SABC says it has fulfilled obligations as ‘Pimville’ production stalls over salary dispute

The SABC has confirmed that it has paid Bakwena Productions, the producers of the SABC 2 telenovelaPimville, following the suspension of production over unpaid cast and crew salaries. Production of the show was halted after cast and crew were allegedly not paid for two months. Entertainment commentator Phil Mphela shared a WhatsApp message allegedly sent by the show’s executive producer, Rashaka Muofhe, informing the team of the suspension.

The message stated that filming had been “temporarily suspended until matters of payment have been resolved with SABC”. It further read: “Please note we do apologise for any inconvenience caused and matters are being handled with the necessary urgency required and we are confident that production will resume soon. Further communication in terms of payment dates will be communicated once we have confirmation.” The SABC has since issued a statement confirming that it has fulfilled its financial obligations to Bakwena Productions.

“The SABC wishes to confirm that the broadcaster has duly fulfilled its contractual obligations to Bakwena Productions. The corporation is therefore up to date with payments, underscoring its commitment to the smooth running of productions,” the statement said. “It must be noted that in this case the production company concerned is in breach of the contract with the SABC,” the statement added.

[paywall]

The SABC said it is “actively engaging the production company to remedy the situation” and “implementing contingency plans to ensure continuity of content on SABC 2.” It added that it has also met with the cast ofPimvilleand had previously introduced risk mitigation measures after becoming aware of concerns linked to the production arrangement. “Following this, a set of risk mitigation measures were put in place. While these interventions were intended to safeguard the production and protect the SABC, recent developments indicate that further action is required.” The Citizen has reached out to Bakwena Productions for comment. The article will be updated once a response is received.

[/paywall]