The #Flightcasemovement is a call for all South African technical companies, technical crew and freelance technicians, to hand deliver a memorandum of demands to the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC) on Tuesday, 8thSeptember 2020.
Business owners, technicians and freelancers in the live events industry will meet at Paul Kruger Statue, 23 Church Square, Pretoria Central at 9am with the aim to push 250 flight cases, in single file on the sidewalk, to the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, where a memorandum will be handed over at noon. All campaigners will be dressed in black with full PPE including masks, gloves, safety shoes and hard hats, standard requirements when working on site on a live event.
The live events industry has been unable to work for over five months as per the restrictions imposed under the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002, instituted in March due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. When President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Level 2 and the lifting of various restrictions on 15 August, the gatherings of more than 50 people remained prohibited.
There are at least 700 independent freelancers who have had no government assistance and no work during this period. Their only help came from a single food voucher of R500 as donated by #Feedourcrew, an NGO created by technicians working within the industry.
Technical rental companies, of which there are hundreds across the country, have had to either temporarily lay off staff, lay off staff permanently, retrench or embark on a total shutdown of operation. It’s not viable for any company to try and cater for the gatherings of fifty people or less.
The aim of the #Flightcasemovement is to open events and maintain social distancing following protocols set out by the Event Safety Council.
We demand:
- The reopening of the live events industry.
- Specific relief fund for businesses in the Live Events and Technical Production Sector.
- Extended relief from financial institutions.
- Relaxation of relief fund application requirements for freelancers in the Live Events and Technical Production Sector.
- Recognition of the Live Events and Technical Production Sector and a seat at the table.
- A strategic, deliberate and sustainable plan on how to support the Live Events and Technical Production Sector.
For more information, or to set up an interview with #flightcasemovement spokesperson, Kagiso Moima Wa Masimini, please contact Lefa Tsiane at e-mail lefatsiane@gmail.com.