You're reading it here first. The local TV producer/director Michael Lee has just entered his fourth week of a hunger strike/fasting in protest of the SABC.
The public broadcaster radically slashed local production budgets and commissioned basically half a BILLION rand LESS in local programmes for next year.
Michael who has lost 11kg over the past 22 days, has some choice words for the SABC (which I'll get to below). Secondly it seems misery loves company. He just got 3 people to join him since today.
Michael who is producing a film called State of Emergency? and looks at the past 30 (struggling) years of filmmaking in the country, says the SABC's problems go right back to the beginning.
''The SABC is an inhumane institution, and almost always has been. Their actions, as well as the public statements of Kaizer Kganyago and others, shows very clearly that all this noise they've been making about telling African stories is a bunch of empty rhetoric. In reality, they don't care about the audience. . . and they certainly don't care about the people who provide the content that is supposed to build the nation's voice''.
He calls the SABC ''cruel, arrogant and foolish'' and says ''these overpaid fools are trashing people's livelihoods and identities''.
''All we are asking is that they work together with us to get out of this crisis in a way that works for everyone and does not destroy what all of us, including the SABC, have worked so hard to build. . .to keep South African television growing, alive, and vibrant.''
Three people joined him today:
Gwen Britz a recruitment consultant in the media industry.
''It is inhumane that the public broadcaster is willing to impact so negatively on so many lives and the economy.''
Thabiso Mafane, a TV writer.
''Like everyone else I'm gatvol of the repeats on SABC, the state the industry is in because of them, and I intend to show them we are really serious that they should pick their socks up.''
Ingi Brough, former band member of the all-girl group Clout.
''I was totally disgusted when I saw someone else has put together the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, outside of Africa. That should be us. If we're not careful, everyone else will be telling our stories, like it was in the past.''
