Veteran actor Sello Maake KaNcube is heading to the labour court to challenge The Market Theatre’s decision to snub him for the position of artistic director.
Instead, Greg Homann was hired, a move that has been condemned in certain quarters as anti-transformation.
KaNcube’s plan to seek legal recourse comes after his and The Market Theatre’s legal team failed to reach the middle ground in the two pre-trial conferences over the past two weeks.
In the first conference, which was held virtually, KaNcube’s advocate Makayla Pillay asked the theatre’s legal team to furnish them with the scoreboard that indicates that Homann obtained 41 points more than the former Generations actor.
“They refused to hand over the scoreboard and said it was private information of the candidates who contested for the position,” said KaNcube.
The award-winning thespian said the legal team also refused to disclose to him the points he scored during the interview, insisting that it was confidential information.
KaNcube also said Pillay and The Market Theatre lawyers also met on Monday last week, where they again reached a deadlock about the scoreboard.
The theatre doyen said their refusal to furnish them with the scoreboard demonstrated they were clutching at straws and did not have a legitimate reason to not give him the cushy job.
“Look, before that they said I was rejected because the strategy I presented was not aligned with where they wanted to go. But nobody told me where they wanted to go. Had they told me where they wanted to go, I would have cobbled a strategy that was aligned with their vision,” he said.
KaNcube, who is over 60 years old, said they also told him Homann was younger and that counted in his favour. But they refused to disclose his age.
The revered actor also said it was possible that Homann had an unfair advantage over him because he had done several productions at The Market Theatre before the post was advertised. He believed the job might have already been predestined for someone else, before it was even publicly advertised.
“From the streets, I come and to meet their highbrow expectations I submitted to their boardroom expectations! What more did these people want or need?
“They could have come clean and stated that this job had a face, a name and surname before it was even advertised.”
The Skeem Saam actor emphasised he did not have a specific salary expectation because he believed the importance of teaching and nurturing the talents of black children went beyond monetary value.
He expressed that this opportunity would have allowed him to give back and support young black talents, which he considered invaluable. KaNcube also expressed his disappointment in the interview process, saying the panelists knew little or nothing about the industry.
“I was interviewed by people who are not even qualified to interview for the space they think they understand and occupy! They must come for me because I’m now ready to fight for what is right!”
He said his lawyers would apply for a court date after submitting minutes of the conference to the theatre’s legal team.
“All these questions will be answered when the matter is ventilated in court,” he said.
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