The Claim
Themba Ndaba of Teddy Bear Pictures claims that he and his team conceived the idea for the movie ‘King Shaka Zulu: The Warrior King’ back in 2012. They had planned to release it five years ago, but lack of funding presented a challenge. By the time they had secured government funding in 2017, Ndaba alleges Bomb Productions already had information about the show.
The Accusation
Ndaba suspects that the script he devised was “stolen” by a colleague, who then went on to present it to Bomb Productions. Tebogo Sithathu, the head of Intellectual Property Justice, said “We are considering litigation in this matter. Yes the story of Shaka has been told for many years, but the script has been conceived by Mr Ndaba.”
The Response
In response to Sithathu’s letter, MultiChoice’s legal team said: “At the outset, we point out that it is unclear for whom you are acting. The mandate attached to your letter states that ‘DirectServ (Pty) Ltd’ and ‘Teddy Bear Production’ have granted a mandate to IP Justice Company, but is signed by ‘DirectServ Holdings’ and ‘Teddy Bear Pictures’.” They asked for clarification on Sithathu’s clients’ names and the basis for their claim.