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South Africans protest at plans to cast Jennifer Hudson as Winnie Mandela in new film

Actors in South Africa are campaigning to stop Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson from playing the lead role in a new film about Winnie Mandela.

The Creative Workers Union of South Africa said using foreign actors to tell the country's stories undermined efforts to develop the national film industry.

'It can't happen that we want to develop our own Hollywood and yet bring in imports,' the union's president Mabutho Sithole said.

'This decision must be reversed, it must be stopped now,' union secretary general Oupa Lebogo told The Times.

'If the matter doesn't come up for discussion, we will push for a moratorium to be placed on the film.'

Hudson, who scooped a best supporting actress Oscar in 2007 for the musical 'Dreamgirls', landed the role of Madikizela-Mandela last month.

Read entire article at Daily Mail (UK)