Change the name of the game in 2015…
SA’s leading soap was dethroned, a celeb couple made the news and a diva was shown the door. Debashine Thangevelo offers snippets of the year’s soapie and telenovela happenings.
THE RISE OF THE AXED
GENERATION
WHILE Mfundi Vundla was quelling the fires on the set of his magnum opus, e.tv decided to take on the leading South African soap with its first telenovela, Ashes to Ashes. Adding insult to injury, half of the axed Generations cast were in e.tv’s new show, which trended big time on Twitter and, given its popularity, is returning next year.
COUPLE IN ON THE ACT Fans have been following Gail Mabalane’s life with interest since her Idols SA (season 6) journey. Her marriage to kwaito star Kabelo Mabalane propelled the singer-turned-actress further into the limelight. This year was momentous for her and her hubby. Aside from welcoming their baby girl to the world, the couple
Double Crossword
were cast in Mzansi Magic’s The Road.
FAN FAVOURITE The rivalry between e.tv and SABC1 was evident when, shortly after the announcement of Ashes to Ashes, SABC1 confirmed that Uzalo, the channel’s new telenovela, was in production. Signing on Leleti Khumalo didn’t hurt in sweetening the channel’s appeal. She plays the matriarch in a story polarised by religion, family and crime. Did I mention that the show is co-produced by Jacob Zuma’s daughter, Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube?
FLAVOUR OF THE YEAR Masasa Mbangeni (Scandal’s Thembeka) and Nyaniso Dzedze (Ashes to Ashes’s Tsietsi Namane) are the two actors who really owned their roles this year. Mbangeni, who is devilishly cunning in her villainess role, cleaned up at the award ceremonies this year, while Dzedze was a tour de force. He did justice to his role, whether it called for him to play a ruthless businessman or an incorrigible flirt.
NEXT PLEASE… Where socialite actress/singer Pam Andrews is concerned the truth becomes hazy. Although some say she was canned from e.tv’s Rhythm City, she claimed that she was pursuing her singing career. Next came the news of her emigrating to be closer to her second husband. This was awful news for the media who loved snapping her wearing her racy outfits on the red carpet. In the meantime, Bonang Matheba and Boity Thulo are handling things…
MOVING ON! Sjoe, there was no point on keeping track of all the actors exiting Generations: The Legacy. I’m surprised the soap is still on air after haemorrhaging so much talent. However, fans of Leeanda Reddy were devastated when she decided to quit her role as Priya. It seems she is trying her hand at a completely different role – that of a real-life restaurateur.
Meanwhile, the excitement around Rosie Motene’s role in Zabalaza was shortlived when the veteran actress decided to quit the sinking ship. The end is near for the soap, too! RETURN OF THE LEGENDS There have been so many notable comebacks this year. Hlubi Mboya kicked things off when she joined Scandal. This time around she was determined not to play it safe with her character and she has been pushing the envelope, especially with Thandeka’s “daddy issues”.
After weathering many storms in her personal life, Sonia Sedibe returned to the small screen, stronger and eager to immerse herself in her Gold Diggers character, Thuli Gumede. Think along the lines of a very ghetto Cookie from Empire.