By Jeremia Maluse.
South Africa’s creative economy is rapidly emerging as one of the country’s most significant economic and cultural forces. According to recent industry reporting by Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), the cultural and creative industries contribute nearly R300 billion to the country’s GDP – approximately 4% of the national economy while supporting an estimated 1.4 million jobs across multiple sectors.
From film and television to music, fashion, design, gaming, and digital storytelling, South Africa’s creative industries continue to shape global cultural conversations while driving employment, tourism, entrepreneurship, and economic participation.
Yet behind the growth of the screen sector lies a question that has remained largely unresolved despite decades of industry expansion:
Who protects the people sustaining the industry?
In his forthcoming publication, The Unlegislated Dreams, South African filmmaker and cultural policy practitioner Andile Sinqoto confronts the structural realities facing creative workers in one of the country’s most influential industries.
Far more than a book release, The Unlegislated Dreams enters the national conversation as a challenge to the status quo, examining the absence of sector-specific legislation, labour protections, institutional safeguards and long-term sustainability frameworks within South Africa’s film and television industry.
Drawing from nearly two decades of industry experience across filmmaking, governance, labour advocacy, and institutional leadership, Sinqoto argues that while the screen sector continues to contribute significantly to employment, culture, tourism, and international visibility, many creative workers remain vulnerable to freelance precarity, inconsistent labour standards, limited economic participation, inadequate legal recognition and working conditions that often leave them without the protections afforded to workers in more formally regulated industries.
The publication interrogates issues including:
- freelance labour and worker vulnerability,
- authorship rights and intellectual property,
- residuals and royalties,
- occupational safety,
- governance accountability,
- and the sustainability of African film and television industries.
At the centre of the book is a clear and urgent position:
“Legislation is not an act of intervention. It is an act of governance.”
Rather than framing reform as an ideological debate, The Unlegislated Dream argues that legislative recognition is fundamental to governance, economic accountability, labour protection and the long-term sustainability of the sector.
The release arrives at a critical moment for South Africa’s creative economy, as conversations surrounding labour instability, transformation, funding structures, industry sustainability, and worker protection continue to intensify across the entertainment sector.
“For too long, the creative industry has celebrated its successes without confronting the structural realities faced by many of the people responsible for them. We cannot continue building a globally recognised industry while ignoring the governance and labour protections needed to sustain its workforce. This book is not an attack on the industry — it is a call for accountability, sustainability and dignity for creative workers.” says Andile Sinqoto.
The Unlegislated Dreams is expected to spark discussion among government institutions, labour stakeholders, broadcasters, cultural organisations, filmmakers, producers, unions, and industry professionals across South Africa and the African continent.
This is not simply a conversation about film.
It is a conversation about labour, governance, economic justice, and the future sustainability of the creative economy itself.
The Unlegislated Dreams is set for release in June 2026 and will be available on Takealot, Google Play Books, Google Play, Apple Books, Amazon, and Audible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andile Sinqoto is the author of Unlegislated Dreams, a book reflecting on the current landscape of South Africa’s film industry and broader conversations shaping the creative economy. With over 15 years of experience, his career spans the full spectrum of the creative sector, from award-winning production and cinematography to national industry governance.
Andile has worked with leading institutions including the University of the Witwatersrand, MICT SETA, the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), and the Department of Arts and Culture, supporting ecosystem alignment across creative education, industry readiness and sector development.
Sinqoto currently serves as Chairperson of the Independent Directors Association Africa and Executive Director of the Directors Guild of South Africa, where his work has contributed to broader national and continental discussions around film legislation, creative labour, governance, and policy reform.
As Executive Director of the Directors Guild of South Africa, Andile brings a dual perspective that bridges creative practice with institutional policy, advocating for a South African media landscape that is both equitable and globally competitive. His work continues to position him as a respected voice in conversations around storytelling, industry growth and the future of the local film sector.