SACO LEADERSHIP

Meet the team behind the South African Cultural Observatory (SACO), where academic expertise meets administrative excellence to drive cultural and sports research forward.

Our dedicated internal team, hosted by Nelson Mandela University (NMU) and in collaboration with partner universities Rhodes University and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), forms the cornerstone of our mission to advance understanding and innovation within the cultural, creative industries, and sports development.

Our diverse leadership team combines varied skills, experiences, and academic backgrounds, united by a passion for cultural inquiry. From seasoned researchers and industry professionals to emerging talents, we are committed to excellence.

Beyond our internal team and university partners, SACO fosters a vibrant research community spanning creative industries and academia. Through collaborative efforts and knowledge-sharing initiatives, we harness the collective wisdom and innovative spirit of researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds. This dynamic network ensures that our research remains at the forefront of industry trends and addresses the evolving needs of the cultural landscape.

Together, we uphold the highest standards of scholarship, while facilitating meaningful engagement and collaboration across disciplines and sectors.

Say hi to key members of our team!

GET TO KNOW UNATHI LUTSHABA

Unathi Lutshaba

SACO Executive Director

Ms. Unathi Lutshaba has directed the South African Cultural Observatory (SACO) since 2018. Under her leadership the research project of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has grown from strength to strength producing a significant body of work on the cultural and creative industries and arts, culture, and heritage sectors. Under her guidance, South African policymakers, government and the private and civil sectors have a tangible grasp on the value of the creative economy and its impact on the economy. This makes Ms. Lutshaba one of South Africa’s most recognised creative economy experts.

Ms. Lutshaba has an MA in Development Studies from the Nelson Mandela University and spent year tenure as a lecturer in the university’s Economics and Sociology departments. She is an Erasmus Mundus Scholarship recipient and an Alumni of the University of Antwerp.

Ms. Lutshaba’s research interests are multi-disciplinary and they include economics, business management, sociology, strategy, development policy, theory and project management. She has also leveraged her academic and entrepreneurial skills to secure and run a range of small, medium-scale and large projects.

She is passionate about the creative economy, the promotion and development of young people in the workplace, women in leadership and social solidarity.

Watch our videos

SACO Conference 2018 Highlights Reel

SACO National Conference 2016 - Counting Culture

Freedom Day Celebrations 2019

Executive direction

Women who move like water

THE economy, according to some, can be likened to a rainbow. We have all heard of the green or the blue economy. But what of the orange one? The orange economy is the creative economy. It is made up of the creative industries – such as architecture, animation, advertising, fashion and publishing. Together these industries form part of the modern economy where culture is produced and distributed through industrial means; with intellectual property being the main driver of trade, labour and production.

The cultural weight of democratic destiny: Building a creative, moving Mzansi

South Africa, 30 years into democracy, faces a challenge in nurturing a culture of democracy that resonates with its youth. South African Cultural Observatory (SACO) executive director Unathi Lutshaba argues that harnessing the unifying power of culture can bridge this gap and drive positive societal change. The creative economy not only fuels economic growth but also reinforces democratic values, making it a vital component in shaping South Africa's future. Through continued research, advocacy, and collaboration, SACO envisions a Mzansi where creativity and democracy thrive together.

The changing canvas: AI and cultivating skills for South Africa's future

South Africa's vibrant cultural and creative industries (CCIs) have long been a source of national pride and economic growth. The South African Cultural Observatory (SACO) and Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s (DSAC) statistics that show the CCIs contribute 3% to national GDP and close to 1 million jobs is well known.

Executive Summary

As we come to the end of the year, the South African Cultural Observatory (SACO) is thrilled to reflect on the vibrant and diverse cultural landscape, and work, that has unfolded throughout 2023. Despite the challenges faced, the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) have continued to inspire, uplift, and bring joy to our lives.

Spring into heritage – culture helps us leap ahead

KNOWING where we come from and who we are is what culture is. The repetition of rituals, beliefs, practices, and how we share knowledge is culture in motion.

Women move us, but find it hard to move the needle on their own progress

We need for a cultural sea change for women, if we are to advance as a society. What will it take, asks Unathi Lutshaba in an opinion piece for South African Women's Month. Cultural change and capital are the answer to this seemingly insurmountable challenge. But representation also matters. Its only now that there seems to be a shift with more women’s sport being televised, feminist films such as Barbie making box office waves, and more women voicing their concerns with the status quo.

Why innovation and creativity are interlinked

A new SACO contract and iteration is secured; and an update on empowering South African creative sector MSMEs to be great and showcasing it at the United Nations in New York.

