By Charmaine Ndlela
South Africa’s film and television industry says negotiations with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) have reached a deadlock after months of unsuccessful engagements, accusing the department of failing to address a crisis that threatens thousands of jobs and the future of the country’s production sector.
The Save SA Film and TV Jobs Coalition announced on Friday that, after six months of engagement and only five meetings with the department, little progress had been made in restoring the Film and Television Production Incentive, which it says has effectively become non-functional.
Established in 2004, the South African Film and Television Production Incentive is administered by the DTIC to support the growth and sustainability of the country’s film and television industry.
The coalition said payment delays and a backlog in processing rebate applications have resulted in job losses and stalled productions.
Representing producers, actors, writers, directors, editors, cinematographers, animators, stunt performers and other industry stakeholders, the coalition said repeated attempts to engage the department had resulted in “talk shops” rather than meaningful action.
According to the coalition, Adjudication Committee meetings responsible for approving incentive applications have not resumed for nearly two-and-a-half years, leaving applications unprocessed, productions delayed and jobs across the sector at risk.
It warned that the continued failure to restart the adjudication process could result in allocated public funds remaining unspent during the current financial year, despite repeated calls from the industry for the existing incentive programme to operate as intended.
“The industry is not merely awaiting policy discussion. It is facing an immediate operational crisis,” the coalition said.
The coalition said it submitted a memorandum of demands to the DTIC following nationwide demonstrations in January and later met with Deputy Minister Zuko Godlimipi.
On 28 January, film and television professionals staged protests in Cape Town, accusing the government of crippling the industry.
Among the coalition’s outstanding demands are the immediate resumption of Adjudication Committee meetings, the processing of pending applications, the establishment of dedicated working groups to address short- and medium-term challenges, greater transparency, reduced administrative delays, regular guideline interpretation workshops and accountability for the collapse of the incentive system.
Although the Deputy Minister directed that working groups and workshops be established during subsequent Portfolio Committee engagements in February 2026, the coalition said these initiatives have not been properly implemented and have instead become discussion forums without clear decisions, timelines or measurable outcomes.
The coalition further warned that if the Film Unit is unable to spend the budget already allocated to the incentive programme, serious questions should be raised about its capacity to develop and implement broader industry reforms, including processing new applications.
It also said it has lost confidence in the leadership of the Film Unit, arguing that the production incentive was once regarded as one of the most reliable internationally before deteriorating into what it described as a non-operational system.
As a result, the coalition has called for the removal of Film Unit official Nelly Molokoane from any further decision-making relating to the Film and Television Production Incentive. It said the resolution was adopted unanimously, with one abstention.
The coalition said it wrote to Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau on 13 July requesting urgent intervention, including the immediate resumption of Adjudication Committee meetings, the processing of pending applications and a formal written response within seven days.
It claims no response has been received.
According to the coalition, the minister’s failure to respond and the limited engagement with the Deputy Minister demonstrate a lack of appreciation for the severity of the crisis facing the industry.
The coalition said it will now seek an urgent appearance before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition to outline the impasse, the risk of budget underspending and the impact on the sector.
It is also considering nationwide protest action should urgent intervention fail to materialise.
While reaffirming its willingness to continue engaging government, the coalition said the industry could no longer afford delays while productions collapsed, jobs disappeared, transformation efforts were reversed and confidence in South Africa’s film and television sector continued to erode.
The coalition has called on Parliament and the Minister to intervene urgently to restore the incentive programme and stabilise the industry.
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