e.tv pulls the plug on Durban Gen after 2 years.

by Thinus Ferreira

e.tv has pulled the plug on its early prime time series Durban Gen which will end in January 2023 after just over two years.

Durban Gen, filmed in Durban, launched on e.tv in October 2020 at the same time as SABC2's hospital drama series Vutha, and is set in the Durban township of Newlands East and the corridors of the Durban General academic public hospital.

Produced by Stained Glass TV also responsible for SABC1's Uzalo and The Wife on MultiChoice's video streaming service Showmax, has been e.tv's fourth most-watched series and lured 2.75 million viewers (7.12 AR / 27.5 share) during April to its early prime time 18:30-timeslot.  

e.tv that issued a death certificate to Durban Gen comes as M-Net channels like kykNET (DStv 144) recently cancelled its Afrikaans weekday soap Getroud met Rugby in the 18:00 timeslot and Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) cancelled The Queen. 

eMedia says in a statement "e.tv can confirm that the hospital drama Durban Gen will be coming to an end in January 2023".

"The decision to decommission the daily drama is part of a business strategy which includes the on-going review of the on-air life-cycle of all our shows."

"e.tv continues to look forward to fulfilling its mandate of producing exceptional and relevant local content, and the production has successfully achieved its part of the obligation throughout the past 2 years."

South Africa's KZN flooding disaster: How flooded sets paused production and pushed out filming on Uzalo, Durban Gen, Imbewu and a movie.

by Thinus Ferreira

With flooded sets and casts and crew unable to get to work, the destructive rainfall and disastrous flooding in KwaZulu-Natal also damaged South Africa's TV and film industry as it disrupted production of Uzalo as the country's biggest TV show as well as other television series filmed in the province, with at least one locally-shot film that has to pause and push out its start of filming to next month.

South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province is dealing with a growing humanitarian disaster with more than 448 people who have lost their lives so far and billions of rand of damage to infrastructure and property.

The country's cabinet has declared a National State of Disaster in response to floods while KwaZulu-Natal based productions, making some of the biggest shows on South African television are also assessing the damage the floodwater wrought and picking up the pieces.

Uzalo on SABC1 and Durban Gen on e.tv that saw flooded sets and Imbewu on e.tv - all filmed in the province - had to halt production but have and are resuming production again.

The KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission (KZFC) tells TVwithThinus "the floods affected every community in KwaZulu-Natal. Most of the work in TV and film had to be put on hold due to lack of electricity, water and the roads being closed".

"We have not received any updates regarding most productions that had to be paused, however as productions usually take place around the KwaZulu-Natal area, there is a high possibility that they were also affected."

"A feature film called The Score was due to film from 19 April but due to the devastation experience in the province, they had to delay production until 16 May. We are still in the process of determining whether there were other projected affected."

The KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission says it is waiting to hear from producers to indicate what assistance they would need from the commission's side in order to get back in schedule with their filming processes.

"As the industry and an agency of the state, we are comforted by the fact that the government has made an estimation of the loss and are working on ensuring that people's livelihood are restored."

Stained Glass TV, the production company responsible for Uzalo - the most-watched show on South African television and most-watched show on the SABC that drew over 7 million viewers in March on SABC1 - told TVwithThinus that the prime time telenovela had to shut down production for 5 days but has resumed filming.  

The prime time soap Durban Gen, also produced by Stained Glass TV for eMedia's e.tv that lured 2.51 million viewers in March, also had to deal with flooded sets and shut down production for one day and for two days worked with cast and crew who could make it to work.

"Like most of KwaZulu-Natal our productions were also gravely impacted by the floods," Stained Glass TV spokesperson Nomfundo Zondi tells TVwithThinus.

"On both productions, we couldn't shoot for numerous days due to our sets being flooded and cast and crew being unable to make the journey to work. Lastly, all location and street scenes were temporarily halted simply because the weather wasn't conducive."

"Fortunately, we were able to quickly make the necessary reparations to the sets to resume production. Our hearts are with all those impacted, It is indeed a tough time for KwaZulu-Natal as many have not only lost jobs and homes but loved ones as well," she says.

Production will resume today on Imbewu, the prime time soap from Grapevine Productions on e.tv that lured 3.44 million viewers in March and which is also filmed in the flood-ravaged province.

"Due to weather conditions and flooding, some personnel were severely impacted and unable to travel to work," spokesperson Nilesh Singh says.

