Johannesburg

Wednesday

Mostly sunny. Pleasantly warm.

12°C
28°C

7 day forecasts

Mbeki salutes Tsotsi Oscar

2006-03-06 13:18

Director Gavin Hood accepts the Oscar for best foreign language film Tsotsi. (Mark J Terrill)

Galleries   ·   User Galleries   ·   News in Pictures Send us your pictures  ·  Send us your stories

Cape Town - South African President Thabo Mbeki has congratulated local writer and director Gavin Hood and the entire cast and crew of the film Tsotsi for wining the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards on Sunday.

In a statement on Monday, Mbeki said the award for Tsotsi, was "yet another well deserved accomplishment of our country and people".

"A story of poverty, hopelessness and struggle transformed into faith and a profound moral re-awakening leading to better future, Tsotsi, is another appropriate representation of the "Age of Hope", stated Mbeki.

"It bears testimony to the abundance of South African talent and symbolises what South Africans can achieve when we work together towards a common objective.

Tsotsi, brings sharply to the fore the important role that the arts can play in nation building.

He said the award had given a boost to the local film industry, following the winning of the Best Actress by South African Charlize Theron in 2004 as well as the nomination of another South African film, Yesterday, while simultaneously propelling the country forward on the global stage, "to which we were so recently re-admitted and are indebted to make a contribution towards its betterment."

"On behalf of the Government and people of South African, I would like to congratulate Gavin Hood, the cast and the entire team for a remarkable achievement. They have made our nation immensely proud," the president concluded.

Pallo Jordan's message

Meanwhile, Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan also sent a congratulatory message, Sapa reports.

"I want the cast and production team of the acclaimed movie Tsotsi to know that I and millions of other South Africans salute them for the splendid and challenging contribution they have made to indigenous African film making," Jordan said.

"Their achievement has revealed to the world, and the US in particular, that South African talent not only has the potential to stand tall and compete as equals with our international counterparts, but is also of world class," he added.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said: "This is a massive vote of confidence in the skills, flair and dedication of workers in the creative arts in South Africa."

"Let us hope that the success of Tsotsi will encourage a big increase in local procurement of films, TV shows and stage plays, which will create large numbers of jobs and provide top quality entertainment for South Africans," said spokesperson Patrick Craven.

Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon congratulated all those involved in the making of Tsotsi for their success at the Oscars.

"The Tsotsi award for best foreign film is another milestone in South Africa's continued breakthrough into the international market, and a cause for all South Africans to feel proud," he said.

This achievement, taken together with the Oscar win for South African-born and trained cinematographer Dion Beebe and another best-actor nomination for Charlize Theron, had put South Africa squarely in the global spotlight.

"It has never been more critical, therefore, for the government to provide the necessary support to the local film industry so that we can capitalise on the opportunity.

"A resurgence in the local film industry has the potential to hold many positive spin-offs, not the least of which is much-needed job creation," he said.

- News24

inside news24

Cpt: 15-18°C Rain showers. Morning clouds. Mild. Pta: 16-31°C Morning clouds. Pleasantly warm.
Jhb: 12-28°C Mostly sunny. Pleasantly warm. Bloem: 12-29°C High level clouds. Pleasantly warm.
Dbn: 18-30°C Sprinkles early. More sun than clouds. Warm. PE: 14-22°C Drizzle. Morning clouds. Mild.
7 day forecasts...
Western Cape Eastern Cape Kwazulu Natal Gauteng

Edenvale - 07:34:37 AM Slow moving traffic between Gilloolys Interchange and the Modderfontein Road exit More traffic reports...

Here are the winning Lotto numbers from the Saturday, November 7 draw.

18, 24, 25, 31, 35, 42 Bonus 38

Lotto plus: 4, 14, 17, 20, 21, 34 Bonus 3

SMS the word Lotto to 31222 to get lotto numbers sent directly to your phone. The service costs just R10 per month. 
More lotto numbers...

Jobs - Find your dream job

Senior HR Manager

Gauteng
Express Employment Professionals
R30,000-30,500 Per Month Plus Benefits

C# Developer

Gauteng - Pretoria
Hire Resolve
R30,000-45,000 Per Month

BI Technologist

Gauteng
Hire Resolve

Cars - Search 1000's of new and used cars

AUDI

2008 A4 1.8T Multitronics from R 269 000

VOLKSWAGEN

Golf 5 2.0 TDi Sportline 5-dr Dsl
2007
R 189,995.00

AUDI

RS4 4.2 V8 Quattro
2006
R 379,000.00

VOLKSWAGEN

Polo 1.6 Comfortline 5-dr MY05
2009
R 169,990.00

Property - Find a new home

PLATTEKLOOF

Single Residential R849,000

KALK BAY

Single Residential R9,750,000

LYNNWOOD

Single Residential R2,400,000

Travel - Look, Book, Go!

Free Games - TOO MUCH NEWS? TAKE A BREAK!