‘They think we want Gucci?’ - Refilwe Madumo of ‘Scandal!’ defends Pearl Thusi’s plea to Nathi Mthethwa

Actress Refilwe Madumo has weighed in on Pearl Thusi’s plea to sports, arts and culture minister Nathi Mthethwa.

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Pearl wrote an open letter to the minister asking him to assist struggling artists.

“Dear Minister, I say this in the sincerely way, artists are struggling. Can you assist with actual support/money, like how you tweet us congrats and condolences,” she wrote.

Refilwe added her voice to those supporting the request, saying there are some artists who cannot afford data and need help.

“How much do people think artists in SA earn? Pearl is asking the minister for assistance for starving artists and people are saying they don’t need help because they’ll buy Gucci. Insane. There are artists who don’t have bread/milk, no data to access their e-mails for possible work,” she wrote.

“Artists are suffering, hungry. Covid-19 has killed the industry and people think we want Gucci?” she added. 

Choreographer Bontle Moloi also penned an open letter to the minister earlier this year, saying she hoped artists’ pleas were not in vain.

“I could respond with expressing my grievances, concerns and bottomless questions on when and how things will get better for all artists and not just dancers, but you not without those brought to your attention every single day and that energy is not the kind I want to address today.

“"I can only hope that our cries are not in vain, but we shall soldier on regardless,” she wrote.