by Thinus Ferreira
Pastor Vincent Blennies who has no experience in South Africa's film and TV industry and was appointed as CEO of the South Africa's troubled National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), is out after he quit on 27 May.
Vincent Blennies, who also serves on the board of Boxing SA, gave no reason for why he quit the NFVF CEO post just two months after he was appointed in April.
He replaced Thobela Mayinje who also abruptly quit and who was acting in the position for over a year and a half, after she was placed on "administrative leave" in July 2024 when the NFVF said it is doing an "investigation for numerous allegations".
Vince Blennies' exit from the NFVF is just the latest chapter roiling the struggling organisation, funded by tax payers through South Africa's department of sport, arts and culture, with the unstable and mismanaged NFVF that continues to lurch from crisis to crisis.
Saudah Hamid, NFVF board chairperson and who also serves on the board of Boxing SA, so far has nothing to say after initially touting Vince Blennies' "extensive executive management experience, with a strong background in organisational leadership, governance, and strategic transformation" when his appointment was announced in April.
Other NFVF board members who also happen to be Boxing SA board members include Mthokozisi Radebe (deputy chairperson and HR chairperson) and Sydney James.
When Vince Blennies was interviewed for the position of NFVF CEO, it was done by some of his fellow board members from Boxing South Africa who should have recused themselves from the process, although the company secretary failed to enforce this transparent governance process.
The NFVF confirms that Vince Blennies has quit, saying in a statement "Vince Blennies has resigned from his position on 27 May 2025".
"The NFVF Council is addressing the matter with the department of sport, arts and culture and continues to work towards ensuring stability within the organisation."
In a scathing statement earlier this month, the South African Screen Federation (SASFED) said "While there is now a CEO and council at the helm of the NFVF their legitimacy is deeply tied to this history of interference and manipulation".
"The current leadership cannot be viewed in isolation from how it came into being - through processes riddled with irregularities and violations of governance principles."
"Minister Gayton McKenzie's repeated secondments of department of arts and culture officials into NFVF leadership roles created a cycle of instability that disrupted operations, violated legislative requirements, and eroded trust in one of South Africa's most critical cultural institutions."
SASFED further slammed the "operational stagnation which we have seen at the NFVF over the last year".
"Funding disbursements are delayed. Strategic priorities are misaligned. The cultural economy is left to drift while appointees learn on the job - or worse, don't even show up."
According to SASFED, "Instead of appointing leaders with a genuine understanding of the arts, culture and sport ecosystems, we are handed individuals with no background or interest in addressing the unique challenges of these industries."
"This disregard has led to repeated failures to align key leadership with the needs of filmmakers, artists, musicians and other cultural practitioners."
On Thursday, SASFED told me "The NFVF CEO's resignation is a step in the right direction - but the real issue is the ongoing political interference and the complete breakdown of governance at council level".
"The very fact that the council continues to run back to the minister for direction (as set out in its statement today) - despite its clear statutory mandate - underscores just how blurred the lines of authority have become."
"The current NFVF council has proven it cannot fulfil its legal duties under the NFVF Act, and must be dissolved."
