How much South African TV actors get paid

Top South African TV actors can earn well over R40,000 per month if they secure a spot on a local soap opera.

According to the South African Guild of Actors’ minimum rate card guidelines for 2016, senior actors on a local soap should earn at least R44,000 per month.

According to a seasoned local actor who recently spoke to MyBroadband, it is not uncommon for the main actors in top soapies to earn up to R60,000 per month.

He said supporting actors on TV series earned between R1,500 to R5,000 per call, while “stars” earned up R6,000 per call – a 12-hour day.

How much South African actors earn

The table below details how much local TV actors earn for per call on a TV series and as a cast member for a local soap opera, based on the South African Guild of Actors’ (SAGA) minimum rate card guidelines for 2016.

SAGA said the industry has been divided for years on standard rate guidelines, and – in the absence of an industry regulatory body – it produced the guidelines based on research and observation.

SAGA said it is not a regulator of industry rates, though, and its guidelines have not been adopted across the entire industry.

South African acting scene – there are concerns

SAGA said there are currently concerns in the local acting industry, due to many productions being made on lower budgets as channels require more content.

“Due to this, productions are not always casting professional actors so that they can pay below the minimum rate guidelines,” said SAGA.

This undermines the professional actors and the rates in the industry, it said.

“Broadcasters hold all the power currently and are the final decision makers in casting, so it is not always who is the best actor that gets cast. Many times the producers or directors don’t have a say in their final cast.”

This leads to actors not being in control of their careers, said SAGA.

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