Department of Sport, Arts & Culture · Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme
PESP Creative Sector
What PESP is (and is not)
The Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme is a national response to unemployment. Its creative-sector arm, administered by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), buys work from artists rather than paying grants for projects. When a call opens, DSAC contracts an anchor cultural institution (a national theatre, a festival, an arts NPC) to hire a set number of creative practitioners at prevailing sector rates for a defined period. Practitioners apply to the anchor, not to DSAC.
That structure makes PESP different from NAC or NLC grants. NAC hands you money to run your own project. PESP hires you into someone else's institution for a season. If you are an artist looking to be paid for the craft you already do, PESP fits. If you are trying to fund a new production you own, NAC or NLC is the right route.
At a glance
Anchor institutions that run PESP calls
These are the entities that DSAC contracts to place practitioners. Watch their social channels and websites — every open PESP call is published by the anchor itself, not by DSAC.
The Market Theatre Foundation
Newtown, Johannesburg. Stage crew, actors, directors, technicians, front-of-house.
The Playhouse Company
Durban. Musicians, dancers, choreographers, stage management.
Business and Arts SA (BASA)
National. Digital content producers, arts administrators, programme managers.
The State Theatre
Tshwane. Actors, technical, wardrobe, marketing assistants.
Artscape
Cape Town. Producers, playwrights, choreographers, arts educators.
South African State Theatre
Pretoria. Ensembles, orchestras, community touring cast.
National Arts Festival
Makhanda. Fringe curation, festival production, technical crew.
Windybrow Arts Centre
Hillbrow, Johannesburg. Community outreach, education programming.
Iziko Museums
Cape Town. Heritage documentation, digital archiving, exhibition assistants.
Disciplines PESP covers
Across a typical funding cycle, PESP supports roles in most of the following. Not every anchor runs every discipline; check the specific call.
Who qualifies
- South African citizen or permanent resident with a valid ID
- Working practitioner in a discipline covered by the current anchor call
- Available for the full contract length (3 to 12 months) without duplicating another full-time public salary
- Not currently employed full-time in a role that would double-fund the same hours
- For youth-priority calls: aged 18 to 35 at the time of application
How to apply
- Identify the anchor institution running a call in your discipline and province. Follow their social channels and mailing list; DSAC does not maintain a single national portal.
- When the call opens, submit the anchor's application form. Most ask for ID, CV, portfolio or work samples, and two references.
- Attend the anchor's shortlisting audition, interview, or portfolio review.
- If offered a contract, sign the fixed-term agreement with the anchor institution. Pay is a set monthly amount at the sector rate for your role.
- Complete the placement. Anchors report performance and attendance to DSAC on a monthly basis.
- After completion, ask the anchor for a reference letter — it counts in future PESP and NAC calls.
Contact
DSAC does not accept individual PESP applications. For queries about the programme structure or to check which anchor is running the next call, contact: