Local actors, film crews, writers and directors have had enough and are demanding urgent interventions to fix the broken film and TV incentive scheme.
Leading the movement is actor and filmmaker Wandile Molebatsi, who was at the forefront last Wednesday when workers from the film and TV industry protested in Pretoria and outside parliament in Cape Town, calling for immediate engagement from the trade, industry and competition department (DTIC) to fix delays in its frozen rebate scheme.
Molebatsi speaks to Sowetan about the industry’s grievances and what’s next.
What led to the #SaveSAFilmJobs protest?
The protest was prompted because the DTIC adjudication committee, which oversees rebate applications, has not met since October 2023. This has resulted in a 50% to 60% reduction in the 100,000 direct and indirect jobs the sector creates. The rebate must be immediately reopened because people are losing jobs, homes, and even pulling their children out of school. The sector is also requesting urgent engagement on the policy framework governing the incentive.
What is the current state of the industry?
It’s decimated. More than R26.4bn has been haemorrhaged to countries with functional incentives, such as Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and Mauritius, which have taken the jobs out of our hands.
After meeting with the deputy ministers, we were promised we would have an in-person meeting with the committee that oversees the incentive and would discuss how we can resolve the administrative red tape and the claims that funds are unavailable.
We plan to show them that the rebate is not a grant, it’s a financial instrument that is accrued as a result of the spending that takes place in SA.
The rebate must be immediately reopened because people are losing jobs, homes, and even pulling their children out of school.
— Wandile Molebatsi
Have you received feedback?
In Cape Town, Mzwandile Masina [the ANC chairperson of parliament’s portfolio committee on trade, industry and competition] said he would organise a meeting with the minister and deputy ministers overseeing the process. However, meetings have taken place before without concrete developments. The sector requires action, not just statements.
What immediate changes are you hoping to see?
The DTIC film and TV incentive must be reopened, or the sector must be told where the allocated funds [for the incentive] have gone. An independent Olsberg report, reviewing 144 global incentives, shows SA’s competitiveness is being decimated.
Despite this, one of Netflix’s biggest shows is currently filming in Cape Town — proof of the country’s talent, locations and experienced crews, most of whom are under the age of 45.
How is this affecting actors and crews?
The impact of the DTIC’s failure is on jobs. Actors are sitting at home for months without work. During the protests, actors, producers, technicians and writers stood together because the collapse of the incentive is devastating the entire value chain.
What happens next?
The sector is cautiously optimistic but remains sceptical, as promises have been made before. Clear timelines have been submitted in the memorandum. Within 10 working days, there must be a meeting with the minister to clarify the fiscal constraints being cited.
The industry is demanding actionable, measurable change because every day without a functional incentive results in lost jobs and opportunities.
