21 September, 2017 - 08:42
More revelations of wasteful expenditure have surfaced at the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), with senior managers accused of going on taxpayer-funded junkets with their extended families. by Charl Blignaut
She took her whole family to Sun City for the awards - her son and daughter, the daughter's boyfriend, one of the grannies and even a maid to look after the granny - while film makers were being turned away, a former staffer at the foundation said this week.
The impeccably placed source was referring to a favoured former senior manager's visit to the NFVF's annual - and increasingly glamorous - SA Film and Television Awards (Saftas).
They were held at the luxury Sun City resort in the Pilanesberg, North West, in March.
The CEO [chief executive officer] also took her family. Some council [board] members brought friends and needed two rooms
The company credit card was being run up all over - for long lunches that were not supposed to be provided; for R10 000 golf days for a council member. Public money, the former staff member said.
The account is just one of the more colourful examples of dozens of new claims of improper spending and irregular procedures made this week by eight current and former NFVF staffers.
They asked not to be named because of the toxic management style and persecution they say exists at the state's crucial film development body.
Server being hacked
In June, City Press reported that almost all the NFVF's staff had sent a memorandum of grievances to Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa and his department, outlining dozens of initial claims against CEO Zama Mkosi and her favoured senior managers.
The managers include chief financial officer Karen Son, whose resignation was made known to staff this week as an internal investigation is under way.
Mkosi previously denied the claims and pointed to the NFVF's clean audits. The investigation has angered some staff.
We heard the ministry is investigating, so why are there two investigations now? asked one.
They have been forced to work in cramped spaces because they stopped the office renovation halfway through when City Press reported there was a problem with the tender.
Some staff sent yet another letter to Mthethwa this week, pointing out the ongoing resignations - Son and the head of IT - and begging to know if their voices were being heard.
The NFVF's server was down for the bulk of the week.
One staffer voiced suspicions that the server was hacked to remove evidence because of the investigation, and that the IT head was fired for refusing to monitor staff member's e-mails to find those who leaked information to the arts and culture department.
The department confirmed a forensic investigation into the NFVF was commissioned and that its results would be made known publicly. Spokesperson Zimasa Velaphi said the department was taking the matter seriously.
We will inform the public at an appropriate time, she said.
Advertise Here
Market your Film Services
Start a Film Marketing Campaign Today
Mkosi sent City Press a statement reading: All the questions and issues you are raising form part of the investigation currently being performed by independent investigators.
It would therefore be ill-advised to publish information that relates to an ongoing investigation, as so doing will pre-empt and/or influence the outcome of such an investigation.
The claims put to Mkosi after a City Press investigation this week include:
- Multiple, independently supported accounts of irregular procurement and back-dated quotes. Top-end services were procured from speakers, venues, car hire and hotels.
Only after the fact would the necessary comparative quotes be solicited, which staff were then forced to backdate, or risk losing their bonuses;
- Treasury austerity rules being repeatedly broken by council members scanning a list of international film festivals, then choosing a destination and picking the best room in the top hotel , according to a source.
Sometimes they'd fly in early for a few days' holiday on the NFVF's account. They only wanted SUVs or BMWs.
NFVF council members and Mkosi earn a per diem to cover their daily expenses while they are working of at least $200 (R2 645);
- That the Safta party continued at the Durban International Film Festival. According to another source: Throwing a Safta celebration and flying in guests from all over or putting them on a luxury train ride.
Five council members were lavishly hosted, one even took his wife. The source claimed the NFVF paid for two of them to make private business trips while in Durban;
- That a council member was repeatedly trying to access a R1.2m NFVF grant;
- Another council member visited New York with a senior manager's son, paid for by the NFVF, and the son benefited from an NFVF programme in that city;
- That NFVF funded a Canadian friend of NFVF managers for training in Toronto without proper procurement procedures being followed and was then funded by the NFVF to work for them in Cannes; and
- That Mkosi was recently awarded a handsome bonus.
City Press previously reported that the film production sector was unhappy that the NFVF was spending only 28% of its budget on actual films.
Mkosi denied this at the time.
An anonymous source on Friday sent City Press an e-mail defending Mkosi and saying she was a victim of a campaign by disgruntled staff.
The mail contained a programme of measures Mkosi had put in place to address staff concerns.
www.channel24.co.za
Film Finance
Africa South Africa
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
21 September, 2017 - 08:42 
