BET’s new drama series, "Pound 4 Pound," starring Enhle Mbali, Mduduzi Mabaso, and Gabisile Tshabalala, premiered on 29 September, but behind the scenes, a payment dispute has erupted, with crew members claiming they haven't received their wages.
Sources close to the production revealed to Daily Sun that the crew, booked for varying periods, mostly five weeks, were initially promised payment on 25 September. According to the sources, Rashaka Muofhe, managing director and executive producer of Bakwena Productions, the company responsible for the show, sent a WhatsApp message on 24 September confirming that payroll would open the following day, with final payments cleared by 30 September.
However, the promised payments failed to materialise, leading to growing frustration among the crew. Sources claim that their complaints within the WhatsApp group were silenced when the production company restricted messaging privileges, allowing only themselves to send messages.
In response to the mounting discontent, Kagiso Modupe, the other executive producer of Bakwena Productions and known for his role in "Losing Lerato," sent a voice note to the crew on 2 October.
In the voice note, he attributed the delay to BET’s payment processes: "This is beyond our control. The channel has its own processes of how it operates. And because it’s an international company, money is not readily available. There are processes that we need to follow, and it needs to go overseas to be approved before it comes to our account. We’ve been promised since last week that the money is going to come in. Our payment has been finally loaded and the money should be coming in this week."
Modupe further explained their reluctance to confront the channel directly: "I know it’s stressful and we’re so stressed ourselves, but I want to apologise for that. The only reason we can never go to this channel and fight, throw toys out and put up the middle finger is because siyancenga (we're begging). That’s the truth because we don’t want to piss off someone who’s opened the door for us."
However, another source disputed Modupe’s explanation, claiming that Paramount, BET’s parent company, had already fulfilled its financial obligations.
"From what we’ve been told, Paramount has paid its dues. Bakwena also had to take some money from their pockets for the show, but they don’t have money. However, they're blaming it on Paramount, claiming they're the ones who haven’t paid," the source alleged.
Daily Sun contacted Paramount for clarification. Their initial response stated that Bakwena Productions was up to date with all payments.
"Bakwena Productions is up to date with all payments due to the cast, crew, and suppliers. Final payment to some crew is due 30 days after completion of the production, as per industry standards and Bakwena is on track to meet this deadline. Bakwena Productions is proud to have produced this compelling drama, which has created opportunities for creatives in the industry and puts a spotlight on female athletes," said Monde Twala, Senior Vice President & General Manager – Paramount Africa & Lead BET International.
However, after Daily Sun provided Paramount with Modupe’s voice note, they revised their statement. "After speaking to Bakwena Productions, BET would like to make a correction on the statement shared by the production company. BET was made aware today that there are outstanding payments from Bakwena Productions to some crew. We have since engaged Bakwena Productions on the status of these payments. BET is up to date with payments to the production company,” they said.
Attempts to reach Modupe for comment proved difficult. Rashaka Muofhe, when contacted, referred to Paramount’s revised statement as a joint response.
"I believe you’ve already called Paramount and we gave you a joint response," he said.
The situation remains unresolved, leaving the crew of "Pound 4 Pound" in a state of uncertainty regarding their outstanding wages.
