Muvhango crew and cast unpaid yet again as SABC rips cancelled show's remaining episodes from SABC2 without explanation

by Thinus Ferreira

The crew and cast of Word of Mouth Pictures have been unpaid yet again at the end of May, saying that the production company hasn't been been paid by the SABC, while the South African public broadcaster suddenly also removed the remaining episodes of the cancelled Muvhango from SABC2 on Thursday without explanation. 

While the SABC's cancelled Venda weekday soap on SABC2 is only supposed to end airing on 8 August, the show's remaining episodes abruptly disappeared on the SABC2 on Thursday and Friday 5 and 6 June, with the omnibus repeat block on Saturdays also removed without any explanation to viewers or the media.

According to insiders, the Muvhango crew and cast have gone unpaid at the end of May. 

The crew and cast were told by the production company that they had hoped the SABC would pay last week, so that the people working on the show could be paid by Monday 2 June.

This is similar to what happened after the SABC cancelled 7de Laan on SABC2 when Danie Odendaal Productions went unpaid for the remaining episodes still to be delivered.

Danie Odendaal Productions then refused to send further episodes for broadcast on SABC2 unless payment was received from the struggling SABC.

Mmoni Ngubane, SABC spokesperson, didn't respond to media queries about the non-payment of the Muvhango cast or why remaining Muvhango episodes suddenly stopped airing on SABC2 on Thursday this week.

The Muvhango cast and crew on the Duma Ndlovu-produced show have gone unpaid numerous times in the past - both due to mismanagement at the production company, as well as not being paid by the technically insolvent SABC.

Muvhango extras are also waiting to be paid. 

Muvhango background actors are also demanding payment they haven't received yet from Nonkululeko Ndlovu's  Turning Heads Casting Agency.

Nonkululeko Ndlovu is the daughter of the troubled Duma Ndlovu who created Muvhango. Duma Ndlovu has been charged with tax evasion totalling R25 million and he appeared in court in October 2024.

Muvhango that got cancelled in 2024 when its contract for a shortened 130-episode season ran out but then got a belated one-year new contract of 260 episodes for a 26th season.

That final reprieve for the long-running show has now also ran out and Muvhango is now set to be replaced by a new drama series entitled Pimville Queens.

Pimville Queens is produced by Bakwena Productions which is also notorious for its non-payment of cast and crew as well as service suppliers.

It's still unclear why the SABC have decided to do business with Bakwena Productions of Kagiso Modupe, Rashaka "Rush" Moufhe and Brenda Mukwevho, with SABC executives fully aware of Bakwena Productions' troubled past with payments.

Nomsa Chabeli, SABC CEO, says she believes Pimville Queens will be "successful from a launch perspective".

For SABC2 we're introducing a new telenovela starting in August, which is going to be replacing the existing Muvhango".

She said that "Come August, we are launching a new telenovela called Pimville on SABC2, and based on that we will be really driving that audience share back to SABC2. 

ALSO READ: SABC cancels Muvhango after 28 years, CEO Nomsa Chabeli says replacement telenovela Pimville will hopefully be successful to bring SABC2 viewers back

ALSO READ: 'Final farewell' planned for SABC2's cancelled Muvhango after failed one-year reprieve

ALSO READ: SABC2's Muvhango forced to stop production again after writers, cast and crew again go unpaid by Word of Mouth Pictures

ALSO READ: Rhythm World Productions tells unpaid Umkhokha cast and crew it has 'cash flow' problems as MultiChoice vows stronger checks on growing trend of payment-skipping producers

ALSO READ: Legal action starts against producer Kagiso Modupe after he fails to pay crew and cast of BET Africa's Pound 4 Pound: 'Poor show of morals'

ALSO READ: SABC2 will show the last episode it has of 7de Laan tonight unless the SABC pays the show the outstanding millions it is owed

SABC cancels Muvhango after 28 years, CEO Nomsa Chabeli says replacement telenovela Pimville will hopefully be successful to bring SABC2 viewers back

by Thinus Ferreira

After 28 years the SABC has finally cancelled Muvhango with the long-running Venda weeknight soap from Word of Mouth Pictures, which will be replaced by a new telenovela called Pimville produced by Bakwena Productions.

SABC CEO Nomsa Chabeli says "For SABC2 we're introducing a new telenovela starting in August, which is going to be replacing the existing Muvhango".

"We are certain that, based on the storyline and where we are in the scriptwriting room, this should also be successful from a launch perspective."

The SABC has failed to reach its own content output targets for SABC2 for the second, third and fourth quarters, as well as annually for the previous financial year.

Nomsa Chabeli says SABC2's audience share during primetime is down and she says it's because of the SABC's massive repeats and rebroadcasts of content.

"Because we don't have fresh, new content, we have to repeat existing content. We have that lack of fresh, local properties that are a key driver of South African audiences."

