Jennifer Hudson welcomed the opportunity to portray the ex-wife of South Africa’s first black president Nelson Mandela weeks ago. Today, however, local actors say Hudson should not be casted when there is plenty of talent in South Africa. “It can’t happen that we want to develop our own Hollywood and yet bring in imports,” Mabutho Sithole, President of The Creative Workers Union of South Africa, said in The Citizen newspaper recently.. “This decision must be reversed, it must be stopped now,” union secretary general Oupa Lebogo said in The Times. According to Lebogo, members of the union are prepared to go further than issuing a complaint. He says ‘Winnie’ could face a moratorium if changes are not made. “If the matter doesn’t come up for discussion, we will push for a moratorium to be placed on the film.” As previously reported, both Jennifer Hudson and Morgan Freeman are expected to star in ‘Winnie’. News of disdain towards casting from the union comes just days before the release of ‘Invictus,’ a film also starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela.
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