Hundreds of professionals from the South African film and television industry marched in Cape Town and protested outside Parliament over significant delays in the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition's (DTIC) rebate system. On Wednesday, industry workers demanded an urgent meeting with Minister Parks Tau and called for an investigation into the alleged mismanagement of the incentive scheme, highlighting a crisis that has been escalating for years.

The South African Film and Television Production Incentive, managed by the DTIC, is designed to support the local film and television industry. However, the 'Save SA Films Jobs Coalition' reported that the ongoing delays in payments and extensive backlogs in processing rebate applications have led to job losses and stalled productions. While the DTIC previously attributed these delays to "fiscal constraints," the industry asserts that the current situation is severely impacting its viability and ability to operate.

Industry veterans, such as writer and director Meg Rickards, who has 24 years of experience, described the situation as "dire." Rickards shared a personal account of her production company completing a film in 2020 but only receiving payment from the DTIC two years later. To meet payment obligations for her crew, her family was forced to borrow against their bond, a struggle that made them hesitant to produce another film. She emphasized that without the DTIC incentive, it is no longer financially feasible to shoot in South Africa, jeopardizing the industry's crucial role in promoting culture, national dialogue, and job creation.

Wandile Molebatsi, deputy chairperson of the Independent Producers Organisation, read a comprehensive memorandum of demands to three representatives of the portfolio committee for trade, industry and competition. Key demands included an urgent, in-person meeting with DTIC leadership, including Minister Tau, and the establishment of working groups within 21 working days to develop both short-term and long-term solutions.

The industry also called for the immediate resumption of adjudication committee meetings, which, according to Molebatsi, ceased without explanation in October 2023. Further demands involved creating an online portal to track applications and launching a thorough investigation into the DTIC's alleged mismanagement of the incentive scheme.

Portfolio committee chairperson Mzwandile Masina (ANC) accepted the memorandum and pledged to arrange a meeting between film industry leaders and the minister. He also stated his intention to request that the department appear before Parliament. Masina acknowledged the sector's vital capacity to create jobs across semi-skilled, skilled, and professional categories and promised that a public report on the sector would be compiled to ensure accountability from the ministry.

Numerous organizations participated in the protest, including Animation SA, the SA Guild of Actors, Documentary Filmmakers Association, the SA Stunt Association, and the Writers Guild of SA. This demonstration was not an isolated incident; the film industry had previously protested over the same issue in February 2025, delivering a memorandum to the DTIC. However, according to the latest memorandum, these past efforts did not result in meaningful change, leaving the industry in a "damaging state of uncertainty."

DTIC spokesperson Bongani Lukhele informed GroundUp that the "department has had consultations with the industry regarding the issue of the incentive." However, entertainment lawyer Unathi Malunga countered this by stating that engagements with the DTIC have been ongoing since at least 2020, marked by repeated promises and a lack of tangible improvements. She highlighted that producers are not receiving their owed money on time, despite being encouraged to apply for incentives that are years in backlog, creating a dire situation for many.