Veteran actor Patrick Shai has committed suicide.

by Thinus Ferreira

The veteran and prolific South African actor and director Patrick Shai committed suicide on Saturday.

Patrick Shai, born Patrick Molefe Shai, hanged himself in the garage of his home in Dobsonville.

"It is with great sadness to announce the passing of veteran actor Ntate Patrick Shai. He passed away this morning," the family said in a statement on Saturday.

"We sincerely ask you to give the family time to process this painful loss. More details will be shared in due course."

Patrick Shai appeared in various series, ranging from Generations to Soul City, Zero Tolerance, Skeem Saam and 7de Laan. 

The actor started his career as a dancer, according to Wikipedia, at Safari Ranch with Mzumba African Drama and Ballet, and joined the cast of SABC1's drama series Soul City in 1994.

In 1995 he wrote and acted in the film Hearts & Minds and appeared as the character of Christmas in the BBC mini-series Rhodes in 1996.

Other TV series he appeared in, include Noah's Arc, Moferefere Lenyalon and Hola Mpinji, all on SABC2, Zone 14 and Uzalo on SABC1, as well as Isidingo and the competition show I Love South Africa.

Other TV series he appeared in ranged from Screenplay, Jacob's Cross, MMG Engineers, Mission Top Secret, The Principal, Yizo Yizo, Behind the Badge, Hillside, Life is Wild and Chandies. 

Most recently he was Phasha in Mzansi Magic's The River and in e.tv's Ashes to Ashes telenovela he appeared as Selogilwe "Selo" Namane.

Patrick Shai's extensive filmography also includes appearing in the movies A Place for Weeping, Red Scorpion, Blind Justice, Diamond in the Rough, The Last Samurai, Schweitzer, The Sheltering Desert, Taxi to Soweto, Cry, the Beloved Country, Danger Zone, Inside, Stray Bullet, La ferme du crocodile, Fools, The Place of Lions, The Gates of Cleveland Road, The Bone Snatcher, Critical Assignment, Zulu Love Letter, Discreet, Life, Above All, The Bang, Bang Club and Gog' Helen. 

He appeared on stage in the play Sophiatown that toured globally.

In 2019 Patrick Shai was shot 11 times in his neck, back, legs and arms by the South African police when he took part in public protest action in Dobsonville, Soweto over disconnected electricity.

In 2016 Patrick Shai's wife Masechaba spoke about the decades of emotional and physical abuse she had suffered and how she had lived in fear of her husband and how it started when his career took off.

"Fame got to him and he turned into a monster. He became a monster I feared daily. He started attending A-list events and would come home drunk at night."

She said Patrick Shai changed after he took the role of an abuser in SABC1's Soul City in 1997, and changed his abusive lifestyle after he started to see himself and his damaging behaviour in the character, and went for counselling. 

Patrick Shai eventually started a non-governmental organisation called Khuluma Ndoda to help abusive men and appeared in a "Brother for Life" TV commercial speaking out about abuse.

The couple filed for divorce several times but never fully went through with it.

In a 2018 TV interview Patick Shai said "I'm a reformed perpetrator in gender-based violence. I've put my wife through a whole lot of things. I'm saying if I could change and become this person that I am today, you too can."

In mid-2014 Patrick Shai was one of the 16 actors who embarked on a strike at Mfundi Vundla's Generations, demanding better actors' rights and compensation. The cast eventually got fired.

In a 2018 interview with Afternoon Express, Patrick Shai said "I discovered that the fire in me - as a kid who threw stones in 1976 - who inhaled tear gas, who then joined and formed a group of four of us who were in a quartet gospel group - because we were all politicised by the black consciousness movement."

"I realise now there was a purpose in God plugging me in there so that I can bring out that which I wanted to bring out through revolution - throwing stones - but I can do it through the arts."

The SABC in a statement on Saturday said that the South African public broadcaster "is deeply saddened by the passing of Ntate Patrick Shai. His immense contribution to the entertainment industry will never be forgotten".

"It is with great sadness that the SABC has learnt of the untimely passing of veteran actor Patrick Shai. Patrick Shai is known by many as Nkwesheng, the character he played on the iconic SABC2 drama series Bophelo Ke Semphekgo."

"He also appeared on SABC dramas such as Zone 14, Soul City, Moferefere Lenyalong, Skeem Saam, 7de Laan and most recently Uzalo where he spoke out about gender-based violence (GBV) in the storyline involving Nosipho."

"Patrick Shai appeared in numerous feature films and he has made an immense contribution to the arts. His dedication to his work will be sorely missed."

■ If you or someone you know needs help with suicide, anxiety or depression, call the South African Depression and Anxiety Group's 24-hour helpline at 0800 456 789 or 011 234 4837 or the Whatsapp chat number 076 882 2775, the Suicide Crisis helpline at 0800 12 13 14, or Lifeline SA at 0861 322 322. 

SABC1's fired Generations cast joins e.tv's new Ashes to Ashes: 'We're grateful to be growing and not to be stuck in a dark place.'

You're reading it here first. 

