A loyal Isidingo cast member has reportedly been fired because he refused endorse a  bank, whose name was included in his lines.

Those who follow Isidingo will know him as the hotheaded Zeb Matabane. For those of us who no longer watch SABC (or any TV, for that matter), his name is Don Mlangeni. Anyway, sources report that Mlangeni was feeling used and didn’t see the point of endorsing a bank if he wasn’t benefiting directly from it. A source close to Mlangeni stated that:

It was part of the script and when he was supposed to mention the name, he skipped it. 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.

This is, apparently, not the first time that Mlangeni has been through something like this. It is believed he was fired last year because of his ‘arrogance’. However, he was quickly called back after SABC acting chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng intervened.

The Mail & Guardian contacted the production company behind Isidingo, Endemol, for comment. Sadly, they were not able to shed any further light, and will be issuing a statement soon.

[Source : Mail & Guardian]