27 August, 2019 - 08:03
The family of Odwa Shweni, the actor who fell to his death from the cliff edge of a waterfall in the Drakensberg during a film shoot in April last year, has expressed shock and sadness that the film has almost been completed and will soon be ready for release, with new scenes added that were shot by a new crew. By Charl Blignaut
Several of those close to the earlier shoot of the film, originally called White Outside and now referred to as White The Film, shared the familys reaction when contacted this week.
A City Press investigation in May last year revealed that, according to numerous witness accounts, various industry standard safety measures were not in place when Shweni slipped from a rock, where he was acting out a fight scene, and floated off the edge of the 40m-high Sterkspruit Waterfall near Monks Cowl in Winterton in the southern Drakensberg.
The sources blamed the films producers, writers and directors, the well-known documentary film-making couple Sipho Singiswa and Gillian Schutte, for creating the unsafe conditions that led to the tragedy.
Singiswa angrily denied the claims, calling them absurd and either grossly exaggerated or devoid of truth and threatening to take legal action for defamation.
But before the filming an email from Schutte to a cast member had outlined various safety measures that would be in place for the shooting of the fight scene at the top of the waterfall.
But none of these was in place and the shoot was rushed, unprofessional and shambolic, according to sources interviewed by City Press at the time.
The family was not aware that the filming had continued - the film makers never told us. We have been clear that we dont ever want the film to see the light of day. If we need to interdict it we will, Odwas widow Tebogo Shweni told City Press this week.
The death left her alone to raise the couples two young children.
Actor Odwa Shwenis death has become a touchstone for the industry to lobby for safer working conditions and for regulation
Insurance payout
After the actors lifeless body was retrieved by rescue divers the morning after he fell, the shoot came to a halt and an insurance claim was put in, which included a payout to the Shweni family.
A source told City Press that the insurers would have had to pay out about R8 million if the project was abandoned and about R3.5 million for it to be completed.
So they decided to complete White The Film.
The source said the couple were happy to do so.
The insurance payout was confirmed by Paul Raleigh of the Hollard film guarantee division, which was appointed to monitor the films completion.
City Press has spoken to six sources with knowledge of the completion shoot, who confirmed that the new version of the film apparently intends to use the Drakensberg footage - but also add new action.
The sources said Schutte and Singiswa had decided to add themselves to the plot, playing themselves and, in places, addressing the tragedy.
The original film had been based on their own lives: They take a camping trip after the drama of Schuttes character who outs a judge as being allegedly racist - referring to Schutte taking on Judge Mabel Jansen publicly about her comments about black men and rape.
On the trip the couple is attacked by raving white racists camping nearby.
The reshoot
The new scenes were shot at the Victory Theatre in Johannesburg and also in a home near Lombardy.
The two-week shoot appeared to include a separate documentary shoot and was described by sources as muddled, confusing and discreet to the point of secretive and that both Gillian and Sipho took turns directing.
There was apparently not much dialogue in the new shoot - which sources said included several fantasy-type scenes involving juggling, schoolchildren, a drag queen, alcohol brewing, and black actors in pig masks acting out scenes involving extreme racism.
Two sources also told of the couples anger towards a lead actor from the original film - who had exposed the alleged lack of safety on the shoot as well as the alleged callous attitude towards actors - and said they were blaming him for hijacking the shoot and thus enabling Shwenis death.
However, witnesses and video footage of the scene in which Shweni dies paint a picture of Singiswa directing.
Sources say he was pressed for time, personally choosing a rocky outcrop in the rain-swollen river that was ominously close to the edge, with no safety officers near the action and no safety nets in place.
In the new film theyre trying to tell their version of the truth, I think, said a source.
The couple responds
The actor, who - like the rest of the cast and crew - has been severely traumatised by Shwenis death, did not wish to comment this week.
Nor did Singiswa and Schutte, instead instructing their attorney to write to City Press.
He cited the sub judice rule, saying the incident and matters relating thereto are subject to certain current and potential legal processes, the outcomes of which may have significant impact.
After the Shweni family paid for an autopsy, prosecutors in Colenso declined to prosecute and instead referred the matter to an inquest court, which is yet to make a decision on the matter.
Said the couples attorney: Our client would like nothing more than to tell its version of events and put an end to the sometimes harmful and vocal speculation that [has] abounded since the incident. There have been numerous occurrences of defamatory and false statements being made from various quarters since the incident, which have the potential to harm our client reputationally and financially, and indeed cause harm to third parties ... Our client is cooperating fully with all authorities and any parties with legal standing in this matter, and are confident that all relevant information will come to light in the pursuit of justice
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
27 August, 2019 - 08:03 
