Centre for Creative Arts – Creating an enabling environment for the flourishing of artistic and cultural expression, development and exchange.

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Festivals
Emerging Arts Managers Programme
The Eye
- Volume 1
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Home
About
Festivals
Emerging Arts Managers Programme
The Eye
- Volume 1
Subscription

The Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is an interdisciplinary hub hosting five festivals that advance artistic excellence, innovation and experimentation to celebrate social justice and a culture of human rights

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The ANNUAL

Festivals

Time of the Writer

23-28 March 2026

The 29th Edition will take place from 17th - 22nd March 2026

Durban International Film Festival

23 July - 2 August 2026

JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Festival

25 August - 6 September 2026

Poetry Africa

2 - 11 October 2025

Artfluence Human Rights Festival

11 - 15 November 2025

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What's happening?

Latest News

Project and Development Officer Vacancy

Ari Sitas is Poetry Africa’s Featured Poet

Call for Applications: Emerging Arts Management Internships 2024

Values of the Centre

Teamwork

Integrity

Trust

Deadline Driven

Diversity

Leadership

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Our Creative

Team

Ismail Mahomed

Director

Ismail Mahomed

Director

With more than 35 years in cultural leadership Ismail Mahomed is a multi-award winning arts administrator and published playwright. His previous roles include serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the Market Theatre Foundation, Artistic Director of the National Arts Festival and as Senior Cultural Specialist of the US Embassy (South Africa). Working collaboratively with the Centre’s team and University leadership he provides strategic and visionary leadership for the Centre for Creative Arts and oversees its governance, management and administration.

Siphindile Hlongwa

Senior Administrator

Siphindile Hlongwa

Senior Administrator

Siphindile Hlongwa works as the Senior Administrator and Curator for the Time of the Writer Festival and Poetry Africa Festival. She attained her Bachelor of Technology degree in business administration and holds a diploma in drama studies obtained from the Durban University of Technology. She joined the Centre for Creative Arts in 2011, after working for the Siwela Sonke Dance theatre company and Eager Artists productions as a performing artist and an art administrator. Siphindile oversees the general office administration for the CCA as well undertaking responsibilities as the Centre’s Safety & Health Officer and Covid-19 compliance administrator.

Philisiwe Manqele

Finance Administrator

Philisiwe Manqele

Finance Administrator

Philisiwe Manqele is an experienced professional with a B.Tech degree in Office Management and Technology, which she obtained from Durban University of Technology. In addition to her degree, she has also acquired several short course certificates to further enhance her skills and knowledge. With a wealth of experience, Philisiwe has spent the past nine years working for the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and she currently holds the position of Finance Officer for the Centre for Creative Arts. She began her role in February of 2023. Despite her professional commitments, Philisiwe cherishes her role as a parent to four children and enjoys spending quality time with her family outside of her work. Known for her outgoing nature, she identifies as an extrovert.

Katlego Gabashane

Projects Officer

Katlego Gabashane

Projects Officer

Katlego Gabashane is a distinguished Cultural and Heritage Practitioner with over fifteen years of experience in the arts, culture, and heritage sector as she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in arts administration, creative education, and cultural preservation. Katlego has served in key roles across South Africa’s creative landscape, including DALRO as Supervisor for Theatricals and General Licensing, and previous roles with ASSITEJ South Africa as SEF Gauteng Project Coordinator and Kickstarter Facilitator. Katlego has lectured in Dramatic Arts, African Indigenous Music, and Arts Management at Rhodes University’s Drama Department. She is deeply committed to the advancement of creative arts education and the nurturing of emerging talent in South Africa. Currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Ethnomusicology, Katlego’s research explores the preservation, documentation, and practice of African Indigenous Music traditions. Through her multifaceted career, Katlego continues to champion the value of Indigenous knowledge, language, and expression in shaping a dynamic and inclusive South African arts landscape.

Sakhile Gumede

DIFF Manager

Sakhile Gumede

DIFF Manager

Previously worked as a peer educator under HIVAN at the UKZN and previous roles including programming the shorts section for the DIFF. His role includes talent search, community events organising, schools programme as well as the prison programme for the literature festivals. He is currently heading Isiphethu which is the industry programme for the Durban International Film Festival.

Helene Naicker

DIFF Programme Co-ordinator

Helene Naicker

DIFF Programme Co-ordinator

Helene is a passionate programme coordinator, with a background in motion picture medium and filmmaking. She has been working as the Programme Co-ordinator for the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which has deepened her appreciation for the art of behind-the-scenes work that goes into bringing film festival events to life. Helene has also enjoyed working as a facilitator teaching filmmaking and production design at KZN Film and Tourism, where she supported and inspired up-and-coming young filmmakers. She is dedicated to continue growing in this industry, contributing to DIFF’s mission of supporting diverse voices in cinema, and cultivating creativity within the film industry.

Kholeka Khumbuza

DIFF Assistant Project Officer

Kholeka Khumbuza

DIFF Assistant Project Officer

Kholeka Khumbuza is a hardworking and passionate Media and Arts enthusiast with a strong academic and professional background in the field. A proud alumnus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media and Cultural Studies, a Bachelor of Arts Honours, and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts by research in the same discipline. In addition to her academic pursuits, Kholeka has served as a Media Studies tutor at UKZN, where she was deeply committed to mentoring and supporting students. Guided by the belief that knowledge is power, she is driven by the transformative potential of education, alignment, and meaningful exposure to influence, inspire, and drive positive change. With a clear passion for the media industry, Kholeka is dedicated to contributing to its growth and transformation by embracing learning opportunities and fostering spaces for critical engagement and innovation.

