SUN CITY, SOUTH AFRICA — The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) hosted the National Arts and Culture Awards (NACA) 2025 at Sun City, Super Bowl, celebrating the nation’s most outstanding storytellers, performers, and visionaries. Recorded live for broadcast on SABC 1, the ceremony underscored the role of the arts in shaping South Africa’s cultural identity.
The event brought together icons, innovators, and emerging voices from across the creative industries. According to the DSAC, the arts are a powerful force in society, carrying the nation’s history, expressing its present, and inspiring its future. The department’s mandate is to protect heritage, champion creativity, and provide platforms for cultural expression to thrive.
2025 Award Winners
The following is a list of the award winners for 2025:
Heritage Category
- Outstanding Cultural Landscape Award: Freedom Park Heritage Site Museum
- Outstanding Museum Award: William Humphreys Art Gallery
Literature Category
- Outstanding Book, Fiction Award: The Comrade’s Wife (by Barbara Boswell)
- Outstanding Book, Non-Fiction Award: 100 Years of Dispossession (by Lebogang Seale)
- Outstanding Children’s Fiction Book: Sanda Makes Some Money (by Yamkela Tywakadi)
- Outstanding Publisher Award: Vhakololo Press (Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho)
Design Category
- Outstanding Architecture/Interior Designer: Asher Zachary Marcus
- Outstanding Fashion/Textile Designer: Mzukisi Mbane
Visual Arts Category
- Outstanding Crafter Award: Majolandile Samuel Dyalvane
- Outstanding Curator Award: Nontobeko Ntombela
- Outstanding Visual Artist Award: Malebogo Naticia Molokoane
Performing Arts Category
- Outstanding Musician Award: Mphumelelo Dlamini
- Outstanding Actor in Theatre: Tshireletso Nkoane
- Outstanding Theatre Production: A Street Taxi Named Desire (by Obett Motaung)
- Outstanding Dance Production: INGOMA (by Moeketsi Koena)
- Outstanding Poet Performance: Napo Masheane
Audio-Visual Category
- Outstanding Documentary Film: London Recruits (by Jacintha de Nobrega)
- Outstanding Documentary Series: Free At Last (by Xoliswa Sithole)
- Outstanding Film Fiction Award: Old Righteous Blues (by Catharina Weinek)
Ministerial Awards
- Internationally Recognised Award: Jonathan Butler
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Helen Sibidi
- Artist Living With Disability Award: Babsy Mlangeni
The winners of NACA 2025 were recognized for their work that pushes boundaries, honors traditions, and gives voice to the stories that define the nation.