ACTOR Hlomla Dandala has opened up about the unfair treatment that black performers face in the entertainment industry.
The award-winning star, known for starring on The River, Jacob's Cross and Scandal!, took to social media and poured his heart out about being underpaid.
He revealed on Facebook, though the posts have since been deleted, that one of his biggest shocks was discovering his white co-star was paid more than him.
"Imagine finding out that, in a show you were the #1 lead on for 7 seasons, the (only white) supporting lead was getting paid more than you. In other countries, when you're the number one lead, you're not just the highest paid, you are also made the executive producer too. Then you wonder why we end up requesting financial assistance while they buy yachts and farms," he wrote.
Hlomla also opened up about how he was treated when he was the presenter of a huge reality show.
"For a huge reality show that I presented, I discovered that I was being paid less than half of what the company said I was earning. The channel was lied to by the company. The channel didn't do its due diligence. Then a rumour was whispered to the channel that I had said that I was too big for the show, and that's why they all agreed to replace me.
"Obviously, this was a lie. Channel didn't bother asking me. They took what the company said at face value, and the show got a new presenter, because the company lied about me. Oh, and the channel (believing that I thought I was too good for the channel, because of the lie the company spread) decided never to hire me again. And as such, I have never appeared on that channel since then. More than 2 decades of being blackballed for a lie. The upside is that the show never reached the success it had during my time. Small vindication," he said.
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In another instance, the actor, who is also a director, said he even experienced racism behind the camera.
"Mind you, on a popular show I directed many years ago, a junior director who graduated after me (same course, same university) received a starting salary that was eight times what the show paid me as a starting salary. The only difference between me and him was colour. Oh, and I had 10 years more experience than him.
"These producers still get work from black commissioning editors despite doing this to South African performers. The officer responsible for checking the accuracy of what they say we receive would get a brown envelope and thus look the other way," he said.
Hlomla ended his posts with a strong message about the state of the industry.
"They kill us and expect us to smile and be grateful," he wrote.
When contacted for a comment, Hlomla said he's not in the country and would have an interview with Daily Sun once he returns to Mzansi.
