Zolisa Xaluva Fighting for His Coin: The Star Suing for Unpaid Salaries!
Okay, fam, drama alert! Our beloved Zolisa Xaluva, the award-winning actor we all know and love, is taking legal action to get paid what he’s owed. Seems like Seriti Productions, the folks behind Code 13 on Mzansi Magic, allegedly haven’t coughed up a whopping R350,000 in unpaid salaries, according to City Press
Apparently, Zolisa, who played the lead role of Bheki Ndlovu, signed a contract back in April of last year with Seriti Productions where he was supposed to get paid for every “call” he received (basically, every time he was called to set). Now, fast forward to this year, and he’s filing papers in the Johannesburg High Court to enforce an arbitration award he won earlier this year. This arbitration found that Seriti Productions did breach their agreement by not paying him for his work between March and April of last year.
The legal docs even spell out that both parties agreed to try and settle any disputes amicably. But, clearly, that didn’t pan out. Seriti Productions even tried to file a counterclaim against Zolisa, but it got tossed out by the arbitrator. Double ouch!
“The agreement commenced and would be subject to the conditions contained and would continue to be in full force and effect until the termination of the drama series, unless the parties agree in writing prior to the termination date that such a date is to be extended or reduced,” read the papers.
“The parties agreed that should any dispute arise between them resulting from his agreement, they shall meet in an attempt to settle the matter amicably; should they fail to resolve the dispute through amicable negotiations, then either party would have the right to declare a formal dispute by stating the reasons for such a dispute in writing and delivering such a written dispute.”
For those who don’t know, Seriti Productions is a pretty big player in the game, being responsible for hits like Skeem Saam and Gomora. You’d think they’d have the funds to pay their talent!
Zolisa himself is keeping tight-lipped, telling City Press that his lawyers are handling everything. His lawyer, Modise Sefume, confirmed there’s a legal matter but couldn’t give any further details. City Press also reached out to Leanne Khumalo at Seriti Productions but got crickets.
So, what does this all mean? Well, it looks like we’re in for a legal battle. It’s honestly disappointing to see such a talented and respected actor having to fight for what he’s rightfully earned. Hopefully, Zolisa gets his money, and production companies learn that paying actors on time is, you know, kind of important! We’ll be keeping an eye on this one! What do you guys think?
