A coalition of stakeholders from the South African film and television industry has announced reaching a deadlock with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) after several months of consultations. This situation arose amid concerns about a crisis threatening the film and television sector.
Industry Protests and Demands
Filmmakers, producers, actors, crew members, and other industry participants united in January to protest outside Parliament. This rally was organized by a coalition of industry organizations demanding urgent reform of the frozen incentive system.
The coalition, supported by sixteen organizations, noted that since the effective cessation of the Film and Television Production Incentive, the industry has been in decline. Over the past six months, the coalition has participated in only five meetings with the DTIC, despite the severity of the crisis.
Problems with the Incentive System
In a statement, the coalition emphasized that it found it difficult to achieve substantive engagement from the department, which responded reluctantly and did not demonstrate the level of urgency, cooperation, or responsiveness expected during a severe crisis across the entire industry. Despite correspondence and the submission of detailed proposals to stabilize the Film and Television Production Incentive, the process amounted to 'talks' without any significant implementation of measures to address the immediate problems threatening the sector's survival.
The coalition explained that the DTIC Film and Television Production Incentive has not been functioning properly for a long time. They reported that the accreditation committee meetings have not resumed for nearly two and a half years, applications remain unprocessed, production is halted, and jobs in the sector are at risk.
Risks and Appeals to Authorities
The coalition has repeatedly warned that the ongoing inability to resume accreditation and process applications creates a real and immediate risk that allocated government funds may go unused, despite the dire state of the industry. The parties stressed that this outcome is unacceptable, as producers, workers, service providers, and businesses in the sector only require the restoration of the existing incentive and the processing of already submitted applications.
On July 13, the coalition sent a letter to the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, requesting the minister's urgent intervention. The letter demanded the immediate resumption of accreditation committee meetings, prompt processing of applications, and an official written response within seven calendar days. To date, no response has been received, causing deep concern for the coalition.
Coalition's Next Steps
The coalition also noted that since the previous Portfolio Committee process, they have held only one meeting with the Deputy Minister and have not met with the Minister himself. This lack of interaction reinforces the coalition's belief that the DTIC does not grasp the seriousness of the lack of action and implementation. They stated that the industry is facing not just a wait for policy discussion, but an immediate operational crisis.
Consequently, the coalition has requested an urgent appearance before the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition to inform the committee about the stalemate, implementation failure, risk of budget underspend, and the deteriorating condition of the sector. The coalition is also considering resuming industry mobilization, including larger nationwide protests, if urgent and significant intervention does not occur. However, the coalition stressed that it is not taking such steps lightly, but after months of engagement, it has become clear that the current process has failed to provide the necessary actions to save jobs, restore confidence, and stabilize the industry.
They affirmed their commitment to constructive resolution, yet the industry cannot continue to wait while the opposite occurs: production collapse, job losses, risk of unused public funds, and further erosion of confidence in the South African film and television production sector. The coalition calls on parliament and the minister to act decisively and immediately.
A DTIC representative, Bongani Lukhele, stated that the department cannot comment on the matter at this stage. The Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Mzvandile Masina, confirmed that they plan to appear before the committee in early August.
