Local accent fascinates SA television industry

That he said translated into more work for artists, and most importantly the fact that more viewers across the world can see the talent of local artists, and see their stories.

“A lot of artists will be hired,” he said.

However, he said that the disadvantage is that people are no longer frequenting cinemas, which means loss of jobs and revenue for cinemas.

He also says that opportunities exist in the digital space for content creators and that local producers such as Michael Mosipidi, Ngemi, and Johnson Otlaadisa can tap into these opportunities to tell authentic Botswana stories. “You have serious producers like Johnson, who is a big producer here, which is why we have a partnership with him as we have seen that he is serious about his craft,” says Siyabonga adding that while opportunities are not as vast as they are in South Africa, there was a need for Botswana government to jump on board and take advantage of what they are offering.

“Instead of bringing South African artists to come and work here, we want to create jobs here that is why we are working with the likes of Otlaadisa,” he said. Talking about the just ended auditions, he explained that they started this journey of coming this side to audition Batswana in 2017/ 2018, and that the fact that they keep coming back is testament that there is talent in Botswana. He urged the government to do more to tilt the scales of the local industry.

“You have seen a lot of your artists in Muvhango and that is the reason why we are here. We want to do other projects, as we have identified that there is potential and a lot of talent in Botswana, and that’s why we keep coming back,” said Siyabonga.

Siyabonga further said that from the pool of artists who came through, there were a number of them who will appear in one of their productions.

“I don’t want to give names, but there is big possibility for a number of them,” he explained. He also pleaded with the government to give them a platform to hear them out, as they are not here to steal from Batswana. “If we can come together, amazing things can happen. And what we want to do, we want to do for the local artists such as your make- up artists, camera people, actors and so forth. We want Batswana,” he explained noting that they would love to have a set in areas such as Lobatse with its rich history.

“On the South African side, we have commitment from SABC, but the problem is this side,” he adds.

He also notes that the Botswana soapie in the pipeline, will be produced through his company, DSK Films in partnership with local production companies.