South Africa: Committee Lays Foundation to Safeguard Jobs in Television and Film Industry

 

The Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition yesterday laid the foundation for safeguarding jobs and restoring confidence in South Africa’s film and television industry.

Following extensive engagements with stakeholders and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) yesterday, the committee has reaffirmed its commitment to facilitating meaningful dialogue aimed at retaining existing jobs, creating new employment opportunities, and advancing inclusive economic development in the industry.

The film and television sector told the committee that it is facing significant funding challenges, due to uncertainty around payments from the Film and Television Production Incentive Programme, including incentives pre-approved in 2021 that were later revoked due to what was described as non-compliance by industry players. These developments have had serious consequences for production companies, investors and workers across the value chain, as it affects the domestic industry’s ability to raise commercial capital for projects.

The sector is people-intensive and sustains thousands of South Africans including actors, directors, producers and filmmakers but also small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) providing catering, transport, set design, clothing, and other essential services. It also offers numerous opportunities for youth employment and on-the-job technical skills development.

The committee believes that the value of this sector must not be underestimated in a country with high unemployment. Therefore, supporting a people-intensive sector like film and television is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

After yesterday’s meeting, the committee concluded the following:

• It acknowledged the fiscal constraints facing the country. However, it stressed that funding limitations cannot become a permanent barrier to growth. Thus, it called for the exploration of creative and alternative funding solutions.
• It highlighted the need for improved communication and coordination between government, through the DTIC, and industry stakeholders to resolve industry concerns and ensure the creation of a conducive environment for a thriving industry.
• Greater clarity and consistency in incentive guidelines and eligibility criteria are critical to ensuring compliance and preventing future disputes.
• It called on the DTIC and the National Treasury to urgently engage and provide a clear, unified position on the funding of incentives as policy uncertainty undermines investment decisions and places jobs at risk

Chairperson of the committee, Mr Mzwandile Masina, said the committee does not implement policy and does not directly allocate budgets, its responsibility is to ensure that the department, working together with industry, resolves the challenges in the film industry.

“We have consistently advocated that support from the DTIC must go beyond financial assistance. There must also be non-financial support that helps industry players comply with guidelines and eligibility requirements. Our task now is to ensure continuous engagement until solutions are found. We owe it to the thousands of South Africans whose livelihoods depend on this sector to ensure certainty to restore investor confidence” said Masina.

The committee will continue to monitor progress being made by the department and industry players to ensure that the current challenges are resolved and stability is restored to this critical sector of the South African economy.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.