'Severe cash-flow contraints': Stained Glass TV forced to shut down production on SABC1's Uzalo over non-payment, 186 cast and crew told filming is paused 'with immediate effect'

by Thinus Ferreira

The biggest TV show on South African television has been forced to shut down production indefinitely due to non-payment by the SABC, with the Durban-based Stained Glass TV that has been forced to end production of Uzalo due to cash-flow problems impacting more than 56 cast members and 133 crew.

Stained Glass TV produces Uzalo for the South African public broadcaster, but also since earlier this year the Skeem Saam timeslot replacement since late-April on SABC1, Amalanga Awafani, which is also set and produced in KwaZulu-Natal. 

It's not yet known whether Stained Glass TV has been forced to also shutter production on Amalanga Awafani. 

"Dear team, we regret to inform you that, due to severe cash-flow constraints, we are compelled to pause production with immediate effect," co-executive producers Gugu Zuma-Ncube, Pepsi Pokane and co-owner Theo Moodley told the Uzalo cast and crew in an internal memo on Monday 4 August.

"Please know that we are actively engaging with the SABC to resolve the matter as swiftly as possible. We understand the impact this has on each of you and remain committed to keeping you informed as the situation develops."

"We are deeply grateful for your unwavering passion, professionalism, and dedication to this special production. Your contribution continues to inspire us, and we are doing everything in our power to get back on track."

Stained Glass Productions was asked for comment, when its cash-flow problems with Uzalo started and what led to it, when it last received payment from the SABC, when it was last supposed to get paid by the broadcaster, as well as how and possible when Stained Glass TV sees the money crisis and production shutdown getting resolved.

Stained Glass TV's answers will be added here once received.

The SABC was also asked in a media query about Uzalo's production shutdown due to cash-flow problems and comment will be added here when received.

Stained Glass TV responded with a statement, passed along from the SABC, saying: "There is no production break on Uzalo, and production continues as scheduled. The SABC remains committed to its partnership with the production company, Stained Glass, and values the continued contribution of the cast and crew."

"As a matter of principle, the SABC does not discuss the details of contractual agreements in the public domain."

Stained Glass TV was asked if there were no production break, why were the Uzalo cast and crew told that production is being paused, but the production company declined to provide an answer.

An insider told and confirmed to TVwithThinus that production crew didn't get paid and were told that production is stopping despite the spin that the SABC might try to put on it to keep the news from being public within the production industry.

Another source said the SABC has been making late payments to Stained Glass TV for Uzalo quite a while, although the production company them took on additional work with Amalanga Awafani.

"People are not worried that Uzalo will shut down in the sense of going off air, but it's a worry about constantly wondering if you're really going to get paid."

Uzalo is the latest in a string of SABC shows that have been forced to literally shut down production over the past while after production companies have not being paid as contractually agreed by the financially struggling South African public broadcaster.

Before Uzalo, shows like 7de Laan, The Estate, Skeem Saam and Muvhango airing across SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 have shuttered production after the SABC failed to pay on time.

Just this year, Skeem Saam and Muvhango joined Uzalo in halting production in 2025 over non-payment. 

Meanwhile, Kew Productions took the SABC to court over its non-payment and had to sue the broadcaster this year just to get paid what it was owed for the unpaid part of a R10 million contract for seasons 12, 13 and 14 of the travelogue series Voetspore that used to be on SABC2.

The major crisis is waiting to be resolved by Maijang Mpherwane who has just returned since August to the SABC as the broadcaster's new head of video entertainment, with the Uzalo production shutdown that is his first big schedule stability headache.

Nomsa Chabeli, SABC CEO, told parliament recently that the SABC is prioritising paying the parastatal signal distributor Sentech first, which it owes more than R1 billion in outstanding debt. 

It means that some production companies are underpaid less than what they are owed, or nothing. 

"We pay Sentech first before we pay any of our service producers, meaning that producers come after the Sentech payment," Nomsa Chabeli said.

2023's 17th Metro FM Music Awards: AKA the big winner with 4 trophies as badly done awards show from Mbombela is marred with mistakes and technical problems.

by Thinus Ferreira

The murdered rap artist Kiernan Forbes, known as AKA, was the big posthumous winner on Saturday night at 2023's revived 17th Metro FM Music Awards, with his parents and daughter Kairo accepting four awards on his behalf - including Artist of the Year and Best Male Artist - during the live broadcast from the Mbombela-done awards which was once again marred by a litany of technical mistakes and awkward errors.