"As such, the production was halted on 12 and 13 April. A production break of one week for Easter, starting on 14 April was already scheduled and the production will resume as normal on Wednesday".

SABC2 and e.tv scrubbing in with new hospital drama series Vutha and Durban Gen.

by Thinus Ferreira

Amidst the global Covid-19 pandemic South Africa's SABC and e.tv are both launching competing new locally-produced hospital dramas with SABC2 that will ventilate Vutha on Thursday nights at 21:30 from 3 September and with e.tv that will resperate Durban Gen from Monday 5 October at 18:30.

Vutha produced by Clive Morris Productions - eerily similar in name to the devastating and fictitious Vutha virus that caused chaos in SABC1's Generations in mid-2019 - as well as Durban Gen produced by Stained Glass TV, marks South African terrestrial television's first return to hospital drama series since SABC2's Hillside, SABC3's Jozi-H and M-Net's Binnelanders.

Both Vutha and Durban Gen have been filming and impacted by the real-world circumstances and changes to life and lockdown of the Covid-19 coronavirus in South Africa. 

Besides production schedule and operational changes, crews working behind-the-scenes at Vutha and Durban Gen suddenly had to don marks just like the on-screen talent after the threat of a real virus became as big a concern as the fictional medical dramas captured on screen.

Vutha, set within the Daveyton community and inside the corridors of the Edward Dondolo Hospital, will go "beyond the world of medicine where there is a world of love, friendship, betrayal, hope, desperation, corruption, greed and crime" according to SABC2 which didn't pre-screen the show ahead of its broadcast debut to TV critics and the media.

Created by TV producer and presenter Ntokozo Mbuli, Vutha stars Kabelo Moalusi as Dr Kgopotso Moabe and Dumisani Mbebe as Mzwakhe Masilela as it explores the journeys of medical professionals within the South African landscape and looks at the challenging lives that form the backdrop of their career successes.

Other cast members include Busisiswa Lurayi as specialist obstetrician Lungile Asumadu, Ayanda Bandla as Anelisa Moabe, Leroy Gopal as Ayitey Asumadu and Siya Raymond Sepotokele as Tumelo. Vutha's cast list also stars Mmarona Motshegoa, Lebohang Motaung, Miranda Ntshangase, Moditle Pholo, Molobane Maja and Sipho Mbele.

Clive Morris Productions describes the Edward Dondolo Hospital as "a furtive breeding ground for colourful characters, high stakes and great drama" with the heroic clinical manager, Dr Kgopotso Moabe, rushes to save a mother giving birth on the pavement outside the hospital.

Matron Mologadi arrives home from the United Kingdom to fix her fractured family and hospital CEO Mzwakhe is terrorised by a loan shark for outstanding debts.

"With a star-studded cast, viewers are in for a real treat and will no doubt emotionally connect with the characters and this intriguing story from the first episode," says Jacqui Hlongwane, SABC2 programme manager.

Durban drama
e.tv's Durban Gen is from the Grey's Anatomy mold, following, like Meredith, the life of the main protagonist Mbali Mthethwa, "a newly qualified doctor who moves to the big city, away from her fiancé and the small town they grew up in, to serve her final year of community service".

Durban Gen is filmed in Durban and set in the Durban township of Newlands East and the corridors of the Durban General academic public hospital.

It's here where Mbali, played by Nelisiwe Sibiya, soon finds herself in a love triangle between her fiancé Sbusiso Dlamini (Ntando Mncube) and her boss Dr Lindelani Zulu (Mike Ndlangamandla), described as "a brilliant, attractive surgeon with whom she has undeniable chemistry".

On her arrival at Durban General Hospital, Mbali assists in a surgery that goes horribly wrong and that leads to the death of a politician.

That plummets the hospital, Mbali, and Dr Lindelani Zulu into the middle of an investigation that threatens to derail her career.

The Durban Gen cast includes Meshack Mavuso as Dr Thabo Dlamini and Durban Gen's head of surgery, and Duduzile Ngcobo, who as Dr Nomalanga Qwabe.

According to e.tv Durban Gen "follows the trials, tribulations, triumphs, betrayals and bonds experienced by Mbali, the staff of Durban General, and the patients who come through its doors looking for help, refuge, and health".

"KwaZulu-Natal has progressively become the quintessential pulse of local productions, not only from a storyline perspective but for its ability to provide fertile soil from which to grow and build new talent," says Helga Palmer, e.tv's new head of local productions.