Simple ways to resuscitate SA's film and television industry

It doesn't take a genius to figure out what can be done to bring a vital sector back from the dead. By Richard Poplak and Diana Neille

- Richard Poplak and Diana Neille

When Parks Tau was appointed as the minister of trade, industry and competition after the establishment of the so-called government of national unity in 2024, some observers were enthusiastic. A relatively (stress on relatively) uncorrupt cadre was now in charge of a truly adult portfolio.

If nothing else, Tau sells himself as a capable technocrat. Unfortunately, reality does not bear this out.

Yes, he inherited a department in disarray, and it remains in disarray. Specifically, by the time he was appointed in July 2024, film production rebate applications hadn't been adjudicated for over a year. There has been almost no movement since. (As is the custom, no one at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition agreed to interview requests.)

In part, this dysfunction emerges from an inability to set coherent policy and then coordinate it appropriately. It’s also about priorities: the department emphasises the “trade” part of its portfolio, without defining what kind of trade and with whom, and what it offers the economy that other stimuli and incentives cannot. (Unlike many other countries, South Africa’s response to the Trump 2 tariff regime has been pathetic.)

There have been several outreach sessions with the film industry, and a number of protests culminating in the most recent, which saw representatives hand over a missive to the ministry. The recommendations couched in it aren't universally accepted, but they largely suggest two things.