e.tv's cancelled Nikiwe cast and crew still unpaid after months.

by Thinus Ferreira

The cast and crew of e.tv's cancelled Nikiwe are still struggling to get paid months after the show got canned and stopped production by Parental Advisory Productions which has since gone to ground.

In January TVwithThinus reported how Parental Advisory Productions co-owned by Thomas Gumede and Lungelo Radu imploded with huge amounts of debt with e.tv that cancelled the low-rated Nikiwe amidst serious financial problems inside the production and production company.

Hundreds of staffers who worked on the cancelled Nikiwe are still owed hundreds of thousands of rand in payment from Parental Advisory Productions months after the final scene was filmed.

Last year Thapelo Ramatsui, e.tv publicist, told the online publication ZiMoja 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. 

The final episode of Nikiwe was broadcast on e.tv on 5 January 2024.

Cast and crew told City Press they haven't heard from either Tomas Gumede or Lungelo Radu since December 2023, with the final communication which was three days before Christmas Day in the form of an email on 22 December.

One Nikiwe actor told the newspaper "These people are failing us in that they spent the money instead of paying us. They are basically making fools out of us".

The corporate communications manager of e.tv, Bennum van Jaarsveld told City Press that Nikiwe was old news and that e.tv didn't want to comment but noted that e.tv had paid Parental Advisory Productions what the show was owed.

"It's just an old thing and we've moved on. There are so many other things happening; Nikiwe is an old story for us to comment on. Also, a lot of the stuff there was between the production and the cast, we were not involved in that."

"We had our contract and agreement with the production house and the production house had an agreement with the talent. We did what we needed to do, we met our obligations and the rest was on the production and that's where I think things sort of went wrong."

ALSO READ: Cast and crew of e.tv's cancelled Nikiwe unpaid in December and owed hundreds of thousands by Parental Advisory Productions 'left in huge amounts of debt with absolutely no notice'.

ALSO READ: e.tv cancels ratings-flop Nikiwe.

Cast and crew of e.tv's cancelled Nikiwe unpaid in December and owed hundreds of thousands by Parental Advisory Productions 'left in huge amounts of debt with absolutely no notice'.

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.

ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. e.tv's latest publicity failure for new local shows underscores South African television's growing PR disaster as global players (rightly) do the proper work and get the attention.

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