After he was brutally gunned down in Durban in mid-February, AKA was the biggest winner and scooped up four black Metro FM Music Awards trophies after his death on Saturday night in Mpumalanga, including winning Artists of the Year, Best Male Artist, Best Hip Hop Artist, as well as Best Collaboration Song for Lemons (Lemonade) with Nasty C.

AKA parents, Lynn and Tony Forbes returned to the MMA stage four times, along with his daughter Kairo and other family members to accept their son and dad's four awards.

Lynn Forbes thanked the Megacy - as AKA's fans are known - multiple times during accepting various awards on her son's behalf.

She also dedicated an award to AKA's dad, Tony, and said "I feel that he deserves the Artist of the Year Award because Tony has been absolutely instrumental in introducing Kiernan to music from the moment he was born  - through the years, through the different genres of music which became the influences of the music that he made throughout the years".

"I don't think he would have wanted it any differently," Lynn Forbes said.

Raphael Benza, AKA's business partner, said that "it is bittersweet. He is not here with us to really celebrate in the physical. Kiernan for Mass Country has received about six nominations. One of the main things he said every time we were in studio was that he couldn't wait for the audiences to hear it".

"It's great to have a full circle moment. His first album won Best Hip Hop," said Raphael Benza, with AKA's last album that has now won the same honour.

DJ Tira won two awards for Best Kwaito/Gqom Song and Best Music Video for Sikilidi. The Metro FM Legend Award was renamed the Dr Esther Mahlangu Lifetime Achievement Award and given to Mafikizolo.

Nada Wotshela, SABC radio boss, during the back carpet pre-show, said that the SABC and Metro FM Music Awards were "looking forward to a spectacular event that is executed flawlessly" but it was not to be - with the live show filled with various technical, autocue, sound and video mistakes and running more than an hour late into unplanned overtime on SABC1. Instead of 22:00, the awards only ended at 23:15.

Co-produced by Bonngoe TV and Dzinge Productions for SABC1 with Pepsi Pokane and Shandukani Nsengani as co-executive producers, the 17th Metro FM Music Awards which took place in the Mbombela stadium with a lot of empty seats visible, contained a lot of the same mistakes and technical problems that marred this awards show in previous years.

The last time the Metro FM Music Awards took place was in 2017 in Durban, pre-Covid. 

After this, the rewards were stopped following a cloud of suspicion from the South Africa music industry over the MMA's credibility, following numerous corruption allegations of being rigged due to payola, the "buying" of awards and collusion in the judging process. 

After five years and a hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Metro FM says it has addressed these issues.

On Saturday night, after Makhadzi won for Best Female Artist  - her first MMA award - and with the category presenters standing around and dancing on stage for a minute before saying they will accept the award on her behalf, an out-of-breath Makhadzi, who was initially a no-show, stormed onto the stage during the next segment. She fell down as her award was brought to her.

"Today I was supposed to go to Zambia but they've postponed the show," she said afterwards. "I thought if they postpone the show I must go to the awards. Unfortunately, the traffic! You can't believe that I ran from the traffic just to come and collect my award. This is my first Metro FM Music Award. I didn't want anyone to collect this for me."

By Sunday morning at 9:00 there was no press release from the SABC or Metro FM, or the Blueprint PR agency who got paid to communicate with the media, about the awards show or the winners.

Here is the complete list of winners of the 17th Metro FM Music Awards:

Song of the Year

Betusile Mcinga for Ngena Noah

Best Afrosoul-Pop

Zuko SA for Andikalibali

Best Amapiano Song

Deep London for Hamba Wena

Artist of the Year

AKA for Lemons (Lemonade)

Best Jazz Album

Nduduzo Makhathini for In The Spirits of Ntu

Best New Age R&B Artist

MOE for Me Ever After

Best Collaboration Song

AKA feat. NastyC for Lemons (Lemonade)

