Latest news with #Phumzile
The Citizen
13 hours ago
- The Citizen
Woman still missing 4 months on, search continues
The search for Bongi Phahlamohlaka, who has been missing for about four months, is still continuing. The 26-year-old from Bridgeview informal settlement, Nellmapius, was last seen on February 28. Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Isaac Mcunu said the investigations were still ongoing, but police required the community's help in locating the woman. Mcunu said she was reported missing by her sister, Phumzile, on March 1. Phumzile said she last saw Bongi returning from a visit with her mother, wearing a long brown dress, a black T-shirt and a sky-blue blazer. She said they called her on her cellphone to check if she arrived home safely, but it was off. Phumzile said at the time she didn't think much of it because Bongi lives in an area prone to power outages. She said she had assumed her cellphone battery had died and she couldn't charge it. 'We were hoping to see her on Sunday when she comes to church, but she never arrived. 'We went to her place to search for her and asked neighbours about her whereabouts, but they last saw her on February 28,' said Phumzile. She said with the help of neighbours, they forced the door open, but Bongi was nowhere to be found, and everything looked fine inside. Mcunu said police have already started investigating leads. The family said they searched almost everywhere for her without luck. Anyone with information can contact the Silverton police on 012 845 4000 or report via the MySAPS App, on 08600 10111 or call Phumzile on 060 717 0602. There is no waiting period to report a missing person. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
TimesLIVE
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
Why our stars die poor: former SABC1 boss Phumzile Zonke exposes brutal truths in new book
According to Phumzile, they're squeezed by broadcasters who form part of a powerful oligopoly. Broadcasters produce nothing but use their size and financial muscle to demand high-quality content at the lowest budget possible and sell it to advertisers at the highest price possible. 'Because broadcasters are few and production houses many, the bargaining power is deeply skewed. Emerging producers can be replaced at any moment, often at half the budget. That instability trickles down — directly affecting the actors, writers and crew who power South Africa's vibrant TV and film landscape.' Phumzile offers a rare insider view of how the system operates. While critical of broadcasters' role in the cycle of exploitation, he still sees the public broadcaster as an institution worth defending. 'The SABC is the only middleman with a heart. Most new and emerging production houses have a better chance of being commissioned by the SABC than by any private broadcaster. The creative industry does well when the SABC is doing well. The same can be said about the correlation between the decline and suffering of the creative arts industry and the stagnation of the public broadcaster.' In his book he lists a string of urgent reforms: full government funding, reconfigured revenue strategies beyond advertising and a complete overhaul of outdated operational processes and public mandate regulations. Phumzile believes restoring the SABC's competitiveness will directly benefit artists and creative businesses including more secure jobs and better support for intellectual property ownership. 'For me to own the intellectual property, I must invest financial resources to produce the content. Otherwise, whoever foots the production bill owns the content. Sometimes we lose our intellectual property due to desperation to have someone else distribute our works of art to bigger platforms and larger audiences.' Phumzile's reflections aren't just academic. During his tenure at the SABC, he engaged talent and producers caught in a vicious cycle. He describes actors waiting for overdue payments, blaming the broadcaster and producers tearfully explaining they can't pay staff until the broadcaster clears invoices. 'The media and the creative arts industry is a beautiful industry that can be rewarding yet brutal and unforgiving when you are not aligned with the right people.' Through The Middleman With Power, Phumzile hopes to equip emerging creatives with a map of the terrain — its landmines and its possibilities. 'The media and creative arts industry is said to be toxic and plagued with myriad socioeconomic challenges. One where artists pretend to be millionaires, drowning in luxury, fame and fortune (if social media presence is anything to go by).' He doesn't sugar-coat it. The book warns that entering this world often means a 'self-inflicted income penalty' in a space where fame is mistaken for fortune and no standard market rate protects performers from exploitation. 'The price of what you can offer is dependent on who is in front of you.' Now serving as director of advancement at Iziko Museums of South Africa, Phumzile continues his mission to preserve and elevate cultural legacy. He's also pursuing a PhD focused on advancing public service institutions through social entrepreneurship and AI, and is already working on his second book, The Nice Guy Syndrome, set for release in 2026.