Lliane Loots

Curator - Jomba!

Lliane Loots

Curator - Jomba!

Lliane Loots hold the founding position of Artistic Director for UKZN’s Centre for Creative Arts’s annual international JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience – a festival that turns 23 in 2021. She combines her curatorial work for JOMBA! and the CCA with simultaneous holding of the positions of Dance Lecturer in the Drama and Performance Studies Programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Howard College Campus). She has a Master’s degree in Gender Studies and completed her PhD in 2018 looking at contemporary dance/performance histories on the African continent. Loots founded her FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY as a professional dance company in 2003 when it grew out of a dance training programme that originally began in 1994. As the artistic director and resident choreographer for FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY, she has won numerous national choreographic awards and has travelled extensively in Europe, America and within the African continent with her dance work. Loots was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French government in 2017 for her work (both artistic and curatorial) in the South African dance sector.

Thobile Maphanga

JOMBA! Curator Mentee

Thobile Maphanga

JOMBA! Curator Mentee

Thobile is a Durban based dance practitioner, creative collaborator and emerging writer with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Information Systems and Drama from Rhodes University. She is currently reading for her post graduate degrees at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. She has worked both in corporate and artistic sectors and is interested in how these two worlds can interact and prove beneficial for all involved. Her recent work has been site specific and film based as she interrogates how we define and make purposeful the arts and the industry it sits in. She is passionate about engaging the public in dialogue around topical societal issues to find solutions for better living. And she is deeply interested in the various expressions of individual voices. Her dance career has spanned two decades, working with various South African Companies and choreographers. She has collaborated with local and international artists to produce independent work. She was a co-founder of The Rickshaw Collective, sits on the board of the Flatfoot Dance Company and is a part of the steering committee for the KZN branch of the I'm4theArts movement.

Bash Siddiqi

Digital Specialist

Bash Siddiqi

Digital Specialist

Bash Siddiqi is a multidisciplinary creative and technical producer operating at the intersection of media, technology, and live experience. He specializes in livestreaming, videography, photography, graphic design, digital infrastructure, and DCP production for arts, culture, and live events. Currently working with the Centre for Creative Arts, he manages end-to-end production across festivals, panel discussions, screenings, and hybrid broadcasts, including technical coordination, sound, and cinema-ready deliverables. Bash is known for building reliable, scalable workflows using tools such as OBS, Zoom, Restream, WordPress, and multi-camera switching to produce polished, audience-focused results. He is the founder of Dopamine Group, a creative studio delivering integrated visual, technical, and production solutions with an emphasis on operational efficiency, brand consistency, and high-impact storytelling across complex production environments.

Mvunga Mtetwa

Emerging Arts Manager

Mvunga Mtetwa

Emerging Arts Manager

Mvunga Mbaliyama Nyambose Mtetwa is a graduate with a B.Com in strategic management. Assigned to the Centre’s finance office, she will work with the Centre’s management team to strengthen the Centre’s operations and commitment to artists to uphold the Centre’s reputation for efficiency and clear goal-setting. Whilst reporting to the Centre’s Finance Administrator, she will also work with the Centre’s Director and Senior Administrator to maintain the Centre’s several MOU’s with partners, ensure timely and compliant reporting to funders, and to develop proposals that can grow the Centre’s income potential through sales of publications, box office packages, and special projects. With her degree in strategic management, Mvunga will be a member of all of the Centre’s curatorial committees to grow the business strategy of the festivals as strongly as the festival’s artistic reputation.

Andisa Mpisi

Emerging Arts Manager - Guest Relations & Programs Coordinator

Andisa Mpisi

Emerging Arts Manager - Guest Relations & Programs Coordinator

With a diverse background spanning over a decade in the arts and entertainment industry, Andisa Mpisi is a seasoned professional known for her expertise in theatre making, filmmaking program management, guest relations, production design, and more. With a strong foundation in both creative and administrative roles, Mpisi has honed her skills through internships, traineeships, and hands-on experience, including stints at the National Arts Council of South Africa, the Business & Art South Africa, Stained Glass Productions, Rhythm World Productions, and the Bergen LitFest. Her versatility and dedication to the arts make Andisa a valuable asset to any project or organization seeking innovation and excellence in storytelling and cultural expression.

Nhlakanipho Thabethe

Emerging Arts Manager - Centre Operations

Nhlakanipho Thabethe

Emerging Arts Manager - Centre Operations

Nhlakanipho Thabethe, well known as Steel The Poet from Stanger, KwaDukuza. He is a poet, a writer, music producer, graphic designer and aspiring director. The majority of his scripts are about the unknown. He explores the mystery of the cosmos, distant galaxies, reincarnation and the stories hidden in the dark. He is a mystery-filled writer and sees the world as a huge riddle. Durban University of Technology 2023 Alumni In Diploma in Information Technology in Application Development. His ultimate goal is to be a film writer and director, films like Dune, Inception, Tenet, In The Tall Grass and other mysterious and cinematic masterpieces. He is inspired by Dr Jordan Peterson, the way he interprets the world and articulate himself freely and unafraid of society and the modern day cancel culture.

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The Centre for Creative Arts upholds Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Creativity as guaranteed in Section 16 of the South African Constitution. The Centre for Creative Arts recognises that artists may sometimes live and work in States whose values may not always be in accordance with the values of the South African Constitution but the Centre for Creative Arts commits to protect and advance the rights of any artist who freely chooses to participate in the Centre’s festivals where their voices and artistic expressions can contribute to building a better world for all people.