Did Bra Zeb get his way?
Actor Don Mlangeni, who pays Zebedee Matabane in 'Isidingo', recently made waves when reports emerged that he had upset soapie bigwigs by refusing to endorse a prominent South African bank by way of lines in his script.
Don Mlangeni. Image courtesy of Facebook.com/isidingosa
Numerous publications subsequently reported that he had been fired for the act of defiance, but production company Endemol later stated that these claims were nothing but idle rumours.
The company did not, however, provide any details as to Mlangeni’s alleged endorsement refusal, with the Daily Sun at the time quoting sources who said: “It was part of the script and when he was supposed to mention the name, he skipped it. The bosses were unhappy with him
“This emanates from the fact that actors are not allowed to endorse products or companies without the boss’s consent.
“His argument was that he was only getting his monthly salary with no bonus or additional money for endorsing the bank. When he endorses a big company like that he’s supposed to get his share.”
According to reports, a meeting had been scheduled to settle the differences between the actor and the producers but the story fizzled out without any further updates
On Friday, mere days after the alleged incident, the Daily Sun newspaper included an advertorial sponsored by Standard Bank entitled ‘Bra Zeb likes a bank that listens’.
Reads the advert’s introduction: “Bra Zeb believes that the reason why a number of Isidingo people have felt a positive change in their lives in the past few months, after using some of Standard Bank’s AccessBanking products, is that they finally have banking products that meet their needs, gives them value and is convenient.”
– Sapa
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