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- Filming for a television commercial, which was taking place on Camps Bay beach, closed on Thursday.
- Production was initially stopped by Police Minister Bheki Cele during a walk on Wednesday.
- The location manager and the foreign television producer expressed their disappointment at the move.
A filming of a television commercial on Cape Town’s Camps Bay beach was closed for the second time this week by police officers who are said to be enforcing Covid-19 regulations.
On Thursday, SAPS members prevented the production team from shooting.
On Wednesday the day before, production was stopped by Police Minister Bheki Cele.
Cele had been out for a walk with her aide, Cassel Mathale, and the top police officers to inspect compliance at various beaches in the city.
“We were filming a TV commercial, a Russian commercial, here in the clubhouse that saves lives,” explained location manager Derek Raeburn to News24.
He said they had obtained a permit to film the commercial and that city officials were also present at the scene.
“Basically, they told us to close [however] we don’t know why, “Raeburn said.
“What are the foreigners who have come to film to say about this when they return to their different countries? If they cannot be guaranteed that they will film and work here with official permission, how will this affect the rest?” filming in Cape Town? “
Russian TV producer Andrey Shkatov said: “We came here to South Africa to bring in some business and to film a very beautiful commercial here on this sunny beach with white sand.” We are a bit upset and confused. Now we have to move our filming to another place ”. According to the production team, they were losing a lot of money as a result.
The city of Cape Town indicated on Wednesday that it would urgently approach the high court to challenge Cele’s decision to halt production.
READ | District Attorney to File Complaint Against Bheki Cele for Closure of Camps Bay Filming
Cele said in a statement: “While allowed by the city of Cape Town, upon closer inspection, the production did not meet what is allowed on beaches, as stipulated by Covid-19 regulations.
“According to the permission of the producer that was given to the SAPS, the production would go against the very rules set by the president, who are clear about what is allowed on the beaches and, therefore, it could not be allowed to continue . “
Meanwhile, the district attorney said he will file an ethics complaint against Cele.
