By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider

A once budding film industry held in South Africa is now currently under threat as local film productions and filmmakers at large have taken to the streets to protest, under the banner SaveSA Film, as foreign investment has decreased by 50% which has caused rebates and incentives to go uncompensated as filmmakers have demanded parliament and government to take action. 

“We as filmmakers are just demanding what is promised to us…it’s really affecting our credibility in the industry…we are just pleading to have our jobs back , this is our bread and butter,” said Lungisani Gwadiso, a filmmaker from the Harry Gwala Film Institute.

 The protest started from Wednesday, 28 January,  in Cape Town and local filmmakers have accused the government of crippling their budding industry. The protests have proven to have made an impact due to the Department Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) committee chair having accepted their memorandum and have vowed to take urgent intervention.

 SaveSA Film described the situation as a “paralysis” within the DTIC, which said that the Film and Television had been crippled and had caused a collapse in production activity within the sector. 

Mzwandile Masina, who serves as the chairperson for the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition was absent during the protest which caused further anger for the SaveSA Film coalition, as she said she was in another meeting.

 Instead committee members Toby Chance and Mlondi Mdluli addressed the crowd without Masina being present. “The question that I put to Minister Parks Tau receives the answer that you are owed R663 million by the department’s incentive scheme” said Chance when he addressed the angry crowd. 

“We know that the rebates meeting has not taken place since March 2024, and that is a serious oversight by the department” he continued. 

South Africa’s Film and Television industry is the third largest on the continent, a ranking made by the African International Film Festival as of 2023. 

A memorandum which was given to parliament states that stalled productions have caused a 50% contraction in industry activity. 

This has caused 100,000 jobs to be compromised which has brought investor confidence. “We will request from the department, before our meeting, to give us a full report, which is going to be shared with you about what has been happening in the sector,” said Masina.