creative sector in backing talent and opportunity.

The National Arts and Culture Awards were followed by the National Sports Awards on Sunday, completing a national weekend of recognition. Whether the third-year momentum translates into broader institutional support for the sector’s emerging practitioners remains the question the awards, by design, leave open.