NUMSA Slams Exploitation Of SA Actors After Nandi Nyembe’s Death: Calls For Reform

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) has raised alarm over the exploitation of South African actors, accusing apartheid-era media companies of blocking transformation and exploiting performers.

This comes in the wake of veteran actress Nandi Nyembe’s passing, which has reignited calls for the government to sign the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill so actors in the country can earn what they truely deserve.

Nandi Nyembe’s Legacy Highlights Industry Crisis

NUMSA’s Deputy General Secretary, Mbuso Ngubane, said Nyembe’s death mirrows the harsh realities facing creatives in the country.

“She was unable to afford adequate medical care despite her decades-long contributions to film and television. It is a painful blow to an industry already in crisis; she left behind a legacy that highlights the urgent need for reform,” said Ngubane.

He described the industry as “parasitic,” profiting from the labour of artists while denying them fair pay, benefits, and security.

Exploitation and Resistance to Transformation

The South African Cultural Observatory reports that the creative sector contributes 6.72% to the national economy and employs over a million people. Despite this, most workers remain freelancers without contracts, benefits, or legal protections.

NUMSA identified key challenges including: exploitative contracts that violate the Labour Relations Act, blocklisting of outspoken actors, industry resistance from media houses with roots in apartheid-era structures, and fragmented workplaces that make unionising difficult.

“The union insists that Nyembe’s death must be a turning point. She must be the last to suffer such indignity,” Ngubane said.

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Adding to the storm, actress Vatiswa Ndara revealed in her upcoming autobiography Unfiltered 2 that she has been sidelined by the broadcasting industry.

“One can confidently say that I have been [blocklisted]. The tricky thing about being [blocklisted], though, is that one can’t really prove it,” she wrote.

Her claims echo NUMSA’s warnings about systemic exclusion of outspoken artists in South Africa’s entertainment industry.

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