Story audio is generated using AI<\/small><\/p>\n
Actress and media personality Gail Mabalane says she\u2019s still struggling to process the abrupt removal of the telenovela Pimville<\/i> from the airwaves. The show, which first premiered on SABC2 in February, reportedly became tangled in behind-the-scenes turmoil after cast and crew members said they weren\u2019t being paid for their work, ultimately prompting the broadcaster to end the series on May 25.<\/p>\n
In a post shared on her Instagram account, Gail\u2014who portrayed detective Pheello Mohapi\u2014opened up about how disappointing it was to see the story cut short. \u201cI woke up today thinking of Pimville \u2014 t<\/i>he cast, the crew, the countless individuals still navigating life after the abrupt end to a stream of income,\u201d she wrote. She added: \u201cImagine one day you\u2019re at work making TV and the next you see this post on social media. This beautiful story deserved to be told. It should still be on air. Our beloved viewers! Honestly, as creatives and as an industry, we deserve better than this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the series being pulled from the schedule, the cast and crew are said to remain unpaid. Bakwena Productions has pointed the finger at the SABC, arguing that the broadcaster\u2019s financial issues were behind the non-payment problems affecting those involved in the production.<\/p>\n
The SABC, meanwhile, has said the decision to stop the show and replace it temporarily with repeat episodes from season 2 of the telenovela Amalanga Awafani<\/i> came due to \u201cunresolved contractual obligations and breaches\u201d involving the production company. Bakwena Productions counters those claims, stating that on May 12 its legal representatives delivered a notice to SABC leadership outlining alleged repeated breaches, including delayed approvals, operational difficulties, governance inconsistencies, funding shortfalls, and payment defaults attributed to the SABC.<\/p>\n
The production company also alleged that the approved production budget was cut by roughly 38% without what it described as proper process being followed. In support of its position, Bakwena said the communications were backed by extensive documentation, including approved budgets, payment timetables, production records, operational updates, financial reconciliations, invoices, related correspondence, and proof that it continued delivering work.<\/p>\n
Bakwena further claimed that significant sums were still owed to it for the production, including an unpaid milestone requirement. The company said these unresolved payments have created operational pressures and placed heavy strain on the wider production environment, adding that the SABC\u2019s statement does not adequately address or respond to those concerns\u2014while insisting it continued to deliver episodes despite the increasingly difficult circumstances.<\/p>\n
On May 6, the SABC said it was fully up to date with payments and that Bakwena Productions was the party in breach of contract. Actor and co-founder of Bakwena Productions, Kagiso Modupe, previously spoke about the problems he said he encountered during the making of the series.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring production, things started going wrong financially. Actors and crew were not paid and suppliers were not paid,\u201d Modupe said. He added that he raised the issues with his partners, explaining: \u201cI flagged it with my partners. First I was told to stay in my lane and I was shut down. I continued to flag it with the channel and I was given the impression it had been taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Story audio is generated using AI Actress and media personality Gail Mabalane says she\u2019s still struggling to process the abrupt removal of the telenovela Pimville from the airwaves. The show, which first premiered on SABC2 in February, reportedly became tangled in behind-the-scenes turmoil after cast and crew members said they weren\u2019t being paid for their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2502,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Gail Mabalane Responds After SABC Axes Pimville Telenovela","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Gail Mabalane opens up after SABC\u2019s shock decision to axe Pimville, revealing how the pay dispute and sudden cancellation left her","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-celebrities"],"yoast_head":"\n