Ster-Kinekor to Shut Down Cinemas and Retrench Staff, Mzansi Reacts: “It Was Only a Matter of Time”

• Ster-Kinekor is said to be in the process of closing down its cinemas due to a decline in attendance
• The company has also reportedly set in motion plans to retrench a large chuck of its staff
• Mzansi expressed mixed reactions to the news, where some felt it was long overdue while others didn't take it too well

South African cinema giant Ster-Kinekor has reportedly decided to lay off a large number of staff and shut down its cinemas. The decision was made due to a decline in attendance, with many South Africans moving to streaming.

Is Ster-Kinekor closing down?

Mzansi's largest movie exhibitor, Ster-Kinekor, is reportedly facing difficulties after the boom of streaming services, which has caused a drop in cinema attendance.

Despite the company's successful screening of Barbie and Oppenheimer in 2023, which, according to My Broadband, performed exceptionally well - the company was still unable to stay afloat and had to take desperate measures.

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Briefly News reported that two companies had put up an offer for the cinema giant while it was placed on business rescue.

According to reports, Ster-Kinekor is retrenching 236 of its 728 employees and shutting down as many as nine cinemas, possibly more, in the next six months. Some cinemas are in Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.

Ster-Kinekor also mentioned factors like the economic environment and load shedding as contributors to their decisions.

Mzansi reacts to Ster-Kinekor shutting down

Netizens aren't taking well to the news of Ster-Kinekor's shutdown. Previously, netizens were saddened by the news of Musica's closure after three decades.

Tumi213 pleaded:

"No no no! Guys, please go to the cinema, haibo!"

bbybonzza said:

"I've been busy. I promise I'll go watch a movie when I'm free."

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itsibitsikitsi wrote:

"Wow! This is actually so sad, and heartbreaking. We need to save cinema!"

Meanwhile, some netizens offered suggestions to the company, while others criticised it for not moving with the times:

BhavMaharaj dragged the company:

"Maybe if they didn't charge a kidney for popcorn and their staff understood what parental guidance was, we wouldn't be here."

NanSishange said:

"They’ve held on much longer than I thought they would."

_IkanyengM wrote:

"It was only a matter of time. Their prices are ridiculous."

COSATU calls for government action against Post Office retrenchments

In an earlier report, Briefly News shared the Congress of South African Trade Unions' plea to the government to intervene as the South African Post Office retrenches its staff.

This was after thousands of employees were handed retrenchment letters, which raised concern among netizens.

Source: Briefly News