SA: Monica Newton steps down as National Arts Festival CEO after five years

Newton, who joined the festival in 2020, will leave the organisation after overseeing six editions of the National Arts Festival and three editions of the Mandela Bay Arts Festival. She will be succeeded by Palesa Kadi, who is due to join the organisation on 3 August 2026.

Newton took over as CEO shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global live performing arts sector. Under her leadership, the festival shifted from a destination-based event to a fully filmed and streamed digital festival within 100 days, providing performance opportunities and income for artists during the pandemic.

Following the return of live events, Newton also led the festival through operational challenges linked to South Africa's energy crisis, including periods of Stage 6 load shedding.

During her tenure, Newton expanded the festival's role in local economic development, including spearheading its application to manage the Social Employment Fund (SEF) in Makhanda from 2022. The initiative used the festival's administrative and logistical capacity to support short-term employment, rehabilitate local infrastructure and contribute to economic recovery in the Eastern Cape city.

Newton also helped establish the Festival Enterprise Catalyst (FEC), a collaboration between major South African arts festivals that secured match funding from the Jobs Fund. The initiative supported the joint production and touring of artistic works while creating employment opportunities for artists and technicians and strengthening collaboration between participating festivals.

Her tenure also included efforts to consolidate the scale of the National Arts Festival in response to economic pressures and audience distribution. During the period, the festival marked its 50th anniversary, prompting discussions around its future and the role it could play in South Africa's creative sector.

Newton additionally oversaw the National Arts Festival's production of the Mandela Bay Arts Festival in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The initiative, staged in 2022, 2024 and 2025, provided a platform for local artists to develop and present their work while showcasing cultural activity in the region.

National Arts Festival board chairperson Professor Siphiwo Mahala paid tribute to Newton's contribution to the organisation and the wider cultural sector.

“Throughout her career in the cultural sector, Newton has demonstrated unwavering commitment to ethical governance and tireless resilience - and her tenure at NAF reflects that commitment through principled advocacy on behalf of artists and the creative industries,” Mahala said.

He added that Newton's leadership had helped guide the festival through difficult circumstances while drawing attention to the need for increased government and private-sector support for the creative industries.

“The board, staff and I are sincerely grateful for her commitment to artists and to the National Arts Festival,” Mahala said.

Newton's departure marks the end of a period in which the festival navigated the Covid-19 pandemic, the return to live performance, energy shortages and wider economic pressures affecting South Africa's cultural sector.

Kadi will take over as CEO on 3 August 2026.