THE eThekwini municipality’s splurging of R5 million on an SABC1 drama series, Uzalo, co-directed, by Pepsi Pokane and President Jacob Zuma’s daughter, Gugu Zuma-Ncube, “is politically motivated”.
This was the view of DA executive committee members as the matter was raised during a meeting on Tuesday.
The matter was raised by the DA’s caucus leader, Zwakele Mncwango, after the city’s economic development and planning committee approved a R5m donation to the show two weeks ago when two of its producers came before the committee asking for funding to supplement what it was paid by the SABC.
The NFP’s Bongiwe Mtshali supported the funding while the IFP’s Mdu Nkosi said he would discuss the matter with his caucus before deciding.
Mncwango said: “We would be happy to see this municipality putting aside funds for the film industry or entertainment.
“My main concern is when we set aside R5m just to fund one project. The question is, are we going to fund all requests coming from the film industry or is there anything special about this one?
“My understanding is that the owners of Uzalo had a choice to sell their product to different channels. It could be e.tv, DStv or SABC1 … my assumption is they were happy with the SABC1 offer. To request R5m from the municipality is a major concern.
“The city should be supporting up-and-coming artists performing live and depending on gate takings.
“What kind of empowerment are we talking about if we are empowering one family? It seems that the Zuma family gets things easy wherever it goes.”
ANC councillors objected.
Nondumiso Cele of the ANC said no Zuma name had been mentioned in the report on the show, while Nigel Gumede said eThekwini had a long history of supporting different initiatives in the city.
DA councillor Heinz de Boer suggested one of the main reasons for starting a business was to make a profit in the long run. At the end of the day, he said, “they would be the only ones to make a profit”.
Logie Naidoo said Durban had established a film office to support emerging film-makers.
“By agreeing to pay the donation, we would give unemployed people jobs and young aspiring actors the chance to prove themselves.
The Mercury