Celebrity sangoma and graphic designer Romeo Malepe revealed that he still has not been compensated for his work on the 2006 SABC 1 logo.
Over the years, the logo designer has made claims that the broadcasting channel has not paid him and added that the rapper behind the famous tagline used on the channel “Msawawa Hip Hop Fo Sho” has not received a cent.
Romeo has been vocal about not getting paid for creating the logo since 2019, according to reports from the news publication, The Citizen. It has been reported that he has repeated his previous revelations in an attempt to increase public attention to the issue.
In 2021, the designer expressed his feelings in a Facebook post saying, “I didn’t get paid for the SABC1 logo I designed and for that fact, I will never rest. Black people in leadership positions will milk you dry. No one at SABC is willing to pay me to this day.”
Despite claiming he designed the logo, SABC’s marketing manager for video entertainment Dichaba Phalatse stated that the design was made by Espial agency, a company he was working for at the time meaning that SABC made the payment to the agency for his work.
This caused many internet users to feel that the designer should just let it go as too much time has passed and as explained by Dichaba, the company owns the rights to his designs, not him.
Public Sector Leader notes the importance of knowing how intellectual property (IP) varies within a workplace, adding that, the ownership of designs can vary as independent contractors usually retain their rights until fully paid, while designs made by employees during their work typically belong to the employer.
