MBOMBELA – More than 6 233 illegal DVDs, CDs and cassettes were recently burnt to ashes at a dumping site near the Lebombo Border Post.
This exercise, conducted by the country’s Film and Publication Board (FPB), in partnership with SAPS and SARS, follows a number of raids on pirated music products held at the border post.
“The DVDs were confiscated during raids conducted by the FPB,” explained the board’s assistant manager of communications, Ms Manala Botolo.
She said it was mandated by Section 24 (A) of the Film and Publications Act to conduct inspections and raids to ensure compliance to the Act.
Any person who distributed, broadcast and/or exhibited any film or games had to be registered and comply to the Act.
The day began with a workshop where members of the FPB educated border-post staff about the Act and informed them on the latest regulations.
They also educated Lebombo Border Post staff about how to deal with challenges they faced when it came to handling and processing these consignments.
Parents were also encouraged to keep an eye on the material they allowed their children to watch.
“Cinemas are public places and parents need to enforce age restrictions. One should not feel uncomfortable to watch an explicit movie because a minor is watching the same one,” a speaker said.
“We need to be very careful about what we expose our kids to,” said Botolo.
“The board encourages partnerships with various stakeholders in the industry, including the general public in order to ensure the protection of children against the distribution or viewing of potentially harmful, disturbing or inappropriate material,” she added.
Abbreviations to look out for when deciding if a film or video is suitable for children, include the following:
“B”- blasphemy, “L”- strong language, “N”- nudity, “P”- prejudice or negative stereotyping, “S”- sex, “V”- violence, “D”- substance abuse, “SV”- sexual violence, “H”- horror.
A film classified as “A” is considered suitable for all ages and does not contain harmful or distressful material that may upset younger viewers. A “PG” rating states that although the film could be suitable for all ages there maybe certain scenes which might distress or upset younger sensitive viewers.
