'I get to share my side of the story openly and honestly,' reads an excerpt from Ndara’s book.
Ostracised actress Vatiswa Ndara has shared the prologue of her yet-to-be-released tell-all book, in which she speaks about her challenges in the industry.
“Over the years, many have asked when they would be afforded an opportunity to read my book. This puzzled me as I have never indicated nor shown an interest in ever taking time to perform what to me seemed like summiting Mount Everest,” writes the actress in the intro of Unfiltered.
Ndara has not yet shared the book’s release date.
“For those who’ve been checking for the book online, it’s not yet available. Apologies! But it will be, on a date soon to be announced,” she said.
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Ndara’s open letter that sparked everything
In 2019, Ndara wrote an open letter to the then minister of sports, arts and culture, Nathi Mthethwa, in which she detailed how actors, unlike athletes, are being exploited.
“What prompted the letter of communication is my recent interaction with an independent production house, Ferguson Films, that produces iGazi,” wrote Ndara in 2019.
In the letter, she shared an extract from an email by her then bosses, Ferguson Films, about the shooting of the third season of iGazi, in which she was involved.
The Ferguson Films email stated how Ndara, as part of her ‘global contract’, will be expected to shoot the season for five straight weeks and exclusively avail herself to iGazi.
“Limitless calls, in case you do not know minister, means, I could be on set Monday to Saturday for full 12 hours a day, over the duration of the five week; and these people do not want to be limited to the amount of scenes you shoot a day. It is easy for them to give you up to 18 scenes a day.
Minister, in frankness, a normal actor, and a hard-working one at that, is already drained at the exertion of eight scenes a day,” she wrote in 2019.
GOOD MORNING 🙋🏽♀ 🇿🇦
— Vatiswa Ndara (@theVati_Can) October 7, 2019
AN OPEN LETTER TO MINISTER OF SPORTS, ARTS & CULTURE @NathiMthethwaSA + @asandamagaqa#actor #acting #actorslivesmatter#DiaryOfAMadFrustratedActor#StopExploitingActors#TheShowMustGoOn#IAmAnActorSA#SouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/o2auq7FckZ
There was a polarising reaction to the letter, with some sympathising with her, while others thought she was ungrateful for the opportunity to be part of one of the country’s biggest TV shows at the time.
Ferguson Films was founded by actors Shona and his wife Connie Ferguson in 2010.
Three years after the open letter, Shona passed away, and the conversation about actors’ working conditions came to the fore again.
During that time, an article came out which spoke about Shona’s role in actors’ treatment-this, Ndara says, led to her being attacked.
“A significant wave of reactions which were directed at me, as though I had orchestrated its [article] release. It seemed that just the mention of my name was enough to provoke outrage,” writes Ndara in the upcoming book’s prologue.
ALSO READ: We tried to negotiate with Vatiswa Ndara, say Fergusons
Decision to tell her story
Ndara said in the slew of reactions to the said article, she was particularly taken aback by one person’s passionate comments about her.
“One could tell that the person who had posted the emotionally charged comment was quite upset, to say the least. It is this person’s comment that may have been the catalyst for my decision to share my side of the story.”
The person who commented had described Ndara as ‘bitter’ and ‘annoying’ for speaking out about the conditions of actors in the local TV and film industry.
But writing in the prologue of the upcoming book, Ndara said Unfiltered wasn’t just about responding to the ordinary person’s comments about her.
“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.”
Ndara has previously spoken about how her life changed after she opened the can of worms about the industry.
During an interview on King David’s podcast, the actress revealed that she tried to take her life after she was allegedly fired from the SABC for laying a sexual assault complaint against a colleague back in 2019.
The Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill (PPAB), which could dramatically change the livelihoods of actors, has been placed on Ramaphosa’s desk after having been passed through the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces.
Ramaphosa has referred the Bill to the Constitutional Court for a ruling on its constitutionality.
The PPAB is linked to the Copyright Amendment Bill (CAB).
The PPAB awards actors the statutory right to actor royalties, and the CAB gives the statutory right to form an organisation that can collect and disburse those royalties.
President Ramaphosa has identified some issues with the bills, stating that if passed, they could have a retrospective effect on the current owners of copyrights. Producers and/or production companies are the owners of copyrights.
