The General Secretary of the Trade Union for Musicians of South Africa, Gabriel le Roux, has handed over a memorandum of demands to Deputy Finance Minister Mondli Gungubele in Cape Town.
Earlier a group of artists, writers and publishers marched in Cape Town to highlight their unhappiness about a certain section of the Copyrights Amendment Bill.
Artists are unhappy about parts thereof, saying it will take away the little income they have been making for themselves.
The National Council of Provinces passed the bill last month. Le Roux has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa, not to sign the bill into law.
“Our economic rights are at stake, the Bill was supposed to look how economically we can be protected, one of the most fundamental clauses in the Bill in the 2015 draft was to look at the local content at least ring fencing some portion of content on our local media both in the public broadcaster and private stations to be ring fenced for South African creators. We cannot compete economically with the might of the West.”
Gungubele has promised to hand over the document of demands to the President.
“I’m very clear in my mind how critical it is to protect generation of new ideas in the industry, if every idea get exploited by any one irrespective of the originator, that intensity to create more and new which is also critical for the economy of the country so all I’m saying we understand that this will submit to the president and the president will apply his mind.”
Composers and musicians march in Cape Town asking president Cyril Ramaphosa not to sign the Copyright Amendment Bill into Law #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/mVwRY5XDfA
— Chris Mabuya (@ChrisMabuya) April 9, 2019
