Latest news with #Gabela
The South African
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
Tearful Glen Gabela pleads for help as fridge lies empty
Former Uzalo actor Glen Gabela has become the latest South African star to appeal for donations after falling on hard times. Gabela, who portrayed Pastor Mdletshe on the popular SABC1 soapie, shared a heartfelt plea in a video circulating on social media. In the emotional clip, Glen tearfully asks for assistance, showing his nearly empty fridge, which contains nothing but containers of water. 'I want a decent life, to be treated with dignity like every normal person. That's why I am reaching out. I'm trying to engage with people because I want to grow the film industry, so that young and upcoming performers don't end up like us,' he said 'You listen to the stories of top actors when they pass [away], you listen to the stories told and how they struggled. Almost all of us, when we reach this age, reach a stage where we … it's a pity I am not able to ask for help. It's hard for me to ask for help. That's all I need, just to live decently, I don't need to be rich, I just need to live a decent life,' he added. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sannah Mcunu (@sanamchunu7) Another star who recently spoke out about her financial challenges is veteran actress Nandi Nyembe. The 55-year-old bravely opened up in an emotional video shared by Masingita Masunga from the Above Normal Foundation. In the video, Nandi shared that she has faced financial struggles, particularly after paying R88,000 for her son's medical care. 'From the money I've worked for, my son got sick. I don't have money. How are you going to get medical aid when you don't have money? I tried to get a company that's a bit cheaper. What are you going to pay it with every month?' Some artists who have previously come out to plead for help due to financial difficulties include Pebetsi Matlaila, Dr Malinga, Zahara, Brenda Ngxoli, Carla Radebe, and Vusi Thanda. DO YOU THINK THE FILM INDUSTRY SUPPORTS STARS LIKE GLEN GABELA ENOUGH? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Minister McKenzie responds to Glen Gabela's call for assistance
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has addressed veteran actor Glen Gabela's plea for help. Image: GCIS Minister of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie has responded to the calls for assistance for former Uzalo actor Glen Gabela. McKenzie was tagged on numerous social media posts, asking the department to intervene and assist the award-winning actor. On X, McKenzie told the public that the matter is being handled, this after he described the situation as 'extremely sad'. Ntate Glen Gabele matter is being handled. Thanks for highlighting his plight. We shall give full feedback after giving him assistance this week. — Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) August 14, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The minister thanked the public for highlighting Gabela's plight and the department will give full feedback after giving him assistance this week. Gabela trended on social media after a video of him asking for help was released. The video also showed Gabela's poor living conditions. 'I want a decent life. I want to live decently like every normal person, which is why I make these attempts to engage with people,' he says. 'I've contributed to the film industry so that young and upcoming performers don't end up like us. I want their lives to be better. I don't want them to live the life we live.' Thanks, will follow up and revert back today. This is extremely sad. — Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) August 14, 2025 Gabela's plea, which added to the numerous veteran actors who are struggling, has led to large calls for the Performers' Protection Amendment Bill and the Copyright Amendment Bill to be passed to ensure the fair treatment of creatives. An X user asked Mckenzie if the bills would ever be passed or is a band-aid going to be put on a wound each time. The minister responded by saying that a comprehensive plan will be announced in the near future on how they will be making sure artists live better. Absolutely not, I hear you though, we have started with projects like the establishment of different sector councils, meeting records labels, streaming companies. We will in near future share our comprehensive plan on how to make sure artist live better. — Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) August 14, 2025
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Gayton McKenzie reacts to former Uzalo actor's plea for help
Actor Glen Gabela opened up about how he lost everything after losing his job on 'Uzalo'. A heartfelt video by former Uzalo actor Glen Gabela asking for help has gone viral on social media. In the clip, the veteran actor speaks about his struggles, saying his only wish is to live 'a decent life'. The video also shows Gabela's heartbreaking living conditions. 'I want a decent life. I want to live decently like every normal person, which is why I make these attempts to engage with people,' he says. 'I've contributed to the film industry so that young and upcoming performers don't end up like us. I want their lives to be better. I don't want them to live the life we live.' He also spoke about the silent battles many well known actors face when they get older.. 'You listen to the stories of top actors when they pass away and how they struggled. Almost all of us, when we reach this age, reach a stage where… it's a pity I am not able to ask for help. It's hard for me to ask for help. That's all I need – just to live decently. I don't need to be rich.' The video has since caught the attention of the Minister of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie. 'Thanks, will follow up and revert back today. This is extremely sad,' he tweeted. ALSO READ: National Arts and Culture Awards nominees announced as Minister McKenzie faces backlash over social media posts Glen Gabela's life after Uzalo Gabela previously opened up about how he lost everything after losing his job on Uzalo. He portrayed the character of Pastor Mdletshe on the show. Speaking on The Voice with Palesa podcast, he said: 'When they breached that contract, my life went down. My bank froze all of my accounts. My car was repossessed and my apartment in eMdloti was locked. I used to send money for my daughter's upkeep. 'But her mother, whom I was divorced from, told me she would raise her by herself. I do not know what poison she fed her, but to this day my daughter does not want to see me.' NOW READ: What to watch: Sandler's 'Happy Gilmore' back and swinging on Netflix
Axios
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Accusations fly as Miami officials discuss the "weaponization" of government