A new era emerges

When I took on the role of SACO Executive Director five years ago, I never imagined what would transpire in the intervening years. COVID-19; the meteoric rise of AI; digitalization at scale; radical new trends; and many social, economic and cultural shifts.

Executive Direction - December 2022

The year 2022 has been an eventful and exciting one for the cultural and creative sector. This is particularly so given that it was a year in which the industry was allowed to function for the full year without the lock-down restrictions witnessed in the two previous years.

Executive Direction - September 2022

As I pen this, I am beaming with excitement. After a four-year-long wait, the 4th SACO International Conference 2022 is finally here. We are literally a few weeks away from the much-anticipated SACO International Conference that so many in the industry have kept asking me about.

Executive Direction - June 2022

I am hopeful that as you read this edition of The Cultural Observer you are warm as this winter has been very chilly, with temperatures plummeting to close to zero degrees in some parts of the country.

Executive Direction - March 2022

This edition of The Cultural Observer is published during an interesting but complex international environment. While on the positive side the world has seen Covid-19 infections numbers subside, we are witnessing a war that has a devasting impact to the world economy.

Executive Direction - December 2021

As we publish this edition of the Cultural Observer, most of the West has placed South Africa in the travel red list owing to the Omicron variant of Covid-19 identified by the South African scientists.

Executive Direction - September 2021

As I write this, we are closing off the Heritage Month in SA, a period during which many South Africans make a deliberate effort to celebrate both their living and intangible cultural heritage in visible ways.

Executive Direction - June 2021

Stats SA’s latest quarterly labour force survey (1st quarter 2021) shows that South Africa’s unemployment rate, using the expanded definition of unemployment, increased by 0.6% to 43,2% in the first quarter of 2021. The figure is even higher amongst the youth (15 -34 years), with unemployment rate reported to be 46,3% for the same period.

Executive Direction March 2021

The year 2021 started on a very bad note when the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic was devastatingly ruthless. It is difficult to find any family that has been spared or industry that has not experienced loss.

Executive Direction December 2020

As we close the year 2020, it is pretty difficult to decide as to where to start, what to talk about and what not to talk about. Just thinking about the year evokes and riles so many emotions at every level imaginable.

Executive Direction September 2020

Earlier in September, Stats SA released the GDP figures for the second quarter of the year showing severe economic contraction. The GDP fell by just over 16%. The fall is largely attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. In all probabilities, no sector of our economy has been spared.

Executive Direction June 2020

As we all know and have somewhat even become accustomed to it, due to social distancing measures put in place to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, since March 26, we have all not able to travel to any venue to consume any form of arts and culture products. Libraries, archives, museums, films and television productions, theatre and orchestra performances, fashion shows, concert tours, zoos as well as music and arts festivals have all been closed or come to a complete halt. Could this signal a death knell for the sector? The answer has to be a Big No, at least not if we can help it as consumers and key stakeholders of the cultural and creative industries.

Executive Direction April 2020

With the disastrous havoc wreaked by the Coronavirus, the world as we knew it yesterday is no more. As humans that occupy the planet earth, we have never found ourselves in this position, at least not in modern times.

Executive Direction - December 2019

2019. What a year it was. It has been an exciting year for the Arts, Heritage, Cultural and Creative sector.

Executive Direction

As we celebrate heritage month, as we visit various heritage sites, as we remember the journey walked and traversed by our forebears, it is wise to take to heart the words of the Spanish philosopher and essayist George Santayana when he said that “those who do not remember their past are condemned to repeat their mistakes, and those who do not read history are doomed to repeat it”.

Executive Direction - August 2019

This year the International Women’s Day theme was #BalanceforBetter. It essentially talks to a balanced world being a better world.

Executive Direction - July 2019

The first quarter of our new financial year (2019/20) has been characterized by several momentous events. The country held successful national elections, elected the sixth administration into office, new national assembly members and new provincial legislatures

Executive Direction - March 2019

These past few months have seen some good momentum gained in providing direction to the research outputs of the South African Cultural Observatory. In the same vein, the inputs for the Research Agenda have expanded the research possibilities for the Observatory and the sector as a whole.

Research is the word: What's done, what's to come

THE SOUTH African Cultural Observatory has a trove of research. Over the past three years we have generated research reports, monitoring and evaluation reports, a ground-breaking mapping study and more. We are intent on sharing this research widely and ensuring that the sector benefits, empowering through knowledge.

New directions: Five years, five key goals

PASSIONATE creative economy champion and researcher, Unathi Lutshaba, has been appointed Executive Director of the South African Cultural Observatory after a consortium of Universities led by Nelson Mandela University won a five year tender to ensure South Africa’s creative economy is well mapped, understood and analysed. Here are her key goals for the next five years.