SABC2's Muvhango cast and crew go on strike for second time in 3 months over non-payment after being told the SABC didn't pay and Word of Mouth Pictures fired CEO Mandla kaNozulu over alleged mismanagement.

by Thinus Ferreira

The cast and crew of Muvhango on SABC2 has gone on strike for the second time in three months after they have once again not been paid their salaries, with SABC legal busy with an investigation after the Word of Mouth Pictures show fired CEO Mandla kaNozulu over alleged mismanagement of millions of rand.

City Press on Sunday reported that the Muvhango cast and crew went on strike after they were called to a meeting on Tuesday this past week where the SABC were once again blamed for non-payment.

The ongoing non-payment to the show's talent and behind-the-scenes crew is highly embarrassing since it keeps happening regularly without whatever issues are causing it, being sorted out by the SABC and Word of Mouth Pictures.

Adding to the embarrassment is that the non-payment issue comes on the back of Word of Mouth's botched so-called "Silver Jubilee" 25-year anniversary celebration for Muvhango in 2022, the SABC constantly saying it is improving payment issues to Muvhango and other production companies supplying content, as well as Muvhango's plummeting viewership on SABC2 which TV ratings continue to fall.

The current Muvhango cast and crew strike comes within three months of the last Muvhango cast and crew stay-away in November 2022 when they were also not paid.

"We were told that our salaries will be paid later and there is a delay once again because the SABC has delayed paying the company and that affected our salaries," a Word of Mouth Pictures staffer who works at the Johannesburg office of the production company told the newspaper.

Meanwhile the SABC's legal department is busy investigating the alleged mismanagement of over R14 million of Word of Mouth Productions' money by former CEO Mandla kaNozulu who was fired in December 2022 after two years on the job.

Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson, told TVwithThinus that "The SABC can confirm that the payment to Word of Mouth Productions was effected as per the agreement between Word of Mouth and the SABC".

ALSO READ: SABC2's Muvhango cast and crew on another 'stay-away' at Word of Mouth Productions after they have again not been paid by the SABC.

SABC: Muvhango hasn't been canned, Venda soap on SABC2 renewed for another season.

by Thinus Ferreira

SABC2's primetime Venda weekday soap Muvhango hasn't been cancelled and has been renewed for another season.

Sunday tabloid reports alleged that Muvhango, produced by Word of Mouth Pictures, is on its last legs and have been given an ultimatum by South Africa's public broadcaster that wants to pull the plug on the veteran drama series.

What is true is that Muvhango remains the most-watched TV show and scripted drama series on SABC2 pulling as much as 3.88 million viewers (10.79 AR) in September 2020, making it the overall 10th most-watched TV show on South African television just behind another rebroadcast of Sgud'snaysi on SABC1 and e.tv's Rhythm City.

What is also true is that Muvhango has been hampered by payment issues between the SABC and Word of Mouth the past few months, the last coming as late as August. 

The show has also been negatively impacted by a handful of shutdowns and production breaks because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic as crew and cast members have tested positive.

In August Muvhango, created by Duma Ndlovu, was on a production break anyway when cast and crew again went unpaid by Word of Mouth, with insiders at the time telling TVwithThinus that they were not sure if they would go back to work because of the non-payment. 

Word of Mouth Pictures, where Mandla KaNozulu has now been appointed as CEO, blamed the failure in early-September to pay the show's workers on the SABC. 

Staffers meanwhile said that "people are planning to down tools when we come back because this is honestly unfair". Days later, on 4 September the SABC again paid Word of Mouth Pictures.

The weekend's rumours on the possible cancellation of Muvhango started when Word of Mouth executives - who claimed they have been told so by SABC executives - in turn told the show's cast and crew that the show might get axed "if it doesn't improve".

Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson, told TVwithThinus that "the SABC disputes the allegation that Muvhango has been canned".

"All SABC programmes are subjected to evaluation based on a number of factors, including audience ratings, associated costs and relevance to the market. To this effect the SABC is pleased to have signed a new contract for Muvhango for another season."

Thanduxolo Jindela at the Kwathole Conexion PR agency that reps Word of Mouth didn't respond to a media enquiry on Tuesday seeking comment. The company was asked why Word of Mouth told the cast that Muvhango might be ending, and what the company wants the production's cast and crew to do.