A Miami city commission meeting organized to discuss the "weaponization of city government" ended in finger-pointing and shouting. The big picture: Feuding and political posturing among commissioners overshadowed the pleas of restaurant owners seeking reprieve from code enforcement raids that disrupt — or even shut down — their businesses during peak hours. Driving the news: The thrust of Friday's meeting was a list of accusations against Commissioner Joe Carollo, the veteran Miami politician seen as a candidate for Miami mayor, including claims that he is using code enforcement to go after a political opponent. "One person has set our city back many years," Commissioner Damian Pardo said at the meeting. Friction point: Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela accused Carollo of sending code enforcement to his private properties after Gabela spearheaded an audit of the city's Bayfront Park Management Trust. Gabela says the probe will uncover wrongdoing by Carollo, the former chairman of the Trust. Carollo — who has denied wrongdoing — told the city manager that there were "direct, in-your-face violations" at Gabela's properties. Zoom in: During the meeting, Carollo set up a PowerPoint presentation showing publicly accessible satellite images of Gabela's properties with boats and cars parked in the lot. Carollo also accused Gabela of threatening to fire the city manager if he sent code enforcement to the properties. Gabela denied the claim. "He thinks he can do whatever he wants in this city," Carollo said. Reality check: Carollo was hit with a $63.5 million legal judgment in 2023 after a jury found him liable for violating the free speech rights of the owners of the nightclub Ball & Chain. The jury found that Carollo pushed police and code enforcement to target their properties after they supported one of Carollo's political opponents. The city also agreed to pay $12.5 million to settle a related lawsuit. What they're saying: Gabela, who said he has no open code violations against him, alluded to the legal cases against Carollo but was instructed by the city's legal team to refrain from discussing details, citing active litigation. "This is 2.0 Ball & Chain, what they're doing to me," Gabela previously told Local 10. Gabela's wife recently addressed the commission to accuse Carollo of sending staff to watch her. Meanwhile, Carollo told Axios the city needs to reform its building and code enforcement departments to address concerns made by restaurant owners. "There's a lot of things that need to be reformed. But I don't control that. If I did, I guarantee you they would be done in a much more appropriate way." What's next: Voters will go to the polls Tuesday to elect a new commissioner in District 4 after the death of Manolo Reyes in April.
Miami Herald
05-02-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Miami commissioner to call for Carollo's removal from city agency caught up in lawsuit
Miami City Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela plans to call for the removal of Joe Carollo as chairman of the Bayfront Park Management Trust, a downtown city agency at the center of a federal whistleblower lawsuit filed by two former employees who made accusations about financial improprieties and accounting issues at the agency. At the next Miami City Commission meeting on Feb. 13, Gabela said he will ask his colleagues to vote on removing Carollo as chairman of the Trust — a post Carollo has held since 2017. The agency, which maintains downtown's Bayfront and Maurice Ferré parks, generates revenue from hosting large-scale events like the Ultra Music Festival. The chairperson role is held by one of Miami's five city commissioners. READ MORE: Former employees sue Joe Carollo, say he used Miami city agency for personal gain Gabela said that he is calling for a 'vote of no confidence' and that Carollo should 'relinquish' the chairmanship 'because of all the controversy that's been happening.' 'And if Carollo wants to go to battle with me because of that, we'll go to battle,' Gabela said. Gabela said he would be open to becoming Trust chairman if Carollo is voted out. That would mark yet another major leadership change at the Bayfront Park Management Trust in the past two months. In December, the agency's executive director, Jose Suarez, and its finance director, Jose Canto, departed from the agency. READ MORE: Joe Carollo taps former Doral city manager to lead downtown Miami city agency The pair filed a federal lawsuit last month against the Trust, Carollo and a Trust board member who is also Carollo's personal accountant, alleging that they were pushed out of the agency after raising concerns when they made 'unsettling discoveries' and set out to fix 'accounting issues' in the agency. Some of those alleged discoveries included the absence of an adequate accounting or auditing system; no policy or procedure to ensure vendors were selected through a competitive bidding process; and no requirement for expenses paid by the Trust to be supported by a contract or invoice. Carollo has denied the lawsuit's allegations, accusing the plaintiffs' attorney Jeff Gutchess of filing the lawsuit as leverage to force the city's hand to settle a different lawsuit involving the operators of the Ball & Chain nightclub, who are also represented by Gutchess. Gabela's reason for wanting to remove Carollo as the agency's chairman extends beyond the lawsuit's allegations. He pointed to comments Carollo made at a City Commission meeting in June that, 'I think there should be a new chairman when we bring this up again in the first meeting of January.' Gabela said that if Carollo is 'a man of [his] word,' he should bow out. Carollo is termed out of his District 3 seat at the end of the year. Gabela said it will ensure a smoother transition for whichever commissioner takes over the agency if they can step in months before Carollo's term ends rather than in late 2025. 'It wouldn't be fair to the new person coming in for Carollo to turn it over in November,' Gabela said. He also took umbrage at the fact that the city recently hired Shutts & Bowen, the law firm that employs former City Attorney Victoria Méndez, to defend Carollo in the lawsuit. 'Somebody has to hold his feet to the fire,' Gabela said of Carollo. Meanwhile, Carollo has a competing proposal that he plans to introduce at the same meeting next week. His proposal would 'abolish' the Bayfront Park Management Trust altogether and instead create a unit within the Parks Department to oversee Maurice Ferré Park and Bayfront Park. Carollo said his proposal is unrelated to the lawsuit. Speaking about the lawsuit at Monday's Bayfront Park Management Trust meeting, Carollo said the plaintiffs are 'cowards' for making what he described as bogus claims. 'I am not a coward,' Carollo added. 'I might be accused of a lot of things. But one that I never have been, never will be, is a coward.'
