Minister McKenzie responds to Glen Gabela's call for assistance

Minister of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie has responded to the calls for assistance for former Uzalo actor Glen Gabela.

McKenzie was tagged on numerous social media posts, asking the department to intervene and assist the award-winning actor.

On X, McKenzie told the public that the matter is being handled, this after he described the situation as “extremely sad”.

The minister thanked the public for highlighting Gabela’s plight and the department will give full feedback after giving him assistance this week.

Gabela trended on social media after a video of him asking for help was released. The video also showed Gabela’s poor living conditions.

“I want a decent life. I want to live decently like every normal person, which is why I make these attempts to engage with people,” he says.

“I’ve contributed to the film industry so that young and upcoming performers don’t end up like us. I want their lives to be better. I don’t want them to live the life we live.”

Gabela’s plea, which added to the numerous veteran actors who are struggling, has led to large calls for the Performers' Protection Amendment Bill and the Copyright Amendment Bill to be passed to ensure the fair treatment of creatives.

An X user asked Mckenzie if the bills would ever be passed or is a band-aid going to be put on a wound each time. The minister responded by saying that a comprehensive plan will be announced in the near future on how they will be making sure artists live better.

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