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Langalakhe Mabena
About two months ago, South Africa- based veteran actor and producer Luthuli Dlamini found himself drowning in allegations that he stole a film script from Eastern Cape female producer Linda Hlongwane.
Hlongwane allegedly said Dlamini and his production partner Nolubabalo Mcinga stole her script from her film titled Ubukhosi, a production about AmaXhosa royal culture which is yet to be released.
What made Hlongwane conclude Luthuli stole the script?
Early this year Dlamini and Mcinga produced a film titled Ixakatho, which has a story idea which is similar to Hlongwane’s Ubukhosi.
As if that was not enough, two actors who Hlongwane used on her cast, also appeared in Luthuli’s production, raising suspicions that the two actors could have handed or sold the script to Luthuli.
However, from his base in Johannesburg, the Tshabalala-born actor revealed that he and Mcinga did not steal the script and revealed that they used the two actors who happened to have featured on Hlongwane’s film because they passed the auditions.
“When you want to shoot a film, you call actors to audition for different roles, as such, these two actors that featured on Hlongwane’s film auditioned with us and we were impressed that’s why we made them part of our cast.
“There is nowhere we could have stolen the script because it comes first before the auditions, so the allegations by Hlongwane of us stealing her script did not hold water, that is why the charges were dropped,” said Dlamini.
Both Ubukhosi and Ixakatho films tackle the same issues of the Xhosa tradition and its leaders.
Hlongwane was given the green light to shoot the film by Queen Noloyiso Sandile under the watchful eye of Xhosa Chief Zanemali Bani.
While on the other hand, Luthuli and his team were given the green light to portray the Xhosa cult by King Zwelonke Sigcawu.
Online Reporter