A career in the arts is considered risky because of inconsistent pay, scarce work opportunities and instability – issues that were brought to the fore by a recent appeal from a veteran actress.
- Nandi Nyembe took to social media to ask the public for assistance with her medical bills
- The Performers Protection Amendment Bill was sent to the Constitutional Court by the president in October 2024
- Performing artists and students need to rally together and form a stronger collective voice
Legendary actress, Nandi Nyembe (53) opened up about her career and personal challenges with job insecurity and royalties as a veteran performing artist.
In a recent podcast with Sunday World, the Zone 14 and Adulting actress laid bare the precarity of the screen performance industry in South Africa as she discussed her struggles with getting medical assistance.
Despite her lengthy and illustrious resume, Nyembe took to social media on April 1 to ask for assistance from the public. Her video went viral, prompting the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie to respond with a R20 000 donation.
Nyembe’s story has become all too familiar. In South Africa, there are currently no royalties for live and on-screen performers.
The Performers Protection Amendment Bill of 2016 was drafted by the Department of Trade, Industry & Competition and sent to the Constitutional Court last year. The amended bill seeks to implement changes and provide legal protections for live & on-screen performers and artists, who range from acting and theatre to musicians and dancers. The South African Actors Guild says the bill would “help give actors their rightful place in the economy”.
Miss Earth SA third runner-up, Thembi Mathebula (23), described feeling quite sad hearing about Nyembe’s public outcry. The Honors in Theatre and Performance student, majoring in Directing and Cultural Policy Management, emphasised the importance of policy implementation to intervene in this crisis. “Policy makers need to sit down and actually put a stamp on it and say, what do we do when something like this happens?” Mathebula said.
Choreographer Douglas Sekete (52), a postgraduate Diploma in Arts (PDGA) student at Wits Drama for Life, said artists can often go three months without a job. When an opportunity finally comes, the public can often assume that because the artist or performer is working, they are wealthy.
“When the job comes & it pays you like R45 000,00 and you’ve got bills that you need to pay, the public will assume that (because) you appear on TV so you must have this X amount of money, but in a true sense, no. You are left with R2 000, 00, and you have to punch for another job, which may take some time again,” he said.
Collen Makua (32), another PDGA student and artist, stated that the issue isn’t necessarily financial literacy amongst performers in the arts and entertainment sector but the instability of employment opportunities.
Makua highlighted the lack of training programmes and overall decreasing financial support from the state and private entities directed towards the arts sector.
Both Sekete and Makua emphasised the need to create a strong collective voice for all creatives in the arts and entertainment sector. While there’s no clear word on the Bill’s status and its implementation, Nyembe’s story is a reminder of the urgency of legislative intervention in the entertainment industry.
FEATURED IMAGE: Actress Nandi Nyembe. Photo: Actor Spaces/ Gabriel McCreadie
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