Rami Chuene: Con artists of the industry have found a new excuse to not pay artists

Actress Rami Chuene has shared her frustration about “con artists” in the entertainment industry who will allegedly do anything not to pay actors, even using the 21-day Covid-19 lockdown as an excuse.

The star has been a vocal advocate for artists' rights, especially after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the stay-at-home order late last month to try to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Rami claimed dodgy practices in the industry at the moment had artists' money “on lockdown too”. 

Sharing an example of a strategy some are using not to pay artists, Rami wrote: "Due to the lockdown, we were not able to process payment for the invoice you submitted in November 2019'.

“The con artists of the entertainment industry have found a new excuse to not pay artists for work done. They have our money on lockdown too,” she wrote.

Rami then shared a thread about how the industry works and how the restrictions are impacting each sector.

Creatives were hoping for some relief when minister of sport, arts and culture Nathi Mthethwa announced a R150-million relief fund to help cushion the economic fallout for artists during the lockdown.

But as the deadline for submissions to the relief fund loomed, Rami asked the minister for an extension.

She claimed the process had been hit by several issues which made it difficult for many to submit on time, and asked him for a solution.

"Good evening minister. Is it possible to extend the submission date for the relief fund again. With issues like bad network, full mailbox, bouncing mails and tracking support documents, many artists won’t make the deadline. We can agree that it’s been trial and error?” she wrote.

The actress said without an intervention from the minister, many artists would be “left out in the cold”.

“I don’t know if 10 April is too much to ask, but we can't wait to hear what your suggested solution might be. Maybe others can comment and maybe table their frustrations. Thank you,” she wrote.

The ministry is yet to respond to Rami's plea on social media.