Best Duo or Group

Inkabi Nation for Voice Mail

Best Female Artist

Makhadzi for Queen 2.0

Best Gospel Album

Pastor Lungi Ndala for Victorious Praise

Best Hip Hop Artist

AKA for Mass Country

Best House Song

Skye Wanda for Amazwi

Best Kwaito/Gqom Song

DJ Tira for Sikilidi

Best Male Artist

AKA for Lemons (Lemonade)

Best New Artist

Coco SA for I never thought

Best Styled Artist

Musa Keys

Best Music Video

DJ Tira for Sikilidi

Best Viral Challenge

Deep London feat Boohle for Hamba Wena

Dr Esther Mahlangu Lifetime Achievement Award (renamed legend award)

Mafikizolo

ALSO READ: SABC+ creates a Metro FM Music Awards pop-up channel for 2023’s ceremony. 

ALSO READ: AKA and Sjava lead nominees list for 2023’s 17th Metro FM Awards on SABC1.

ALSO READ: SABC revives Metro FM Awards in 2023 set for live awards show on SABC1 on 29 April in Mbombela.

Season 8 of Uzalo introduces new ensemble cast to the KwaMasha drama led by the ruthless matriarch of the Magwaza family.

by Thinus Ferreira

The 8th season of the most-watched show on South African television will debut on Friday 4 March when Uzalo on SABC1 will introduce some new characters into the KwaMashu-set primetime series in the form of the Magwaza family.

"We are excited for audiences to experience a reimagined Uzalo," says Stained Glass TV executive producer Pepsi Pokane.

"The production team promises a season of high-stakes drama, riveting storylines, creativity, and skilful production. The production has several new faces joining the show, and it is a great pleasure to work with this impressive talent."

"We are confident that our viewers are eager to continue experiencing authentic stories that represent their everyday realities in a way that resonates with them."

The 8th season of Uzalo will usher in a new ensemble cast led by the Magwaza family that might be more than a match for the notorious Nkunzi.

The Magwaza family matriarch Njinji, portrayed by Thembi Nyandeni, is described as "a ruthless wolf in sheep's clothing" whose power-play dealings will "shake the whole Kwamashu community" according to the show.

The character of Njinji is introduced in Uzalo with her daughter, Nomaswazi Magwaza (Omuhle Gela), described as "a beautiful, smart, and conniving woman that moves stealthily, much like her mother".

Cousin Vikizitha Magwaza (Siyabonga Radebe) is described as "a charming and lethal criminal with his eyes fixed on Nkunzi's throne. 

Then there is Simon Nsimbi (Ronald Mkhwanazi), Njinji's son, right-hand man and described as a "voice of reason".

The police force is expanded with Constable Biyela (Thabisile Zikhali), described as "an honest and well-educated woman determined to keep the department on the straight and narrow".

The character of Flavia (Sthembile Mhlongo) is a "focused and independent career woman".

In addition to these new characters, Amahle Sishi (Hope Mbhele) enters the world of Uzalo as a "fun and liberal woman that captures the attention of Lilly". 

Kwanda (Sandile Mfusi) makes his arrival in KwaMashu "as a driven and charming man that woos Nonka into his attractive web, concealing his ulterior motives".

'Utter rubbish': MultiChoice and Showmax has launch event for second season of its The Wife telenovela with scant press involvement as disappointed subscribers complain about 'bastardising Dudu's work'.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice and Showmax on Sunday afternoon did a launch event and screening in Johannesburg for the upcoming second season of the video streamer's local telenovela The Wife for which the pay-TV operator and streamer again shut out South Africa's national media who were not invited, nor told about it happening beforehand, or given any information about what was said there.

At Sunday's event Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice CEO of general entertainment and connected video spoke about MultiChoice and Showmax's investment in content. None of Yolisa Phahle's remarks was shared with media.

Nomsa Philiso, the MultiChoice Group's executive head of programming, also attended the event but neither MultiChoice nor Showmax's corporate or publicity teams bothered to share anything she said.

Pepsi Pokane, Stained Glass executive producer, also attended Sunday's The Wife event in Sandton and spoke, likewise with nothing of what he said that MultiChoice or Showmax wanted to share with media in a transcript, readout press release or video recording.

MultiChoice and Showmax's exclusion of national media for the event for The Wife's second season who were not shown the courtesy of being informed beforehand that Sunday's event would take place, is in line with the streamer's laissez faire publicity approach for the first season of The Wife.

