The SABC weekday soap Generations – The Legacy is warning the public
against yet another fraudulent scam trying to lure victims to fake auditions
they have to pay for, purportedly done by The Mfundi Vundla Academy, with the
TV production telling TVwithThinus that a “Mfundi Vundla Academy” doesn’t exist.
Fraudsters annually entice gullable South Africans to so-called “soap
auditions” – mostly in Johannesburg – trying to cash in on the hugely popular
genre’s appeal under ordinary South Africans who watch these shows and like the
characters they see, dream of riches and fame.
Soaps that have been most
susceptible over the past few years have been the longrunning Generations and
Muvhango on SABC2, as well as Scandal! and Rhythm City on e.tv due to these
brands’ wide appeal under the viewing audience on free-to-air terrestrial TV
channels.
Besides specialised talent agencies doing closed castings, open casting
calls are done directly by TV shows themselves and it doesn’t happen very
often.
People should also never have to pay for any casting call for a
potential TV role or “soap audition”. People should never pay a model scout or
to be seen by any modeling agency – and should definitely never undress, send
or do naked photos, pay for interviews or sign contracts.
After several bogus casting calls last year, 2018 has started off with
the first fradulent “casting call” targeting SABC1’s Generations produced by
Morula Pictures, asking people to come to a fake audition at the Market Thearte
Lab in Johannesburg on 2 February, trying to cash in on the name of the show’s
creator and executive producer Mfundi Vundla.
Generations tells TVwithThinus this
is fake.
“It has come to our attention that there are fake auditions being held
at the Market Theatre Lab on 2 February. The perpetrators are using Mfundi
Vundla’s name to lure unsuspecting victims. There is no such thing as a ‘Mfundi
Vundla Academy’ and there are no real Generations auditions held at the Market
theatre on 2 February 2018,” says the show.
