EXPLAINED: How Much Do South African Soap Actors Earn?
There has been a lot of confusion and misinformation ... including blatant lies, on social media about the salaries of actors in South African soapies. This furor came after 16 principal Generations actors were dismissed following a strike where they demanded an increase in their salary and royalties payment from the show, among other things. The Generations 16 initially claimed that they were paid 20% less than the industry rate. Generations producers refuted this in their press conference and claimed that on average the lead cast of Generations earn R55 000 . Media reports later revealed that some in the cast are demanding an increase from R16 000 a week to R30 000 a week to “bring them [salaries] in line with industry standards and norms”. Adrian Galley, vice chair of the South African Guild of Actors (SAGA) and spokesman for the organisation, revealed that SAGA has been negotiating with the SABC and the Independent Producers Organisation (IPO) to “include a t