Uzalo Accused of Misconduct

The most watched telenovela in South Africa, SABC1's Uzalo, finds itself embroiled in a ridiculous attack from a Kwa-zulu Natal based actor for hiring an actor who hails outside the province. Apparently some "angry actors" are protesting the show's recruitment policy.

Are you frikkin kidding me? I know we have become a nation that loves complaining about everything but... ARE YOU FRIKKIN KIDDING ME?

No surprise that this story was reported by Daily Sun, because it is just ridiculous to even comprehend. Daily Sun is the most read newspaper in the country so for that reason one has to take this nonsense seriously because a lot of South Africans have read it and probably did. 

Firstly, since when  do TV shows have "recruitment policies". TV productions are about talent, they are not some government tender. 

According to Daily Sun, the uproar and local disappointment come after AfroSoul lead singer, Thandeka Zulu, was hired to be in the show.

Apparently, as one source was quoted; 

“Durban-based actors are fuming because they feel they deserve to be on the small screen,” 

The paper also quotes Durban actor, Tha Simelane, who apparently spoke angrily, saying local actors were not considered for the auditions and allocation of parts in the TV drama.

Tha told Sunday Sun: “The telenovela Uzalo is a joke. It’s full of amateur actors.

“I’m from KwaMashu where this telenovela is based, but they have overlooked me. And that’s unfair,” he told Sunday Sun.

NEWSFLASH: Uzalo is a television show!! As a production its success lies in the show's ability to hire actors who can portray the right characters — not forgetting that the production has gone out of its way to make this show about the province of KZN and majority of the people who work in-front and behind the camera are from the province.  

The complaint is just so absurd that it defeats any common sense. As a professional actor, does this Tha guy expect that when he auditions for Generations or Isidingo he should be asked whether he is from Gauteng since these shows are shot in this province?

Well Daily Sun managed to get a response from the show about this absurdity, the show responded; 

 “Uzalo is a KZN production, and therefore recruits widely from KwaZulu-Natal and also outside of the province. 

“We do not discriminate based on geographical location – we regard this as an opportunity for the community of KwaZulu-Natal, including, but not restricted to, KwaMashu residents. 

“To be clear, the story is not about the KwaMashu kasi – the suburb/township is used as a backdrop to frame the story.”

We always complain of being tired of same faces on tv all the time and that Gauteng gets to host everything in the entertainment industry. Now we have a production that has taken the expensive giant move of shooting in KZN, hiring mainly KZN based talent and promoting the province as a viable filming destination... AND SOME PEOPLE STILL FIND FAULT IN THAT. 

Sorry Tha and his friends have not made it onto the show. If they are talented enough perhaps their turn would have come eventually (now he has screwed that up for himself) but TV shows are not made on quotas. It is about the storyline and the right actors for the right parts.