For that Showmax publicity also cut out national media with the show that had a small Johannesburg in-person so-called "launch screening", as well as for the second season of The Real Housewives of Durban for which Showmax had a Durban-only in-person event and a virtual Facebook event - none of which the media knew of beforehand to plan coverage, or were invited to or welcome at.

An adaptation of the books of Dudu Busani-Dube, Showmax commissioned three seasons of 40 episodes each of books Hlomu: The Wife, Zandile: The Resolute and Naledi: His Love, but has done little to nothing to promote the series under South Africa's broader media contingent either before its start or during its run, with no virtual or in-person group media roundtables, or any apparent cohesive publicity push to try and garner media attention for the telenovela.  

After the first season of The Wife made its debut it, weekly episodes were followed by buzz on social media that eventually started to sour as Showmax subscribers turned on the show.

Disappointed and angry Showmax subscribers have been slamming Showmax and The Wife over the erratic first season, saying "I hope this mess goes on production break" and that "The writers of the show did not read the book shame. This is not even inspired by Hlomu the wife, this is something else".

Viewers say " 'inspired by' didn't have to bastardise Dudu's work in this manner and used her audience to watch their narrative. What level of disrespect is this to us, her readers?" and that "maybe this wasn't supposed to be on screen from the get go".

"If you're going to do this nonsense in the next season ngcono niyeke nyabheda, shame you've messed up this series" said another The Wife viewer, with the show that was also criticised by Showmax subscribers for being "utter rubbish".

NV Studios partners with Uzalo producers, Stained Glass TV, to try and develop a slate of international scripted and non-scripted co-productions.

NV Studios, producers of international broadcast content, is partnering with Stained Glass TV, producers of the weekday prime time soap, Uzalo, on SABC1, to develop a slate of international scripted and non-scripted co-productions.

NV Studios is headed up by CEO Damien Brown with Stained Glass TV run by Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube and Pepsi Pokane.

The partnership between NV Studios and Stained Glass TV will try to create content with both a local South African and international flavour, including a reimagining of one of South Africa’s historical tales.

This will includes an examination of America’s politically-charged figures from the 1970s and the story of one of the world’s largest manufacturers of MDMA, set in Los Angeles and Australia.

Damien Brown says that the partnership between NV Studios and Stained Glass TV will give the series the gravitas they deserve. "Pepsi and his team produce the country's biggest show – and that's just one item on their slate."

"Their production nous and the ability to draw from a pool of immensely talented local actors and crew will be invaluable in ensuring that the shows we'll be creating together will meet global standards," says Damien Brown.

Pepsi Pokane says that NV Studios' international network of distributors, broadcasters and partners will play a pivotal role in showcasing these stories to the world.

"Damien Brown and his team have achieved phenomenal success on the global stage, with nearly 80 seasons of shows currently available in more than 150 countries."

"Pairing the scale of our production operation with their network of partners will ensure that these shows take their rightful place on the global stage."

After no pay Uzalo on SABC1 abruptly shuts down due to the SABC’s worsening cash crisis.

The filming of Uzalo has abruptly ceased with production that has shut down on the SABC and South Africa's biggest and most-watched show and sending shockwaves through South Africa's TV industry due to the South African public broadcaster failure to pay producers as the broadcaster moves ever closer to financial implosion.

Uzalo is the most watched show on SABC1 and on South African television in its entirety, drawing in excess of 9 million per episode, but the SABC that is basically bankrupt, is no longer able to afford the show, with Uzalo's production company as well as a litany of other producers who are not being paid although the SABC still wants them to supply content.

Last week SABC executives told parliament the public broadcaster will only have R26 million left at the end of August while debt has spiralled to over R694 million. It means that the SABC owes 27 times more than the money it has left.

The SABC said it's struggling to pay to keep "water and lights" on, then staffers and freelance workers, and the pays what it can to other service providers and producers.

After years of mismanagement, corruption, looting and irregular expenditure of hundreds of millions of rands and the destruction wreaked by its former COO, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, the SABC is once again hovering on the brink of collapse, desperate for another government bailout since its previous one in 2009 when it got a R1.47 billion Nedbank loan guaranteed by the government.

