The Super Bowl at Sun City pulsed with pride, artistry, and celebration as the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) unveiled the National Arts & Culture Awards (NACA) 2025. Broadcast live on SABC 1, the evening became more than a ceremony — it was a national showcase of the storytellers, performers, and visionaries who continue to shape South Africa’s cultural heartbeat.
The night was a grand tapestry, weaving together legends, innovators, and emerging talents across theatre, dance, literature, design, film, and heritage. On that stage, South Africa’s most precious resource shone brightly: the imagination and resilience of its people.
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The arts, as NACA reminded us, are not simply entertainment. They carry our history, reflect our present, and ignite our future. They bind us as a nation, heal wounds, and open doors to innovation. In their rhythms and colours, they remind us who we are — and proclaim to the world the depth of South Africa’s creativity.
At the core of this vision stands DSAC, with its unwavering mandate to protect heritage, champion creativity, and build platforms for cultural expression to thrive. Through NACA, DSAC continues to elevate artistic excellence and position the arts as a beacon of unity, pride, and progress.
2025 WINNERS: CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE
HERITAGE
- Outstanding Cultural Landscape Award: Freedom Park Heritage Site Museum
- Outstanding Museum Award: William Humphreys Art Gallery
LITERATURE
- Fiction: The Comrade’s Wife by Barbara Boswell
- Non-Fiction: 100 Years of Dispossession by Lebogang Seale
- Children’s Fiction: Sanda Makes Some Money by Yamkela Tywakadi
- Publisher Award: Vhakololo Press (Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho)
DESIGN
- Architecture/Interior Designer: Asher Zachary Marcus
- Fashion/Textile Designer: Mzukisi Mbane
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VISUAL ARTS
- Crafter: Majolandile Samuel Dyalvane
- Curator: Nontobeko Ntombela
- Visual Artist: Malebogo Naticia Molokoane
PERFORMING ARTS
- Musician: Mphumelelo Dlamini
- Actor (Theatre): Tshireletso Nkoane
- Theatre Production: A Street Taxi Named Desire by Obett Motaung
- Dance Production: INGOMA by Moeketsi Koena
- Poet Performance: Napo Masheane
AUDIO-VISUAL
- Documentary Film: London Recruits by Jacintha de Nobrega
- Documentary Series: Free At Last by Xoliswa Sithole
- Film Fiction: Old Righteous Blues by Catharina Weinek
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More Than Winners — A National Necessity
The NACA 2025 laureates embody the richness of South Africa’s creative spirit. Their works break boundaries, honour traditions, and give voice to the stories that define us. They prove that art is not a luxury but a necessity — shaping how we see ourselves and how the world sees us.
The ceremony itself was a work of art: a fusion of music, dance, and storytelling that celebrated not only the winners but also the resilience and vibrancy of South Africa’s cultural soul.
