by Thinus Ferreira
Actors and crew who worked on e.tv's disastrous and cancelled Nikiwe, destroyed by a toxic combination of bad ratings and alleged financial mismanagement, are owed thousands of rands in payment from Parental Advisory Productions (PAP) who only got a few hundred rand in December and are taking legal action.
Hundreds of staffers who worked on the cancelled Nikiwe are owed hundreds of thousands of rand in payment from Parental Advisory Productions co-owned by Thomas Gumede and Lungelo Radu.
eMedia's e.tv channel that didn't bother with any significant publicity for the show that replaced Durban Gen and only had an amateurish and hopelessly bad media launch event for the show in April 2024, dumped Nikiwe just 8 months after it launched over bad ratings and serious allegations of financial mismanagement.
That has left the cast and crew in the precarious position where they've not been paid what they're owed for work done, and fighting to get the money they deserve.
Parental Advisory Productions didn't respond to a media query. The person who answered the number listed for the production company and on Google Maps said he is not involved with the company and to "please stop calling this number".
Thapelo Ramatsui, e.tv publicist, also didn't respond to a media query TVwithThinus made last week with questions about the disastrous e.tv production.
E.tv was asked whether the TV channel still owes the production company any money - which is alleged by Parental Advisory Productions - and when e.tv became aware of allegations of financial mismanagement at the show.
Thapelo Ramatsui did respond to the online publication ZiMoja, reportedly saying that e.tv cancelled Nikiwe and the contract with Parental Advisory Productions due to the show's bad viewership and that PAP was paid what it was owed.
On 13 December 2023, Lungile Radu and Thomas Gumede emailed Nikiwe's cast and crew and told them they will just get a few hundred rand in payment instead of their owed money of thousands of rands.
"As explained during our meetings and subsequent correspondence, we submitted our outstanding invoiced costs as well as our wrap and notice costs to the channel for review. They have unfortunately replied that under no circumstances will the channel be releasing any additional funds to the production of Nikiwe."
"We have therefore engaged with legal counsel to argue our case and take it forward, however, historically these types of disputes can take a long time to resolve and there is no guarantee of a positive outcome."
"We will notify you of the progress of our legal proceedings as well as if there are any changes to the current status quo."
In another email the executive producers told the cast and crew in an update that "Unfortunately, the dispute with the channel is proving to be a losing battle. With all the rewrites and reshoots at their request, we find this extremely hard to believe".
"We have been left in huge amounts of debt with absolutely no notice."
"During the course of this week, we secured a small business loan and are using those funds to spread it amongst everyone.""It is nowhere near what you should be paid, but we cannot sit back and fold our arms whilst people are burning. Please understand that we are just as thrown off as you all and this is the best we can do."
ALSO READ: e.tv cancels ratings-flop Nikiwe.
