Why our stars die poor: former SABC1 boss Phumzile Zonke exposes brutal truths in new book

Every few months, South Africans are jolted by a familiar tragedy: a beloved actor or performer — someone who’s graced our screens for years — pleads poverty. Social media rallies. Supporters donate. And again, the question echoes: how can they be poor when they're always on TV?

Phumzile Zonke, former SABC1 head of channel and veteran radio presenter, believes the answers lie deep within a creative economy stacked against its talent. In his new book, The Middleman With Power, Phumzile unpacks the systemic forces that leave many of South Africa’s actors broke, broken and begging.

“I’ve seen first-hand how it feels to be known or famous and broke at the same time,” he told TshisaLIVE.

Phumzile's provocative book takes aim at what he calls “the middleman” — the unseen force shaping power and poverty in the entertainment industry.

While actors often blame production houses for exploitation, Phumzile argues they too are victims in a rigged system.

“Perhaps production houses are not the bogeyman we claim them to be; they are just victims of circumstances like all artists are.”

According to Phumzile, they’re squeezed by broadcasters who form part of a powerful oligopoly. Broadcasters produce nothing but use their size and financial muscle to demand high-quality content at the lowest budget possible and sell it to advertisers at the highest price possible.

“Because broadcasters are few and production houses many, the bargaining power is deeply skewed. Emerging producers can be replaced at any moment, often at half the budget. That instability trickles down — directly affecting the actors, writers and crew who power South Africa’s vibrant TV and film landscape.”

Phumzile offers a rare insider view of how the system operates.

While critical of broadcasters’ role in the cycle of exploitation, he still sees the public broadcaster as an institution worth defending.

“The SABC is the only middleman with a heart. Most new and emerging production houses have a better chance of being commissioned by the SABC than by any private broadcaster. The creative industry does well when the SABC is doing well. The same can be said about the correlation between the decline and suffering of the creative arts industry and the stagnation of the public broadcaster.”

In his book he lists a string of urgent reforms: full government funding, reconfigured revenue strategies beyond advertising and a complete overhaul of outdated operational processes and public mandate regulations.

Phumzile believes restoring the SABC’s competitiveness will directly benefit artists and creative businesses including more secure jobs and better support for intellectual property ownership.

“For me to own the intellectual property, I must invest financial resources to produce the content. Otherwise, whoever foots the production bill owns the content. Sometimes we lose our intellectual property due to desperation to have someone else distribute our works of art to bigger platforms and larger audiences.”

Phumzile’s reflections aren’t just academic. During his tenure at the SABC, he engaged talent and producers caught in a vicious cycle. He describes actors waiting for overdue payments, blaming the broadcaster and producers tearfully explaining they can’t pay staff until the broadcaster clears invoices.

“The media and the creative arts industry is a beautiful industry that can be rewarding yet brutal and unforgiving when you are not aligned with the right people.”

Through The Middleman With Power, Phumzile hopes to equip emerging creatives with a map of the terrain — its landmines and its possibilities.

“The media and creative arts industry is said to be toxic and plagued with myriad socioeconomic challenges. One where artists pretend to be millionaires, drowning in luxury, fame and fortune (if social media presence is anything to go by).”

He doesn’t sugar-coat it. The book warns that entering this world often means a “self-inflicted income penalty” in a space where fame is mistaken for fortune and no standard market rate protects performers from exploitation.

“The price of what you can offer is dependent on who is in front of you.”

Now serving as director of advancement at Iziko Museums of South Africa, Phumzile continues his mission to preserve and elevate cultural legacy.

He’s also pursuing a PhD focused on advancing public service institutions through social entrepreneurship and AI, and is already working on his second book, The Nice Guy Syndrome, set for release in 2026.