Actress Vatiswa Ndara sent out a letter to Minister Nathi Mthethwa detailing her experiences as an actress and accussing Ferguson Films of exploitation.
In a no-holds-barred 6-page open letter to the Minister of Sports, Arts & Culture, she incriminates the Fergusons; as they are the owners of the production house she was employed by.
Vatiswa Ndara posted the letter on Twitter, asking the minister to intervene on cases where actors are not getting paid what's due to them. To further illustrate her point, she used her experiences with Ferguson Films, the production company that produces iGazi.
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In a quote from an email sent out by Ferguson Films, she claims that she was offered R110 000 before taxes over five weeks of work with no limit to calls. On iGazi she played the character NomaRussia and had said she will not be returning for the third season of the hit series.
In the letter she breaks down how the R110K will be broken down and at the end of the 5 weeks she will only be receiving a mere R82 500 while the company enjoys the sweet financial benefits. She called it 'daylight robbery' and 'slavery'.
What upset many people was the actress mentioning the ill-treatment herself and fellow actors in the entertainment scene (as a whole) receive. Unfair contractual agreements and expectations, poor remuneration, being unfairly treated by producers, poor oversight by channel, bullying and intimidation are some of the things she encountered.
Vatiswa is very much aware of the repercussions of sending out this letter and the possibility of being blacklisted by the powers that be.
Some celebs in entertainment weighed in on the situation. Here are some of the tweets:
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Minister Nathi Mthethwa also publicly acknowledged the open letter.
