Cape Town - The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture has denied claims of "questionable funding deals" made by City Press on Sunday.
(READ CITY PRESS' ARTICLE HERE)
The article alleged that "Ladysmith Black Mambazo was allocated R36 million over three years by the department of arts and culture to teach traditional Zulu song and dance - and to make an album with former president Jacob Zuma."
City Press cited "senior sources" for their findings, claiming that the suspicious deals had amounted to more than R100 million.
In a statement to the press, the department of sports, arts and culture has categorically denied all claims made by the publication.
The statement said: "The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture would like to place on record that it is extremely disappointed and deems worthless and beneath consideration on the basis of it being devoid of truth and facts the disparaging article published by City Press on the 14th of July 2019."
The statement refutes the claims, calling it a "malicious intention to taint the name of the department and that of Minister Nathi Mthethwa," adding that the article is both "misleading and mischievous."
The statement further outlined the process that the department followed to establish and award tenders.