Page 8 - KZN Film Annual Report 2023/2024

KWAZULU-NATAL FILM COMMISSION
Chief Executive Officer’s Overview
KZN Film Commission
MR S. GUMBI
A/ Chief Executive Officer, KwaZulu-Natal Tourism and Film Authority
Introduction
In the 2023/2024 financial year, KZNFilm had an adjusted budget of R124.905 million and had spent 97% of the budget as of 31 March 2024. This was a significant improvement in budget management compared to previous years. The spending of the KZN Film fund budget was carefully managed to ensure that allocated funds were either committed or spent within the financial year.
During this period, the entity operated with 22 filled permanent positions out of an organogram of 36, resulting in a vacancy rate of 41.6%. The merger process with Tourism KZN delayed the appointment of permanent staff for these positions, leading to the hiring of contract employees to ensure continued service delivery. Additionally, 19 trainees/ interns were appointed during the 2023/2024 financial year, with 13 females and 6 males.
Performance Information
During the 2023-24 financial year, the entity had fifteen (15) Annual Performance Targets, of which twelve (12) were achieved, translating into an 80% achievement rate. The three indicators that were not achieved were due to budget cuts implemented during the financial year. Detailed information is provided in the report under section C: Performance Information. The entity performed very well on other indicators, and it is important to note that the percentage of achievement on spending on Black enterprise went up to 76%. There was also a noticeable increase in the participation of vulnerable groups. The financial year marked a remarkable improvement in deliverables associated with the transformation targets. Eleven SMME incubation programs were supported across all ten (10) District Municipalities in the province, plus the Metro. This is a three-year programme and the focus on year one was management and finance and other courses will be added on in year two and year three.
Another exciting achievement during the financial year was that the entity achieved a level 1 BBB-EE status.
Skills Development
The entity continued with its comprehensive Industry Skills Development programs. Thirty-seven students were awarded bursaries to pursue film-related studies in the local tertiary institutions, amongst them two (2) live with disabilities. It’s also important to mention that during the financial year, the entity developed an Animation Strategy. The strategy seeks to promote and encourage a thriving culture of animation throughout the province. The implementation of this strategy will focus on creating opportunities for success, accelerating transformation, and bridging the digital divide. The strategy’s key objective is to position KZN as a prime location and economic driver for original African animated content, taking advantage of the province’s unique cultural richness. This will be supported by service work and co-production, strong links with the tourism industry, the rapidly growing gaming industry, and creative use of emerging technologies like Extended Reality (XR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The following are some of the highlights of the achievements under the Industry Skills Development programme:
• 19 participants completed a two-year scriptwriting
programme.
• 50 participants completed a school programme held in 5
District Municipalities.
• A drone technology programme was completed with
5 participants and a further 11 student participants
completed a BVLOS drone technology.
• 55 students were placed on local production internship
programmes, in production houses such as Uzalo,
ANNUAL REPORT 2023/2024
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