A golden opportunity missed by media and Mahikeng community. The Department condemns the disruptions of the well-organised Mahika Mahikeng media launch that was scheduled to take place on March 8 at Mmabatho Convention Centre. This was the second and final leg of the media briefings, after a very successful and well-attended media briefing held in Sandton on March 3. This was meant to be an information sharing session with media and the plans ahead. The arts sector and the community at large also missed out on receiving information about the opportunities and economic spin-offs that come with hosting Mahika Mahikeng in their own backyard. This event has not been staged for three years, against the backdrop of an already fragile economy the COVID-19 pandemic has created - affecting the arts sector negatively. A satisfactory number of media houses, including media from Botswana, responded positively to the invitation to the media briefing. We would like to apologise profusely to the ...