Latest news with #VatiswaNdara
IOL News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Vatiswa Ndara's ‘Unfiltered': a no-holds-barred look at the dark side of SA's entertainment industry
South African actress Vatiswa Ndara will soon release her tell-all memoir, 'Unfiltered: My Unglamorous Odyssey in the World of South African Entertainment", on digital platforms. Image: X South African actress Vatiswa Ndara is set to unveil her tell-all memoir, 'Unfiltered: My Unglamorous Odyssey in the World of South African Entertainment', on digital platforms soon. Originally launched in 2022, the book peels back the glittering façade of showbiz to expose a world fraught with exploitation, injustice and silenced truths. Through raw honesty and sharp wit, Ndara lays bare the underbelly of SA's entertainment industry, confronting systemic abuse, inequality and the personal cost of speaking out. Addressing fans eager for its release, Ndara shared on social media: '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.' In the memoir's prologue, Ndara reflects on the journey to writing the book: 'Over the years, many have asked when they could read my story. It puzzled me because I never saw writing a book as something I'd do-it felt like summiting Mount Everest." "Honestly, it never occurred to me that anyone would be interested enough in my life to buy a book about it. It seemed like a bad joke… until 2021 changed everything.' She recounts how an article published in Sowetan Live titled How do you hold a late celebrity accountable? sparked a backlash, much of it unfairly directed at her. The article examined ethical questions around exploitative practices in the South African film and television industry and the celebrity culture that often shields wrongdoers. One particularly emotional comment stood out: 'Yhoo, people are bitter. Vatiswa must sit down. It's annoying now … She must not try to taint Shona's legacy … At the rate she is going, she will be forgotten for her craft and remembered for this kind of behaviour. Disrespect!' Ndara sarcastically recalls checking the commenter's Facebook bio, which claimed she was a spiritual healer and prayer warrior - a discovery that added an unexpected twist to the ordeal. But the memoir is more than a response to criticism. It is Ndara's chance to set the record straight, to separate fact from rumour, and share her story honestly, regardless of public opinion. 'This is what will put my mind at rest,' she writes. Ndara's outspokenness is not new. In 2019, she made shocking allegations against South African production houses, accusing them - particularly Ferguson Films - of exploiting actors despite earning millions themselves. In an open letter to the former Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, she detailed unfair labour practices, poor pay and harsh working conditions faced by performers. In that letter, which Mthethwa shared on X, Ndara wrote: 'I come forth, not as a clever black seeking relevance … but at the risk of public shame, humiliation and alienation from peers … to expose the depth of my frustrated and broken spirit.' She highlighted an email contract offer from Ferguson Films for the third season of the drama series 'iGazi', where she portrayed the memorable character NomaRussia. The contract proposed R110 000 before tax for five weeks of shooting, with exclusivity clauses and long, unpredictable hours. Breaking down the terms, Ndara explained that after tax, her take-home pay would be about R82 000 - and she would be prohibited from seeking other work during the contract period. This, she said, revealed the harsh realities many actors face behind the scenes.
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
‘I get to share my side of the story openly and honestly,' says Vatiswa Ndara about her tell-all book
'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. ALSO READ: Bookstores allegedly refuse to sell Vatiswa Ndara's book because of the names in it 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. 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. NOW READ: WATCH: 'What's that got to do with my talent?': Actors grapple with social media influencers infiltrating TV
