Sizwe Dhlomo dragged for 'defending' the Fergusons: 'They took all the risks'

Sizwe Dhlomo found himself in the midst of a Twitter storm on Monday evening when he was accused of defending Connie and Shona Ferguson, owners of Ferguson Films, against allegations of mistreating actors.

Sizwe weighed in on claims contained in an open letter by iGazi actress Vatiswa Ndara to arts and culture minister Nathi Mthethwa on Monday.

Responding to a tweet saying actors were generally exploited, Sizwe said the industry was broke.

“In a lot of ways, this is true but also the industry is broke if we’re being honest. Cats just won’t tell you that.”   

A follower then said the Fergusons were part of the problem.

Sizwe told the fan the couple had taken a risk and if people wanted to be bosses they must “pay the cost”.

“Sho, I hear that and I don’t even know the Fergusons but from what I’ve seen, they took all the risks. Quit their jobs at SABC to build their own thing. If cats want to be bosses, they must also pay the cost ke. Not to say that people must get exploited kodwa.”

While some agreed with Sizwe, many slammed him for “defending” the power couple and said he was blind to the mistreatment many actors in Mzansi faced.

Meanwhile, iGazi actor Anga Makubalo applauded Vatiswa for speaking out. He also said the show may soon be recast.

Actress Pearl Thusi said mistreatment was the reason she had not worked on a local production in years.

Florence Masebe, a strong advocate for actors' rights in SA, said more brave voices were needed, but warned that those who spoke up were often victimised.