by Thinus Ferreira
The South African Guild of Actors (SAGA) on Thursday slammed South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and said the country's president has chosen to be on the side of American studios, streamers and broadcasters while neglecting the plight of local South African artists, the alarming rise in unpaid crews, and ignored copyright reforms.
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his 2025 State of the Nation Address in South Africa on Thursday evening in parliament.
SAGA called out president Cyril Ramaphosa for what the organisation calls the neglect of South Africa's cultural and creative industries, unpaid crews and ignored copyright reforms, saying that the sector demands action.
"President Cyril Ramaphosa has never acknowledged the grievances of South Africa's cultural and creative industries," said SAGA.
"We have witnessed an alarming increase in incidents of non-payment of cast and technical crew, numerous reports of health and safety violations, criminal complaints of human trafficking, and deteriorating work conditions in an increasingly hostile production environment. But not a word from the president," the organisation noted.
"President Cyril Ramaphosa's stubborn defiance of the Constitutional Court order of September 2022 to amend parts of the Copyright Act of 1978 that violates the human rights of people with disabilities, is very revealing."
"In fact, South African creatives generally suspect that president Ramaphosa chose not to sign the Copyright Amendment Bill specifically to give assurance to American studios, streamers, and broadcasters that their commercial interests in South African film and TV productions remain subject to their monopolies."
SAGA said "The president has worked hard at ignoring our sector, and now that the final decision on the Copyright Amendment Bill sits with the Constitutional Court, actors who are desperate for the statutory right to earn royalties, are only too pleased that our fate lies with a competent authority and not with a bewildered, indifferent, and indecisive president."
Actor Nicky Rebelo noted that "American, British, French, Italian actors all receive residuals or royalties when the work that they have done is repeated or sold to other channels".
"But I never receive any residuals or royalties. I don't think that's right. I think it's time that we in South Africa were treated like other actors around the world."
