SA stars speak out about sexual harassment in the local industry

The Hollywood movie mogul has been accused of making sexual advances towards women, while promising to further their career.

Some of the victims have accused him of rape. Harvey has ‘unequivocally denied’ any nonconsensual sex claims.

Several A-list stars including Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Cara Delevingne and Game of Thrones star Lena Headey have accused Harvey of sexual wrongdoing.

Actress Bonnie Mbuli says she was not taken seriously when she reported a man for sexual harassing women on a set.

She says she was accused of being a prima donna.

Veteran actress Florence Masebe says local actresses would be attacked if they spoke out about the sexual harassment they have faced in the industry.

“We’d ask what they did to encourage it. We’d ask if it was an affair gone sour. We’d violate them again,” she told the publication.

Florence added that extras are most vulnerable, and are preyed on by directors, actors and crew members.

Actress Nokuthula Ledwaba says it’s hard for actresses to step forward as they fear they could end up with no work.

She says men can “destroy careers in a flash” if their advances are rejected.

The former Rhythm City star added that those brave enough to do so are sometimes labelled “difficult to work with”, something she knows all too well.

“I got the ‘difficult’ tag when I refused to work with a particular actor because he’d constantly harass me when no one was watching. I had reported him on many occasions, and nobody listened… I was feeling unsafe in our scenes together. He found opportunity in them. Poking, touching, brushing,” she told the paper.

But Nokuthula says more actresses should speak out.

“We owe it to women and girls everywhere, in all industries and spaces, to stand up for one another. Kubi [it’s bad].”

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