Johannesburg – The SABC has reassured viewers that Generations will continue. On Monday 16 striking Generations cast members, made up mainly of principal actors, were fired after failing to return to work. The move is completely unprecedented in the 38 year history of South African television where a wholesale abrupt firing of a locally produced TV show, or soap, has never taken place before. SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said in a press statement that Generations remains property of the SABC and that they will make sure it continues. Kganyago said: “Generations will continue and people don’t need to worry about it.” Generations is the biggest money earner for the public broadcaster, making even the smallest tampering with one of SA’s most watched soapies and any changes – let alone something like the wholesale firing of the cast – a dicey and risky move. It could impact negatively on the shows popularity and viewership figures if it alienates audiences. Advertisers cough up an astronomical R220 000 per 30 second ad break in Generations to get their product or service in front of the massive average audience of 7.5 million viewers who tune in on weeknights at 20:00 on SABC1 to watch the faces of the characters they love. Earlier Channel24 reported that the SABC and MMSV Productions have today terminated the contracts of the striking actors on the SABC1 soap drama, Generations. The termination follows calls by both parties for the actors to return for recordings, following the start of their illegal strike, says the SABC. The principal cast of Generations, who have been withholding their services, have each received letters of dismissal, with immediate effect, says the Generations Actors Guild who say theyre deeply saddened The Generations actors will now look at their legal options as a result of their wholesale firing. Generations cast ‘saddened’ We are saddened by this development, but remain steadfast in our goal to ensure fair working conditions for ourselves as creative professionals, they say. Its not clear how the SABC plans to handle the massive exit of major actors from the popular soap, who went on strike last Monday, yet again for the promised three year contracts, better pay, and the payment of royalties due over rebroadcasts and international sales of the popular show. Generations attracts an audience of 7.5 million viewers per weeknight on SABC1 at 20:00 making it by far the most watched show on South African television for the past 21 years and dwarfing the rest of the top five shows on free-to-air television in the country. Generations episodes are recorded six weeks in advance, which means that a highly dramatic change is in store for the prime-time soap when the actors will suddenly disappear, without warning, on-screen at the end of September. Whether the massive number of characters will simply disappear in a hard-core abrupt reset of the soap, or whether new actors will suddenly be replacing them at extremely short notice is not clear. Fired cast members The massive number of Generations actors took part in the unprecedented strike and who are now out of the show: Anga Makubalo (MJ), Atandwa Kani (Samora), Katlego Danke (Dineo), Mandla Gaduka (Choppa), Menzi Ngubane (Sibusiso), Nambitha Mpulwana (Mawande), Patrick Shai (Patrick), Slindile Nodangala (Ruby), Sophie Ndaba (Queen), Seputla Sebogodi (Kenneth), Thami Mnqolo (Senzo), Thato Molamu (Nicholas), Winnie Ntshaba (Khetiwe), Zenande Mfenyana (Nolunthu), Zikhona Sodlaka (Priska) and Zolisa Xaluva (Jason). The actors first embarked on a strike in October 2013 – 10 months ago, over the same issues. After weeks of tense backroom negotiations, they were finally coaxed back to work with promises that the SABC and MMSV Productions would look at the issues. The SABCs famously matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng personally intervened as chief operating officer (COO) into the issue at the end of 2013 and declared then that the matter has finally been laid to rest. It clearly wasnt. Now the Generations actors lose their jobs; viewers lose the faces of people they know and love and have welcomed into their TV households – and the SABC and SABC1 are inflicted with further brand and reputation damage – as well as a possible viewership and ratings impact from October. The Generations actors strike – twice in the span of 10 months - followed by the firing of the actors on South Africas biggest show and soap is entirely unprecedented in the 38 years of South Africas television industry and will be sending shockwaves through the business, further entrenching the image of ongoing instability at the SABC.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 20:10:20 +0000