On behalf of Ferguson Films, we wish to initially respond as follows to

the open letter of Miss. Ndara, directed to the Honourable Minister

Mthethwa and the various articles published on the internet and social
media, since then.

We do not intend to deal with every allegation at this juncture but

reserve the right to respond in the correct manner and in the correct
forum, when necessary.

As actors ourselves and producers we are aware of the challenges

facing the entertainment industry. We support 100% a need for the
industry to be regulated and for the Performance Protection
Amendment Bill to be signed sooner rather than later. With that said,
the allegations made by the various actors do not reflect the true
position of the industry and paints a false picture, that may mislead the
public. To address some points raised by Ms. Ndara and directed at
FERGUSON FILMS, please note:

• We attempted to negotiate with the actress and her agent in

good faith and within the scope of the applicable production
 agreement, however the agent subsequently recused himself
from the negotiations. Thereafter we dealt with her manager.
They made it very clear that Ms. Ndara would not accept anything
less than R700 000.00 for the 5-week shoot. She absolutely had
every right to decline our offer, which she did, and we on the
other hand as we could not meet her financial demand, due to
contractual restraints, had every right to move on amicably, which
we tried to do.

• Contrary to Ms. Ndaras allegations, FERGUSON FILMS DOES NOT

“reap the financial benefits through repeat broadcasts, licensing
deals and repackaging of the show.” Just like actors the
production company is not guaranteed work, whether the show is
performing or not. We are in pretty much the same boat as the
artist. We DO NOT own the shows we produce under commission,
and therefore have no right or say in what happens with shows
post final delivery to the broadcaster.

• We record that, Ferguson Films was not the production company

in question in relation to the sad passing of Ms. Nadara’s mother
and her having to resume work shortly after. Conveniently, Ms.
 Ndara neglects to mention this fact therefore insinuating it was
FERGUSON FILMS.

• Shona and Connie Ferguson have other business interests apart

form their production company and DO NOT owe anyone an
explanation as to how they manage their finances and lifestyle.
The jab from Ms. Ndara is petty, unnecessary and uncalled for.

• Producers are held 100% accountable by the broadcaster as to

how a production budget is utilized. It needs to be clear that these
funds DO NOT belong to the producer. The producer is merely a
middleman between broadcaster, artist and crew. The producer is
held accountable for every single line item on the production
budget. What is due to the producer is the production markup at
the end of the production and on final delivery.

The allegations towards FERGUSON FILMS are consequently misguided,

misdirected and misleading and can be seen as a ploy to defame and
tarnish our name and reputation.
There have been other slanderous and false allegations made by Ms.
Dieketseng Mphuti and Mr. Katlego Malele, which are being addressed
separately by our legal team.

FERGUSON FILMS prides itself in producing quality shows, providing

much needed employment to new and old talent and contributing to
the growth of the industry. We will remain steadfast in our endeavor to
treat everyone who works with us fairly and with the utmost respect.

Greetings

The Fergusons