The cancellation of Pimville on SABC 2 is such a familiar sight on South African television that it’s not even shocking. In a statement released on 25 May, the public broadcaster cited “unresolved contractual obligations and breaches that were communicated to Bakwena Productions” as its reasons for the cancellation.
In October 2024, barely a month after the premiere of Bakwena Productions’ Pound4Pound, rumours that the cast and crew were not being paid began to swirl. The staff allegedly told Daily Sun that they had been blocked from the WhatsApp group, adding that Kagiso Modupe had pulled an “it wasn’t me.”
Bakwena Productions’ history of payment disputes
This was not the first time Modupe and his Bakwena Productions co-founder, Rashaka Moufhe, were at the centre of a payment dispute, and Pimville’s cancellation proves it will also not be the last. The resounding success of the partners’ Netflix film, Losing Lerato 2, did not prevent the pair from allegedly swindling staff either. According to an article published by City Press, the unpaid staff from this particular production exercised their rights and took the production company to the CCMA, subsequently winning the case.
These gentlemen’s payment disputes are not limited to the cast and crew and appear to disregard friendships.
Barely a minute before the Pimville cancellation, producer and Black Brain Pictures founder Mandla N broke his silence about a loan with which he had allegedly bailed Modupe and Moufhe out in 2024. That same year, the pair had come under fire, following accusations of ducking and diving with money owed to an independent transport services provider.
A year later, members of the hospitality industry who had worked with Bakwena Productions raised the alarm about their unpaid invoices pertaining to accommodation and other services.
To date, there have been no verified reports about any of the parties owed by Bakwena Productions receiving what is due to them. But another pattern emerges.
Where is the accountability?
The partners have pointed the finger at the broadcaster for the Pimville saga, essentially suggesting that the SABC’s claims about being “up to date with payments” are false. Interestingly, when the Pound4Pound payment disputes broke, Bakwena Productions made similar allegations against Paramount Africa and BET Africa.
The business partners blaming each other has also become the norm—a pattern that dates back a few years, as City Press reported that this was Modupe and Moufhe’s reaction to a photographer who was demanding his unpaid money back in 2024.
These clear patterns beg the question: does the SABC even read the news? It would be ludicrous to assume that the public broadcaster was unaware of Bakwena Productions’ history of not paying staff members. So, what motivated the SABC to hop into bed with this production company?
This may be a poor reflection on the part of both the SABC and the Modupe/Moufhe partnership, but these three parties are going to be OK. The same cannot be said for the cast and crew, fifty years since the birth of the South African television industry. Suffice to say, despite COVID-19 having proven to the world that the arts are the cornerstone of mankind’s sanity, artistry continues to be the stepchild of professions.