Actress Eve Rasimeni has broken her silence and shared her story about the treatment on the set of the canceled “Pimville”.
Rasimeni portrayed Moghele in the SABC 2 telenovela, which was marred by a wave of controversy stemming from unresolved contractual disputes and breaches between the SABC and Bakwena Productions.
The actress shared a lengthy post across her social media platforms, with pictures of food that they were served on the set.
In her post, Rasimeni reflected on the emotional and financial impact of the production shutting down about two months earlier, claiming that hundreds of cast and crew members were left without support or payment.
Rasimeni, in her post, made several serious allegations, including:
Non-payment of cast and crew: claims that more than 300 people were left unpaid after production halted.
Abandonment by production leadership: alleges that producers Rashaka Muofhe and Brenda Muofhe failed to provide answers and left workers to “fend for ourselves.”
Threats and intimidation: alleges that cast and crew were warned to remain silent or risk being “dealt with” or blacklisted from the industry.
Rasimeni also exposed alleged unsafe and poor working conditions, with 17 people suffering from food poisoning and the devastating impact some workers faced, including eviction, reliance on antidepressants, a mild stroke, and the loss of a child.
Brenda and Rashaka did not take Rasimeni’s post lightly as she received a cease and desist from their attorneys, claiming her allegations “are false, defamatory and reckless and unsupported by credible evidence”.
Sharing the legal letter on Instagram, Rasimeni said that she would not be silenced and that the truth can never be defamatory. She also revealed that she still has not been paid.
“I experienced these things. I sat in small groups where we would cry and then tell ourselves let’s do this for the show.
“We had to speak on character names cause we were afraid of speaking your names to just anyone anymore. I feel violated by your actions, and you want to scare me with this!”
On May 25, the SABC announced that “Pimville” had been discontinued due to unresolved contractual obligations and breaches identified by Bakwena Productions.
Bakwena Productions boss Rashaka has denied allegations of mismanaging funds and claimed they are part of a malicious smear campaign targeting his reputation and business interests.
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