Palesa Kadi Appointed CEO Of National Arts Festival After Long Association With Event

Palesa Kadi, the new CEO of the National Arts Festival. Image by Mark Wessels

The announcement was made on the closing weekend of a successful 2026 edition, which drew robust audiences to a packed programme of local and international work from emerging and established artists across eleven days in Makhanda.

For Kadi, the appointment carries personal significance. Her career has taken her across the cultural and creative economy, through heritage, media, broadcasting regulation, and strategic communications, but she now returns to her home province, relocating to Makhanda to lead an institution she has known for much of her professional life.

"I have attended the National Arts Festival for many years, as a young person and as part of my work, and I'm aware of the importance of ensuring that it remains a vibrant platform for South African creativity," said Kadi.

"The Eastern Cape is rich in talent and culture, and the National Arts Festival is an epicentre where the world can engage with the diversity and texture that our creatives bring. It is a reflection of the soul of our country. I am taking up this position with a commitment to ensuring this legacy continues and grows."

Professor Siphiwo Mahala, chairperson of the National Arts Festival board, welcomed the appointment against the backdrop of a challenging period for the institution and the sector it serves.

"The National Arts Festival has navigated an extraordinarily difficult few years — the devastation of the Covid pandemic, a protracted and painful recovery, and the funding instability that has tested arts institutions across the country. That we stand here today, on the closing weekend of a festival that has delivered at this level, is a testament to the resilience of this organisation and everyone who refused to let it fail.

Palesa Kadi brings deep knowledge of the cultural sector, hard-won experience in governance and public institutions, and a genuine understanding of what this festival means, not only to Makhanda and the Eastern Cape, but to South Africa's creative life as a whole. The board is confident that under her leadership, the festival will continue to grow in ambition, reach and impact."

Mahala extended his gratitude to outgoing CEO, Monica Newton, “Our sincere thanks go to Monica for her tenacity and resourcefulness. She came into this position mere months before the COVID lockdown and navigated extreme change and disruption for the organisation and the sector. We would like to extend our gratitude for her service and wish her very well in her future endeavours.”

Says Yolisa Koza, head of brand experience at Standard Bank Group, “The National Arts Festival is a vital institution in the national arts ecosystem, and we thank the outgoing CEO, Monica Newton, for steering it and being instrumental during one of its most turbulent times.

As a new era unfolds, we congratulate Palesa Kadi on this appointment and wish her every success, confident that her vision will lead the NAF in this new chapter of growth, innovation and sustainable impact.”

Kadi has a range of experience in the creative economy. Among her notable achievements, she has chaired the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex, served on the SABC board, shaped arts and culture policy as head of arts and culture at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and held senior executive roles at the Film and Publication Board and the National Heritage Council.

As an ICASA Councillor, she regulated broadcasting and telecommunications at the national level. She is completing a PhD on cultural precincts and heritage in post-apartheid South Africa, is a published academic, and is an Archbishop Tutu Fellow of the African Leadership Institute.