Both the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) — principal providers of scarce funds to the film industry — turned down the Oscar-winning movie Tsotsi several times when approached by its producers, the Mail & Guardian has learned.

Independent Communications Authority of South Africa councillor Mamodupi Mohlala has close links with companies bidding for licences that the council is due to adjudicate, leaked documents and company records show. The Mapungubwe consortium, where she is major shareholder, has applied for a radio licence in Limpopo.

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) has asked Parliament’s portfolio committee on arts and culture urgently to intervene in its increasingly dysfunctional relationship with the Department of Arts and Culture. The call was made by NFVF CEO Eddie Mbalo during a presentation of the foundation’s annual report.