The trade, industry & competition department has announced a number of measures to help South Africa’s ailing film and television industry, including raising funds and implementing an automated system to reduce processing time and improve effectiveness for financing.
Minister Parks Tau and deputy minister Zuko Godlimpi briefed parliament on Tuesday on the department’s plans. This follows protests by hundreds of film industry people last month outside the parliament in Cape Town and the department in Pretoria.
They gathered under the banner of the Save SA Film Jobs campaign, which has warned that the sector is facing an escalating crisis because of mismanagement of the department’s film and television production incentive. The programme is intended to support the local film and television industry. However, there have been mass delays in processing and disbursing incentives.
Godlimpi said the department had committed to raising and securing urgent interim funding to address the current claims and applications, while introducing measures to disburse any additional funding which may be received.
“In this regard we are trying to find ways to reprioritise our allocation and there are ongoing engagements with national treasury to increase the allocation going forward,” he told MPs.
The department has formed a national industry working group with key private and public stakeholders to address industry challenges.
It is considering other types of incentive structures for the film industry that will address sustainability, including tax incentives for foreign productions. The department is also collaborating with the Industrial Development Corporation and National Empowerment Fund for blended financing options for local productions.
Contigent liability
On going digital, Godlimpi said the department will move from a manual to an online portal to reduce the “administrative burden”, and it will provide additional human resources to cope with influx of applications and claims.
Provinces such as the Western Cape, which is considered a premier hub for the film industry that contributes billions to the province’s economy, will be “encouraged” to offer incentives to reduce the burden on national fiscus.
Read: South Africa is losing its film industry – one delay at a time
Department director-general Simphiwe Hamilton told parliament that the contingent liability of the programme stands at around R2-billion.
He said that following the suspension of adjudication meetings, the department has continued to process and pay valid claims with the objective of reducing the contingent liability.
“From September 2025 to date, the contingent liability has shown a consistent downward trend, from R679-million to R473-million, which is the amount owed to approved projects. This amount will be further reduced by the end of the current financial year, leading to further strengthening of the financial position of the incentive scheme,” Hamilton said. — (c) 2026 NewsCentral Media
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