Goodbye/hello
Death shakes up Uzalo’s world, but as two beloved characters leave the soap, we also welcome two new faces.
Uzalo Weekdays SABC1 (*191) 20:30
Season 4 of Uzalo kicks off with MaMlambo’s (Gugu Gumede) ominous vision on Monday 5 February, followed by the deaths of MaNzuza (Leleti Khumalo) and Smangele (Sihle Ndaba) on Friday 9 February. The lose promises to shake the community like an earthquake and Uzalo’s creative director Mmamitse Thibedi reveals that “we start with a crime that affects two of our most powerful families. We are going into the responsibility that our communities have with how they deal with crime. We have themes of religion versus anarchy and we explore the role of religion within the story, as well as law and order in the community. We deal with forgiveness and retribution, and unity versus chaos because of the two deaths.” But the time of mourning is also time for a fresh start as new characters enter…
GABISILE (Baby Cele)
“We’re very excited about Baby,” says Mmamitse. “When you lose a character like MaNzuza, who is a matriarch and a central figure, you lose a strong sense of a powerful woman. And you have to be able to rebuild that. Pastor Mdletshe’s (Glen Gabela) sister is in KwaMashu to host a church conference on crime – and the event is where the biggest crime happens: her sister-in-law dies there. She becomes obsessed with why there is no justice in the world. She doesn’t play on the straight and narrow. We see her going out into the street to try find out who was involved in the heist and she does her own sort of vengeance.”
LILY (Noxolo Mathula)
“Lily is a small role but it’s quit fun,” says Mmamitse. “Mxolisi (Nay Maps Maphalala) wants to ignore the fact that he’s lost his mom, so he immerses himself in a sexual relationship with this girl. But when her mom discovers that she’s had a sexual encounter with him, she wants payback, because Lily has virginity testing every year and Mxolisi has deflowered her daughter. It’s a fun story because people don’t know how far this virginity testing thing goes.” Uh oh!