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The film and TV industry worldwide has almost come to a standstill and most artists face an uncertain future as a result of the shutdown prompted by the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.
This week, singer Thandiswa Mazwai and poet Lebo Mashile were among the artists who broke their silence on Twitter.
Mazwai posted this tweet: “Dear bills … I have no money to pay you and won’t have none until I can get back to work. No gigs, no money! Sorry bond payments, sorry tax payments, sorry insurance.”
Mashile urged people to pay their outstanding debts to service providers such as freelancers and contractors.
“The biggest companies in SA, along with parastatals and government itself, have outstanding invoices sitting with them while service providers try to figure out how we are going to ride out this crisis. If you really care, prioritise payments before month-end,” Mashile wrote on Twitter.
On Friday, Mashile said she was still chasing payments from people who owed her money.
“Some of us are breadwinners and we have families depending on us.
"So, when we do not get our payments on time, this affects not only us but our families as well,” she said.
She added that the government needed to lobby funds from the private sector to help creatives, artists and small businesses during these tough times.
“The department of sports, arts, culture and recreation, together with artists, need to work as a collective and approach the banking sector to suspend their home loans for at least three months.”
Mashile also urged government to honour its outstanding invoices if they truly cared about people’s lives.
“They must pay what is due to us,” she said.
TV personality Boity Thulo said these were tough times for artists in Mzansi because their line of work depended largely on crowds and human interaction.
“This pandemic has put a halt on a big chunk of my income stream,” said Thulo. “It is a grim reality that we all have to come to terms with.
“However, on the brighter side, I appreciate the forced time out. I will use this time to get some much-needed rest, do some introspection and plan ahead for future projects once the world finally pulls through this crisis.”
The actress and rapper said she felt sympathy for actors who were being forced to report for duty because they had to pay their bills at the end of the month.
“It is devastating. I understand the sacrifices that actors have to make on a daily basis, but to risk their lives and the lives of their families at this point is far from okay. I think production houses are being irresponsible and reckless.
“We all know the severity of Covid-19. We cannot afford to be negligent in any way. I think the minister of sports, arts, culture and recreation, Nathi Mthethwa, needs to find a way to support artists during this difficult time,” she said.
Jack Devnarain, actor and chairperson of the SA Guild of Actors, said he could not blame actors for wanting to work. “We are in a desperate position with so many event cancellations, and if the Independent Producers’ Organisation (IPO) has its way, there will simply be no income at all.
“Had the president felt anything for the plight of actors, he would have signed the bills [referring to the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill and the Copyright Amendment Bill] a year ago. There might have been some relief in the form of earning royalties. It is hard for actors not to feel abandoned at this time,” he said.
Cape Town International Jazz Festival loses out
Sooren Ramdenee, the chief financial officer of event management company espAfrika, told City Press that losses suffered by organisers of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival – as a result of having to cancel the annual event – were currently estimated at R20 million. In addition, he said, about 3 500 jobs would be affected.
“The impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic is self-evident. All events and hospitality sectors will be affected and there is no clear indication when normality will return. It will also affect hotels, car rental companies, B&Bs, restaurants and the related supply chain, consisting of many small companies.”
Ministry and celebs unite to fight Covid-19
The MEC for sports, arts, culture and recreation in Gauteng has started an awareness campaign with many of the country’s celebrities to help spread the positive message of practising good hygiene and social distancing, as part of government’s efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Spokesperson Fentselite Mogotsi said Covid-19 was affecting everyone – young and old, all races and genders.
He said they were engaging with celebrities such as Ntate Caiphus Semenya and Mam’ Letta Mbulu, veteran actors Sello Maake Ka-Ncube and Patrick Shai, as well as football stars such as Portia Modise and others through various platforms.
When asked how the celebrities would benefit from this initiative, he said: “This is not a campaign but a call for awareness. There is nothing to gain from Covid-19. If anything, the effect of the virus is the exact opposite: Covid-19 is robbing people of their livelihoods; there is no benefit from it. The more it spreads, the worse the financial burden becomes.”
Comedy industry
The comedy industry is also feeling the knock. The popular annual show, Blacks Only Comedy, which has been around for 17 years, has also been postponed. It was scheduled to take place on April 4.
Founder David Kau said the postponement had cost him and other comedians dearly.
“It is an earning loss for many people involved, from those working behind the scenes to the comedians, including myself,” Kau said, adding that thousands of rands had been lost.
“Unfortunately, it is a loss of income for all of us. Hopefully, the government will come to the table. Given the situation we find ourselves in, the entertainment industry needs sponsors or angel investors to come forward and help artists where they can.
“We are not asking for handouts. We can still produce some work from home, such as running social media awareness campaigns,” he said.
On Thursday, the IPO called on production companies and the TV and film industry to shut down to protect their crew and cast members in the face of a rapidly spreading Covid-19.
In its statement, the IPO said: “Action is required today to reduce the exponential risk in virus spread. We are mindful of the fact that we are potentially putting a large number of people at risk by continuing to shoot. We may participate in the exacerbation of this national and worldwide health disaster by not containing the spread of the virus.”
SABC’s acting spokesperson, Mmoni Seapolelo, said the public broadcaster was engaging with production houses with regard to the measures that had been put in place in line with directives from the World Health Organisation and the department of health.
“Our long-running shows have been adequately briefed and their managers are implementing all the necessary precautionary and preventive measures. The SABC is constantly monitoring and re-evaluating the situation and developments,” she said.
“We also wish to emphasise that the health and safety of everyone remains our priority while we continue to deliver on our public service mandate.”
Joe Heshu, group executive for corporate affairs at MultiChoice, said the company was in touch with all production houses and was consulting with them on their assessment of individual productions.
“We encourage all production companies to take every precaution to protect both cast and crew. We have noted how production has been affected in other markets and we are assessing the impact in ours,” Heshu said.
Events affected by Covid-19 include the Rand Easter Show, the International Cape Town Jazz Festival, Castle Lite Unlocks, the SA Film and Television Awards, the SA Music Awards, the Heineken F1 Joburg Festival, MTN Bushfire Festival, and the performances of artists Bebe Winans and Boyz II Men.
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