Vatiswa Ndara vs the Fergusons: Five articles you need to read

Days after award-winning actress Vatiswa Ndara shared an open letter about the alleged exploitation of actors in SA, she continues to make headlines.

Here are five must-read stories on the actress.

Open letter

On Monday, Ndara wrote a letter to sports, arts and culture minister, Nathi Mthethwa, alleging that Ferguson Films, a company run and owned by seasoned actors Shona and Connie Ferguson, bullied and exploited actors.

“Actors want to be remunerated fairly. No-one wants to work towards poverty, which is the norm in this industry. When shows rake in profits, actors do not benefit from this.

“Actors further don't benefit from shows on repeat, even though they should receive royalties,” she said.

Threatened legal action 

TshisaLIVE reported that the Fergusons were considering taking legal action against Ndara regarding the allegations.

“We are considering legal action against the author of the letter and we are not going to answer any further questions at this time,” said the Fergusons' lawyer Brendan de Kooker.

Keke chimes in 

After the news of the open letter broke, former The Throne actress Keke Mphuthi weighed in, recounting her own experience with the production company.

In a series of tweets, she claimed that when she told her bosses she was pregnant, she was given guarantees she would still have a job when she returned.

However, she said she was told on the last week of shooting that her contract had come to an end.

Fergusons denies

On Wednesday, Connie and Shona Ferguson, denied the allegations in the letter, labelling it as “misguided, misdirected and misleading”.

In a statement sent to TshisaLIVE, the pair said the letter was a “ploy to defame and tarnish” their reputation.

“As actors ourselves and producers we are aware of the challenges facing the entertainment industry.

“We support 100% a need for the industry to be regulated and for the Performance Protection Amendment Bill to be signed sooner rather than later.

“With that said, the allegations made by the various actors do not reflect the true position of the industry and paints a false picture, that may mislead the public.”

The Fergusons denied Mphuthi's claims, labelling them as false allegations.

Public support

Words of support and encouragement have been pouring in for Ndara.

More and more South Africans, including actress Kgomotso Christopher, decided to stand behind her and show support under the hashtag #IstandWithVatiswa.