Kidnap carnage
Bad-guy Judas raids the Zungu homestead and returns home with his lost daughter – and more!
Isibaya Weekdays Mzansi Magic 20:30
Grab your bullet-proof vests, viewers: Isibaya screens are going to be full of bullet holes and screams thanks to the kidnap shoot-out on Thursday 2 March. And leading the attack is Judas (Menzi Ngubane), who’s in full thug mode for the drama. tvplus was on-set for this exclusive behindthe-scenes look at the chaos…
LEARNING THE TRUTH
Judas is protective of his family, but he’s so busy running the business and keeping an eye on the taxi industry that he’s blind to what is going on right under his nose. Judas finds out from his son Qaphela (Abdul Khoza) on Wednesday 1 March that his daughter Zama (Linda Mtoba), the apple of his eye, is off to see her lover Jabu (Pallance Dladla). “That his daughter has snuck off with this Zungu boy makes Judas mad because Jabu is his enemy’s son. Judas slaps Qaphela and asks his son why he hid the truth from the family,” explains Menzi.
TAKING ACTION
Qaphela quickly ’fesses up that Zama and her boyfriend Jabu are hiding at the Zungu homestead in KwaManzini. Blinded by fury, Judas rounds up his mob of armed henchmen on Thursday 2 March and takes along his son and
wife Beauty (Thuli Thabethe) to fetch Zama. “Judas tells Beauty he doesn’t care what happens, as long as he has his Zama back by his side and at home where she’s safe,” says Menzi between takes. “And so the chaos begins…”
BLOODY HELL
Menzi isn’t joking about what’s coming next! Judas and his taxis full of gunmen speed into the Zungu homestead later on Thursday 2 March and unleash a storm of bullets. There are gunshots and smoke and screeching tyres – Zungu taxi driver Fezile (Andile Mzakaza) and his friends are mowed down by Judas’s crew, but that’s not what they’re after… Judas gets his hands dirty and he and Qaphela hold the Zungu wives at gunpoint, demanding that Zama come out.
“When Judas sees Zama walk out of the Zungu house, he’s hurt,” Menzi says. “He can’t believe that his favourite [child] left a double-story house to live in a shack to be with her ‘boyfriend’ Jabu.” Judas lets rip on the wives and Jabu and tells them what he thinks of them, then he orders Qaphela to take Zama to the car where Beauty is waiting. Zama isn’t going down without a fight and she tries to fight back, but Qaphela’s too strong and drags her off. “He doesn’t like doing this to his sister, but it’s better than disobeying Judas,” Menzi adds.
ANOTHER SEARCH
Judas isn’t done though – he wants to find Lerato (Florence Mokgatsi), his witchdoctor Sunday’s (Zakhele Msibi) bewitched lady love. “Sunday was in the process of turning Lerato [from being part of the Zungu clan] to be Judas’s right-hand lady,” Menzi says. “Judas wants Lerato because she will do anything for him… anything!”
Sunday fled the homestead when he saw Judas’s mob arriving and Judas takes three hostages until he can find both Sunday and Lerato: Zungu boss Mpiyakhe’s (Siyabonga Twala) toddler Manqoba (Qhayiya Shingange), teenager Thokozani (Amina Karen-Sue Jack) and Zama’s sweetheart Jabu.
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
Judas and Beauty give Zama and Jabu an ultimatum on Thursday 2 March – “Jabu is told to choose: Zama or the Zungus,” Menzi reveals. “Scared for his life, Jabu chooses his family and after an interrogation, Judas releases him.” A heartbroken Zama is in tears on Friday 3 March and her father tries to cheer her up with a brand-new Mercedes as a gift. “But Judas doesn’t realise that this isn’t what she wants. He has broken his family – emotionally and physically. Can Judas even bring his family together again?” Menzi asks.
FIRE IT UP
The Zungu raid is going to sound and look like a real-life gunfight – and not just because the stuntmen are well trained. “The guns used for Isibaya are normal AK47s and UZIs. Their barrels have full restrictive systems to allow the blanks to work,” explains Tim Kilshaw. Tim is an on-set weapons expert from Hire Arms, a local company that for 30 years has been supplying the entertainment industry with replica, stunt, blankfiring, deactivated and custom-built weapons, battle gear, uniforms and period props (like swords).
Hire Arms has branches in Joburg and Cape Town and they’ve worked with over 1 000 feature films and TV series, including drama series Black Sails (2014- current, see p36), sci-fi movie Chappie (2015) and action film The Brothers Grimsby (2016).