Maria McCloy
Tourists at the Union Buildings in Pretoria gathered excitedly to take pictures of chanting people some thought had come to entertain them on Wednesday (right).
But the entertainers were there in their capacity as members of the Musicians Union, demanding a commission of inquiry into the music industry they claim is exploitative.
The 400 marchers handed a memorandum to the Director General of the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, Roger Jardine.
It complained of piracy, mismanagement of funds in the recording industry, unfair calculation of royalties, unfair publishing practices, unfair employment contracts and an industry where senior positions are still mainly held by whites. It also complained that the SABC promoted foreign music rather than home-grown.
Jardine said the department had commissioned research into the music industry to assist in boosting it. In 1998 a forum will be held to examine these issues.