JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's most iconic and celebrated actors are plunging deeper into poverty.
Their blood, sweat and tears fall through the cracks in a 'flawed' industry that fails to care for its actors, according to actor Jack Devnarain.
He is known for his roles in The Ghost and the Darkness, Isidingo and Mayfair, as well as and Chairperson of the SA Guild of Actors.
Devnarain has responded to the now-viral video of Nandi Nyembe.
The veteran actress has revealed her financial struggles after spending all her savings to pay for her son's medical expenses.
Now wheelchair-bound from illness, Nyembe's story is one the country has heard too many times.
It’s that of a well-known artist who once entertained South Africans, now struggling to make ends meet and turning to the public for help.
Isibaya and The River actress Gcina Mkhize pleaded for help after losing her home.
Former Generations actor Roderick Jaftha, known for his role as Glen Majozi, also faced a dire financial crisis that’s left him desperate for assistance.
Despite their years of service to the entertainment industry some of these desperate artists, are often forgotten once the camera stops rolling.
Devnarain, explains that local actors are fighting to be recognised as employees.
He says South Africa loves to boast about how it produces world-class content.
But the part the country fails to tell the world is how, 30 years into democracy, it has 'failed' to provide any kind of legal or regulatory framework, to protect the livelihoods of actors and freelancers.
He argues that the industry is unsustainable because of its structural inequalities.
"If you take a series or movie, repeat and share it across broadcasters and it goes to a streaming platform you find that content is no longer being produced but rather old content is reproduced."
"And as long as that is the case it means there are fewer opportunities for performers, and that means when the work that they have done is paid for they will never be paid again," he said.
Given that no provisions have been made for social security for actors as well as actor’s royalties, the logical conclusion is that what happened to Nyembe and others,
is going to felt by many other actors in the industry.
"Money is going to run out if you do not have a royalty right built into a deal".
The fight for actor recognition has been an ongoing process, however, it has met with plenty of setbacks.
In October 2024 President Cyril Ramaphosa refused to sign The Copyright Amendment Bill and Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill.
Instead, he referred the two pieces of legislation to the Constitutional Court.
According to the Presidency, Ramaphosa raised concerns about provisions in the legislation originally drafted and reconsidered.
Therefore he wanted the apex court to make a decision.
In 2018 actress Florence Masebe blasted producers and broadcasters in her submission in parliament, on the Performers Protection Amendment Bill.
Masebe told the committee that actors deserve economic rights and should have been part of the system for many years.
Giving economic rights to actors is not a mistake! #PerformersProtectionAmendmentBill #IamAnActor pic.twitter.com/ObryGBifyz
— Mme a Masakona (@FloMasebe) September 17, 2018
Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has responded to the viral video of actress Nandi Nyembe, speaking about her struggles, by offering to help her from own his pocket.
“This is not the Ministry, this is with my heart, this is from me, mama,” said the Minister in a video shared on his social media.
Mckenzie added that plans to fix the industry will soon be made available.
READ | Artists funding | Mckenzie: I'm not done with beneficiary list
Devnarain says they’re prepared to wait because the minister has indicated that this problem is more than just a Department of Arts issue.
It involves others in government, especially when comes to labour laws.
BY Zandile Khumalo