Back ground and featured actors from Skeem Sam, ICala, My Brother’s Keeper, Queendom, Pound 4 Pound, Queen Modtajdi, Magaeng, Adulting, and Smoke and Mirrors are facing a bleak Christmas.
This is because their casting agencies have not paid them.
The unpaying agencies include Glam Fame Talent management, Turning Heads, Blaq Lulu Production, and Shortz Impartial Justice Events, to name a few.
Actors staged a sit-in at the SABC
The role of these casting agencies was to supply feature and background actors to the production houses. Some of them have not been paid for over a year. On Tuesday, December 10, background actors for Muvhango staged a sit-in at the SABC offices. They were demanding answers and wanted to know if the corporation has paid these companies.
“We are here at the SABC to get an answer. Our issue is not with the SABC but with Turning heads [agency]. We came here to get some clarity from the SABC’s finance department. And we want to know if Muvhango was paid at all,” said the aggrieved actor.
Bernard Mfanafuthi Dube from Shortz Impartial Justice Events confirmed that he owes background artists.
Some agencies not yet paid by production houses
“My background artists appeared on Skeem Sam, ICala, Muvhango and My Brother’s Keeper. I haven’t paid them because the production houses haven’t paid me. And I understand their frustration but there’s nothing I can do. I know that most of these production houses are closing on Friday, 20 December. And we’re already planning a march to their offices before they close,” said Dube.
The owner of Blaq Lulu Productions, Sannah Koketso Nthau, also confirmed that she owes background actors.
Sunday World can also reveal that Nthau’s private company is also battling. It is on the verge of being deregistered by Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) as it has not filed annual returns for the past three years.
Other agents confirm being paid, but are yet to pay actors
“I supply Skeem Saam with background actors and I haven’t paid them. I can confirm that Skeem Sam has paid me but I don’t have money to pay background artists, they must just wait. This is my only source of income and I don’t know when I’ll pay them,” said Nthau.
The owner of Glam Fame Talent management, Monica Kobo, said she supplies Skeem Sam, Adulting, Smokes and Mirrors and upcoming show 180 degrees with background actors.
“I have over 150 background actors. And most of them have been paid. The ones that have not been paid will definitely be paid before or on 22 December. But I would also like to know the names of those who ran to the media. So that I don’t ever work with them, they have ruined our relationship,” said Kobo.
