Nirvana Nokwe an actress, singer, and the daughter of legendary singer Tu Nokwe, recently shared her experience of sexual misconduct in the workplace during filming. Without stating the name of the production, the Skeem Saam actress said the incident was brushed under the table.
NEEDING THERAPY
She said the scene involved a rape victim in the story. Nirvana said the incident took place on the set during a typical night of filming. "The parties involved clearly understood the sensitivity of the scene and we had extensively discussed and reaffirmed the physical, emotional, and psychological boundaries in place, as well as precautionary measures and aftercare to ensure the safety and wellness of both actors performing the scene as well as the crew,' she said. "I felt uncomfortable and unsafe due to actions that crossed my personal boundaries,' she added. "My physical and psychological boundaries were: no simulation of the act of rape. Under no circumstances is my co-star to thrust his pelvis into mine. The rape could be implied in a close-up? it was rehearsed that he would push me over the car bonnet lay on my back to whisper in my ear then come out of the frame, which was on a close-up of my face screaming and the scene would end there.' She asked to be taken to therapy upon completion of her role.
VIOLATED
She added, "It is unfortunate that her co-star violated physical boundaries, emotional as well as psychological too. We shot many variations of the scene. During my close-up, in the most vulnerable and compromised position, after my co-star came out of the frame and he took it upon himself to thrust his pelvis into mine,' she said. "To emphasise how extensively these boundaries were clarified, I took the initiative to conduct a thorough consent exercise, to clearly define my red zones and my green zones - areas he could touch and areas he was absolutely not allowed to touch,' she said. "My pelvis is one of them. I asked him what his red and green zones were. And he said, "I'm fine with everything. Just don't touch my d*ck.'
TRAUMA
She said the experience has impacted her sense of safety and confidence in her work environment. "More so, the disappointment in hearing the management reiterate to me his statement saying, "I just got carried away' and to me "I take full accountability for what I did. But it's a tense scene, and a tense set so have grace Nirvana.' The actress said, "Initially, leaders acknowledged the situation with commitments to address it appropriately through mediation meetings and written apologies. However, these promises were followed by silence, leaving the issue unresolved,' she explained. "It is disheartening to see that my request for a simple remedy of therapy and a written apology, which was later agreed upon, was met with hostility, gaslighting, and intimidation, ultimately leading to inaction. This situation reflects broader challenges within our industry and country and highlights the importance of addressing these issues to preserve our collective humanity.' She added that she opened a case. "I was redirected to five police stations, which luckily, all clearly understood where the violation occurred. Except for one, my investigative officer did not even understand the definition of sexual assault and debated that the one on the SAPS government website was "too vague'.
