Bakwena Productions has responded to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) following the cancellation of the SABC 2 telenovela Pimville.
The company accused the broadcaster of creating a “misleading public narrative” about the show’s financial collapse.
The response comes after the SABC announced this week that Pimville had been discontinued with immediate effect due to “unresolved contractual obligations and breaches” involving Bakwena Productions.
This came after cast and crew members allegedly went unpaid for two months, leading to a halt in production earlier this month.
Bakwena Productions responds to SABC
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Bakwena Productions denied allegations that the financial crisis was caused by failures on the company’s side.
The company claimed its legal representatives sent a formal notice to the SABC on 12 May detailing what it described as repeated contractual breaches, delayed approvals, governance inconsistencies and payment defaults by the broadcaster.
According to Bakwena, the approved production budget was also reduced by about 38% without due process.
“This correspondence was supported by extensive documentary evidence, including approved budgets, payment schedules, production records, operational reports, financial reconciliations, invoices, correspondence and proof of continued delivery by Bakwena,” the statement read.
Bakwena further claimed that the SABC still owed the company substantial outstanding payments linked to the production.
“These outstanding payments have created operational constraints and a severe strain on the broader production ecosystem, which the SABC statement fails to acknowledge and address,” the statement read.
The company added that it continued delivering episodes despite the alleged funding challenges.
The production company also urged the SABC to reconsider its decision to possibly remove Bakwena as the producer of Pimville.
“For seamless continuity, Bakwena urges the SABC to reconsider its stance on removing Bakwena as the producer of Pimville for the integrity and morale of the cast and crew,” the company said.
In a previous statement, the SABC said Bakwena Productions had breached its contract.
“The SABC wishes to confirm that the broadcaster has duly fulfilled its contractual obligations to Bakwena Productions. The corporation is therefore up to date with payments,” the broadcaster said.
The SABC also confirmed that legal and disciplinary processes were underway following an internal review into the production.
The broadcaster added that the cancellation of Pimville did not necessarily mean the end of the telenovela and that it was still considering options for the show’s future.
Actor and Bakwena Productions co-founder Kagiso Modupe previously addressed the matter, saying he was not responsible for the financial operations of the production.
“During production, things started going wrong financially. Actors and crew were not paid, and suppliers were not paid,” he said.