SABC1's fired Generations actors and top TV talent like Patrick Shai, Nambitha Mpulwana and others who've now joined e.tv's new telenovela Ashes to Ashes starting 2 March at 20:00 in the same timeslot as their former show are not mincing words, taking clever swipes at the SABC, saying they're "grateful to be growing and not to be stuck in a dark place".

Patrick Shai, Nambitha Mpulwana, Mandla Gaduka together with the entire principal cast of Generations was fired by the SABC and Mfundi Vundla's MMSV Productions in August, and has now joined e.tv and Ashes to Ashes in the same 20:00 timeslot, where they hope viewers will embrace their return to TV and the "regeneration" of 20:00 on e.tv instead of SABC1.

"There is no ounce of regret. We went in search of a good home. And we've found a good home," said veteran actor Patrick Shai .

"There was a time in my life when I thought there is no TV industry in this country. Whatever happened, its created an opportunity for South Africa to think about the industry. Competition is there and its thriving. And television will never be the same again!" said Patrick Shai.

"It's been such an easy transition to building a family and its an amazing team," said Nambitha Mpulwana. "Not only do we enjoy what we're doing, but we enjoy doing it with each other. And we trust where we are because somebody's ready to catch you. And that makes an incredible amount of difference in your production life."

"It is on everybody's mind," said Nambitha Mpulwana, also addressing the elephant in the room.

"There's not an ounce of regret. There is not a single a single person in this world created to relive yesterday again," said Nambitha Mpulwana as she came out on stage on Thursday night when e.tv revealed the new cast and stood hand in hand with her fellow Ashes to Ashes cast members - several of whom were formerly a part of SABC1's Generations before they were fired.  "We're here to face tomorrow".

"We're all here to face tomorrow, and gratefully so. We're also grateful for the lessons we've learned in the past, and the people that help us to grow, and the amazing characters we're going to be on your TV screens," said Nambitha Mpulwana.

"We're grateful to be growing and not to be stuck in a dark place," said Mandla Gaduka who was also part of Generations, fired, and are now part of Ashes to Ashes.

"We're so humbled to have this cast - especially Patrick Shai and Nambitha Mpulwana - such incredible stalwarts. We're really privileged that you're a part of this with us," said Clive Morris from Clive Morris Productions producing Ashes to Ashes.

"Our industry has been through a very rough phase the past few years. And we look to our broadcasters to be our safety net. Without our broadcasters, what are we?"

Clive Morris told TV with Thinus "its an incredible adrenalin rush and very, very exciting".

"We're going to offer viewers something different. It's going to be something that's gritty and very real. We haven't gone into a studio which is all beautiful. We've taken an abandoned building and turned it into a funeral home. So it's very real, it's very gritty and very exciting," said Clive Morris.

"These are talented actors. These are talented people," said Monde Twala, the managing director for e.tv channels division. "Local talent deserves to be put forward and celebrated."

"It's about people and their talent and not about who owns what timeslot. I want to welcome all of you to the channel. I know we are in this journey together and we're in it to win it."

"The market is ready for local content. The TV landscape is changing; the landscape is evolving. And only local is lekker in terms of a direction to go."

"Ashes to Ashes is part of that great exciting journey that we've decided to embark on. We are already in production of a follow-up telenovela on e.tv which will come later in the year," said Monde Twala.

BREAKING. e.tv's new local telenovela to be named as Ashes to Ashes officially, will star SABC's former Generations cast and "regenerate 8pm" on e.tv.

You're reading it here first.

I can reveal that e.tv's new local telenovela starting on Monday 2 March at 20:00 will officially be named as Ashes to Ashes.

The telenovela of 104 episodes and set in the world of funeral parlours (hence the title) will star cast members of the former Generations on SABC1 - who will now be seen in the same timeslot as before but on e.tv - part of what e.tv cheekily calls "the regeneration of 8pm".

e.tv has not said anything about Ashes to Ashes or confirmed the name - which should not be confused with a former BBC drama series.

With Ashes to Ashes at 20:00 e.tv plans to inflict as much damage as possible on the SABC's now vulnerable and reset Generations - The Legacy which got a tepid reception from viewers after the principal cast was dumped by MMSV Productions and the SABC in October 2014 and which has plunged in viewership.

e.tv will use its soap Scandal! at 19:30 to help boost the viewership for Ashes to Ashes, serving as the lead-in programming for the telenovela, and is also moving its main news bulletin to 20:30 as the lead-out programme on weeknights.

Ashes to Ashes will be broadcast Mondays to Thursdays on e.tv with an official name, cast and story announcement expected soon.

UPDATED 11:14 - There it is. In a press release issued just issued e.tv says its "brand-new telenovela Ashes to Ashes, a first for e.tv takes over the 20:00 slot on Mondays to Thursdays for a whopping 104 episodes."

Ashes to Ashes on e.tv will premiere on Monday 2 March. Veteran actor Patrick Shai has been announced as one of the lead actors. Also get ready to welcome back familiar talent on a mysterious journey back to the smalls screen".