Stained Glass Pictures that produces Uzalo said production shut down on Monday on the KwaMashu set prime time drama series until the SABC starts paying.

It follows two weeks after producers within South Africa's TV community started buzzing that Uzalo is in serious trouble as well and is facing the impossible choice of either firing crew and staffers or having to shut down if it's not going to get paid by the SABC within two weeks. That has now happened.

"It's so sad because they're such sweet people and don't want to lose their contract and they're still a relatively new production company, trying to hard to create good work for the SABC," a producer not directly involved with the show but with connections there, said.

TVwithThinus was reliably informed that other production companies are likely set to follow Stained Glass Pictures, with producers who are at wit's end and fed-up with the SABC who can no longer continue to take make content for the public broadcaster and take out bank loans to finance it, instead of actually getting paid by the SABC who has simply shifted the cost burden to producers.

"As a company we carried the cost of production for as long as we were able to, while waiting for the outstanding payments to be settled by the public broadcaster," says Pepsi Pokane, Uzalo's executive producer.

Uzalo will remain shut down for at least this week until the end of August with the cast and crew who suspended their services since they were not paid on 25 August. It means that the window between production and episode delivery to the SABC will narrow by at least a week as SABC1 starts to use up and play out the reserve episodes.

Stained Glass Pictures says the production staff have exercised their right to withhold services until they receive their August salaries. "We are in constant communication with the broadcaster and are confident that this will all be resolved in the next week," the company said.

Ironically the SABC reached out to Stained Glass Pictures to help after the disastrous implosion of its other TV drama, Uselwa where all the money is gone and with the cast and crew unpaid and the broadcaster having no footage to show for it.

The SABC asked Stained Glass Pictures to take over managing the Uselwa crisis, although Uzalo is now itself experiencing a crisis.

"Is the government ever going to let the SABC fail?" asked a TV executive who previously worked for the SABC as a producer but who is no longer doing work for the SABC. "Why isn't the government approving another SABC bailout and delaying the inevitable? Production companies have been made to suffer when they haven't had anything to do with causing this crisis".

The SABC asked for comment about the Uzalo shutdown on Monday night again cited it's precarious financial position.

"The SABC has reported on numerous platforms that it is experiencing dire financial difficulties with the corporation unable to meet its monthly financial obligations, after making critical payments," said Neo Momodu, SABC spokesperson.

"Payment arrangements are being made with suppliers, service providers and creditors and we are proactively engaging with these stakeholders."

"We remain concerned that a financially distressed public broadcaster will not only have negative effects on its staff, the local production industry, small, medium and micro enterprises, but on every citizen," Neo Momodu said.

Uzalo kills off Leleti Khumalo's MaNzuza and Sihle Ndaba's Smangele in a double murder story line with an hour long funeral special episode on SABC1 set for 16 February.

Producers of the weekday drama Uzalo on SABC1 have decided to kill off the characters portrayed by Leleti Khumalo and Sihle Ndaba with a double murder story line that will get rid of the characters of MaNzuza and Smangele.

Leleti Khumalo decided to quit the show that is filmed and set in KwaMashu, Durban when contract negotiations for the 4th season didn't work out while the show's producers, Stained Glass TV, fired Sihle Ndaba.

The actors' exit from the show was announced in October 2017 with Leleti Khumalo who has been with the show from the show's start in February 2015.

The KwaMashu matriarch MaNzuza is murdered along with Smangele, with the prime time double murder that will result in a double funeral in the church set on the Newlands studio sound stage in Durban.

The Uzalo double funeral will be broadcast on SABC1 on Friday 16 February as an hour long special episode.

The tragic funeral - complete with church choir send-off and celebrity guests appearances - was filmed on Tuesday 16 January, a month before the SABC1 airdate.

So far there's been no statement or comment from Stained Glass TV and its co-owners Gugulethu Zuma ka Ncube and Pepsi Pokane about the characters being killed off and new additions to the show.

In December 2017 Uzalo retained it's title as the most watched show on SABC1 and in South Africa with 9.15 million (26.3 AR) viewers and a 68.2 share, meaning that more than 2 thirds of all switched-on TV sets in the country were tuned to the show during the 20:30 timeslot.

Leleti Khumalo leaving Uzalo, Sihle Ndaba out too as SABC1's KwaMashu-set soap charts a new direction for its 4th season starting February 2018.

