THOHOYANDOU - Artists who recorded and performed in the drama Tshinantovhole in June this year with Phalaphala FM are currently accusing the public broadcaster of practicing slavery in a civilised form.

According to the artists, who cannot be disclosed for fear of reprisals, their drama was recorded and aired in June this year, but the processing of their payment seems as if it is another activity for the station. “Even if they said that good things come to those who wait in this regard, we are tired; at the beginning, we were sent from pillar to post and then there was a defeaning silence,” said the source.

The artists known to Mirror are pointing their fingers at both the station programme manager, Mr Freddy Sadiki, and his producer, Dakalo Kwinda. They allege that the two are playing a central role in the late payment. “When we are not paid, we just have a feeling that we've been used,” they added. The artists, who claim to have been doing drama since the 1990's, told Mirror that the recent late payment of their salaries was their first ever experience in this field.

In a telephonic interview, Kwinda stated that he knows of a particular group (drama) still awaiting its royalties and their payments is being processed now. Acccording to Kwinda, the delay in processing the payments might stem from the fact that one artist did'nt put his/her signature on the claim form.

When contacted to comment on the matter, the fuming programme manager, Sadiki, said: “We've never told people who performed our drama that we are not going to pay them.” Sadiki confirmed to Mirror, however, that there was a delay in processing the payments of the artists, but indicateds that, in most instances, most mistakes are from artists themselves who furnish wrong banking details and other important particulars. “What happened was that there was a technical problem, but since it was already solved and as I am speaking to you, we are processing their payments. Only a single artist alerted us about the problem.”