Entertainment

Vatiswa Ndara responds to Ferguson Films legal threat

Actress Vatiswa Ndara says she will deal with legal action from Ferguson Films when she gets the legal papers. She said she had only learnt of intentions to take legal actions against her on social media. Ndara on Monday shook the entertainment industry when she penned a scathing six page open letter to Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa.

In her letter, Ndara bemoans poor working conditions in the industry, amongst a raft of issues. In the open letter, she also revealed the basis for her contention was an offer of R110 000 to partake in the third season of Igazi, a Mzansi Magic production. Under the production, she would be locked down to the production for five weeks, exclusively to the shooting of the production, she said.

On Tuesday, in a letter to Independent Media, De Kooker Attorneys, lawyers representing Ferguson Films – which is owned by Connie and Shona Ferguson, the lawyers said they were taking considering ‘possible legal action’ against NdaraThe allegations made in the letter regarding our client are wrongful and published with the intention of causing our client harm,” the lawyer’s letter said.

“And as such, our client, at this juncture, bona fide elects to refrain from answering your questions,” the attorneys said. According to EWN, Ndara said she was adopting a wait and see approach with regards to the legal threat.

Vatiswa Ndara

“No one has been in touch with me regarding that. It’s just on Twitter, so I’ll just wait and see and cross that bridge when I get there,” EWN reported Ndara as saying.

Speaking on eNCA on Tuesday night, she said again she would deal with it when she was faced with it. And speaking to SABC News on Tuesday afternoon, Ndara said actors and artists were dying poor because ‘something is wrong’. Why is it that every time when an artist dies they don’t have money. So it’s always been there, but what people need to know is that we don’t live the glamorous life, it’s not that at all.

“We work very long hours and most of the time, we don’t get paid what is due to us. In 2019, I am still being offered rates of 2005, so, for us it is almost as if inflation and the cost of living, those things are not considered,” she said.

Ndara said she had rejected Ferguson Films alleged R110 000 offer because she was tired. She had made a demand of up to R700 000, which was rejected. She said she would not appear on Season 3 of Igazi.

Vatiswa Ndara

“I am angry at myself because I think we allow it because we are scared at not getting the next loaf of bread. We’ve always been raising these things, but then we also ask ourselves who are we going to run to, because sometimes when you go to your agent they tell you ‘oh stop it’,” she said. Ndara alleged that she made just R9000 for the whole season of Home Affairs, which used to air on SABC 1. I hope something will really be done this time. I reached out to the minister because he has the power to call on things to happen. I reached out to the minister because he is the one person that can get things moving,” said Ndara.

In other news – DA wants to know why IPID protected criminal cops

The police watchdog stands accused of prematurely completing or closing cases to manipulate performance statistics. The DA wants the acting head of the Independent Police Investigating Directorate (IPID), Victor Senna, and the former head Robert McBride to be summoned to Parliament to explain allegations that the police watchdog prematurely completed or closed cases to manipulate performance statistics.

Robert McBride

“SAPS members are literally getting away with murder, assault and torture,” an IPID official reported on the police watchdog’s policy of closing cases in an internal document. Read more

Source: msn