Leleti Khumalo is leaving South Africa's most top rated TV show, with actress Sihle Ndaba out as well at Uzalo when the 4th season of the hit prime time soap will debut in February 2018 on SABC1.

The veteran thesp who've played the character of the KwaMashu matriarch MaNzuza said it's time to move on but Ndaba who played Smangele, said nothing.

Both characters will appear in the upcoming 4th season until the 6th episode.

The last day on set for Leleti Khumalo and Sihle Ndaba will be 15 December.

The hugely successful, on-location shot show is both the most watched show on SABC1 as well as the overall most watched show on South Africa, drawing 9.23 million viewers in September.

That also makes contract negotiations more difficult, since stars on hit shows want to feel that they're properly and adequately rewarded for turning stories into a success and reeling viewers in.

It's not clear what led to the exit of the actors and if it was because of re-upping contract negotiations for the 4th season possibly failed, but the show says "we have a clear stance where our onscreen talent is concerned".

"I am grateful for the opportunity, and the platform Uzalo provided for me to bond with the viewers, and my fans who have been a part of my journey over the years," says Leleti Khumalo in an exit statement.

"Whilst this has not been as easy decision for me as an artist, it is time for me to move on and grow professionally in other areas.”

The show's producers, Stained Glass TV, says Uzalo will continue to deliver "exciting plotlines" and will bring in some fresh faces.

"Leleti and Sihle have been such an incredible part of the Uzalo story and journey; they will always be part of the family," says Pepsi Pokane, co-owner of the production company.

"It has been a joy to work with them, and alongside the SABC we created the platform where they were able to showcase their talent so captivatingly."

"Parting ways with actors of such caliber is always going to be bittersweet, but we have no doubt they will continue to work their magic on the new trails they’ll be embarking on."

"We have a clear stance where our onscreen talent is concerned. We've always been committed to including fresh, new talent, while ensuring we had some seasoned, established players in our cast."

"The combination has worked perfectly for Uzalo and delivered results that’s kept viewers enthralled. We’ve got auditions coming up, and will be bringing on some amazing actors."

SABC1's new telenovela, Uzalo, set to take on Mzansi Magic's Isibaya from 9 February in the same timeslot of 20:30 for 3 days a week.

The SABC first rejected the pitch for the show and forced the producers to retool it, but now, 3 years later, the new Zulu telenovela Uzalo from Stained Glass Productions will finally make it to TV.

The ambitiously filmed KwaZulu-Natal local drama Uzalo will starts on 9 February at 20:30 on SABC1 - trying to win back some audience share and viewers for the SABC against the Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) telenovela-turned-soap soap juggernaut Isibaya in the same timeslot.

Each half hour episode which SABC1 will broadcast from Mondays to Wednesdays from 9 February, revolves around the Mdletshe and the Xulu families, straddling the world's of crime and church.

Uzalo is set in KwaMashu in Durban and also filmed on location in the township's F-section since December 2014.

Despite several production and writing challenges SABC1 and the production company believe that the new telenovela following after Generations - The Legacy in the 20:30 timeslot will keep viewers tuning in.

SABC2 plans to have its own telenovela on the air this year, and told TV critics in 2014 that it is looking at July 2015 to start its own local telenovela - the South African public broadcaster's second one.

One of president Jacob Zuma's daughters, Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube is the producer of Uzalo, together with Pepsi Pokane, with the playwright-producer Duma Ndlovu now writing the scripts after several other writers were initially tasked with producing scripts but left.

SABC1 describes Uzalo as "a provocative, bold and authentic narrative that tells the story of two family dynasties and the two young men who carry their hopes and legacies as they face the complexities of money, family and love".

What is means is that Uzalo will revolve around two sons of two families - one "good" and one "bad" and the conflict and friendship between them and their families.

The KwaMashu-born Bheki Mkwane from Isibaya on DStv's Mzansi Magic channel supplied by M-Net, will now appear in the rival localdrama Uzalo as patriarch pastor Melusi Mdletshe. Leleti Khumalo plays the pastor wife Zandile Zulu.

Other Uzalo stars include Khumbulani 'Kay' Sibiya, Naymaps Maphala and Mpumelelo Bhulose and Dawn Thandeka-King.