By Jean-Pierre A.
South Africa’s film and television industry is regarded as one of the most advanced on the African continent, driven by high-quality production houses, established broadcasters, and a thriving entertainment sector. However, behind the polished productions lies a darker reality.
In a revealing new book, a South African actress exposes widespread exploitation and systemic challenges faced by actors—those at the heart of the industry’s success.
Vatiswa Viola Ndara, an award-winning South African actress and broadcaster, has recently released a book in which she shares her past hurdles with the country’s TV production companies, including poor payment and being blacklisted.
Ndara’s memoir, titled Unfiltered: My Unglamorous Odyssey in the World of South African Entertainment, is her personal account and side of the story, chronicling her experiences as an actress. The legendary performer exposes a rotten industry that allocates little budget to those seen on people’s screens, despite the critical role actors play in most entertainment programmes.
The book informs aspiring actors and other stakeholders about the toxicity of an environment that is supposed to nurture talent and serve as a source of income generation.
The memoir also delves into pertinent themes, including working conditions in the South African entertainment industry, the legacy of exploitation—past and present idols mired in poverty—the role of women in a patriarchal society, gender-based violence, and the politics of arts and culture in South Africa.
On exploitation and poor working conditions, for instance, Vatiswa’s book details the lack of priority given to actors and their poor remuneration. The multi-award-winning actress notes:
“It never fails to amaze me that a project or production will be conceived and conceptualised, yet there will be no conceptualised budget. Surely, this defies logic. The bone of contention for me is that when there is budget pressure, it seems the go-to place is the wage bill of the actors. There is hardly ever sufficient budget for them.”
Producers should fight harder to secure more time and money to shoot their shows, reads part of the book. “When you access little to no budgets, as you tell us, this often compromises the quality of the shows, resulting in mostly below-par productions.”
Unfiltered’s prologue takes the reader into the author’s motivation and trigger for writing the book. The actress was responding to misleading stories about her and the country’s entertainment sector and wanted to set the record straight. Additionally, many people had asked whether her book would be available to read.
“This book is, however, not only responding to the comments of that article [an article on the death of a television executive producer in 2021]. It’s also to extricate myself from the stories that have made the rounds about me in the media and entertainment circles. Whether people believe what I say or not is immaterial—the most important thing is that I get to share my side of the story openly and honestly. This is what will put my mind at rest,” reads an excerpt from the book’s prologue.
The book takes readers through the life and times of the celebrated thespian as a media personality, broadcaster, and the iconic roles she has played on South Africa’s television screens, delivered with aplomb, gusto, and energy.
Through her memoirs, Vatiswa gives a candid account of her painful experiences of gender-based violence—including sexual abuse—at the hands of prominent and powerful figures in the entertainment industry and beyond.
In 2019, the actress decided to bow out of the industry after being blacklisted. This followed an open letter she wrote to the then Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, the late Nathi Mthethwa. The former minister is singled out for “apathy, lack of leadership,” and poor regulation of the arts industry—factors she contends have largely contributed to the sector’s decline, leaving countless iconic figures destitute due to exploitative practices in the world of glitz and glamour.
The legendary actress also calls upon South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to reflect on the waning impact of the arts and culture sector, given its critical and vibrant role in nation-building.
By all accounts, Unfiltered is a well-written book that offers a holistic and comprehensive insight into Vatiswa as a person—whose talent audiences have come to appreciate and celebrate. Her story reveals the unglamorous side of the entertainment industry that many know very little about.
The book is a compelling read for general audiences, especially aspiring actors, producers, and arts and culture enthusiasts. It will also appeal to those interested in South Africa’s and Africa’s entertainment industry.
The book is available on Amazon globally and Takealot in South Africa.
Author’s accolades
Vatiswa Ndara won several prestigious awards in film and TV categories;
South African Film and Television Award (Safta in 2006) for the portrayal of Miriam (alcoholic mother) in the SABC 1 drama series Home Affairs.
DStv Viewer’s Choice Award (2017) for the portrayal of the evil Queen NomaRussia on the Mzansi Magic drama series iGazi
Provincial Arts and Culture Awards 2021: MEC’s Special Award for Film.