"Come August, we are launching a new telenovela called Pimville on SABC2, and based on that we will be really driving that audience share back to SABC2. We're working hard to ensure that the script is relevant for the audiences and that the storyline is going to be effectively doing what we need it to do," Nomsa Chabeli says.

A "final farewell" is now planned for Muvhango which made its debut on the SABC in April 1997.

Last year the SABC effectively also cancelled Muvhango when the cash-strapped South African public broadcaster had the contract for a shortened half-season of just 130 episodes from Word of Mouth Pictures run out.

While SABC2 was forced into on-screen repeats of archive episodes, the SABC and Word of Mouth Pictures then negotiated for another single but full-season order of 260 episodes of Muvhango.

That led to the cancelled Muvhango being revived for another season but done cheaper and with cosmetic changes like newand cast additions and other changes, including adding Xitsonga-speaking actors, and a belatedly introduced new opening title sequence.

None of this helped as the returned, cheaper and retooled Muvhango was a ratings dud after its announced starting date was amateurishly pushed out. It does however remain as SABC2's most-watched show with around 900 000 viewers. 

This 900 000 viewers are however very far off from the over 4 million viewers per episode Muvhango used to get on SABC2 years ago.

Muvhango fell in 2024 from a high of 1.6 million viewers to under 923 000 by the end of last year. 

When it returned in August 2024, Muvhango only kept bleeding viewers, sliding from 1.32 million in July to just 1.084 million later in August when it returned for a new season, and continuing its viewer erosion to under a million viewers nightly in the months after that.

Lala Tuku, the SABC's head of video entertainment, last year said the SABC had reservations and "challenges" around its decision to bring back Muvhango.

Lala Tuku said shows like Muvhango need to perform ratings-wise to bring in advertising revenue or risk being replaced, which is what happened with SABC2's cancelled 7de Laan.

A few months after Muvhango was back on air with new episodes on SABC2, Word of Mouth Pictures once again had to shut down production over non-payment to writers, cast and crew - something that had afflicted Muvhango numerous times over the past two decades .

Muvhango background actors are also demanding payment they haven't received yet from Nonkululeko Ndlovu's  Turning Heads Casting Agency.

Nonkululeko Ndlovu is the daughter of the troubled Duma Ndlovu who created Muvhango.

Duma Ndlovu has been charged with tax evasion totalling R25 million and he appeared in court in October 2024.

Pimville, also known as Pimville Queens is produced for the SABC by Bakwena Productions, notorious for payment problems to cast and crew of Paramount Africa's Pound 4 Pound drama series that was on BET (DStv 129).

It's not clear why the South African public broadcaster decided to get into business with Bakwena Productions of Kagiso Modupe, Rashaka "Rush" Moufhe and Brenda Mukwevho, when the SABC has been aware of the production company's payment issues with service providers, as well as actors and crews who have demanded payment.

ALSO READ: 'Final farewell' planned for SABC2's cancelled Muvhango after failed one-year reprieve

ALSO READ: SABC2's Muvhango forced to stop production again after writers, cast and crew again go unpaid by Word of Mouth Pictures

ALSO READ: Rhythm World Productions tells unpaid Umkhokha cast and crew it has 'cash flow' problems as MultiChoice vows stronger checks on growing trend of payment-skipping producers

ALSO READ: Legal action starts against producer Kagiso Modupe after he fails to pay crew and cast of BET Africa's Pound 4 Pound: 'Poor show of morals'

'Final farewell' planned for SABC2's cancelled Muvhango after failed one-year reprieve

by Thinus Ferreira

A "final farewell" is planned for the South African public broadcaster's cancelled Muvhango, which the SABC hasn't renewed after it gave the show a reprieve last year as part of a last-ditch new one-year contract.

The SABC effectively cancelled Muvhango in 2024, after production on the long-running Word of Mouth Pictures-produced series from creator Duma Ndlovu stopped after the existing contract for a much shorter half-season only, finally ran out.

The long-running show, responsible for propping up what remains of SABC2's original programming line-up was cancelled after it shuttered production on 25 June last year after completing a shortened 130-episode season.

The SABC then restarted negotiations with Word of Mouth Pictures and signed a deal for another one-year contract but done cheaper and with creative changes ordered and agreed. 

These included story and character changes, including adding Xitsonga-speaking actors. 

Muvhango, that turned 28 years old on 7 April with a crew and cast of around 175 people, got an full-season order of 260 episodes for a 26th season.

The show lurched back into production but a hastily-arranged media launch event failed to translate into traction, a promised new starting date got pushed out, a promised new opening sequence and show logo failed to materialise immediately, and Muvhango's SABC2 ratings also failed to improve.

A few months later, Muvhango production once again had to shut down over non-payment to writers, cast and crew - something that had afflicted Muvhango numerous times over the past two decades - and Muvhango background actors are also demanding payment they haven't received yet from Nonkululeko Ndlovu's  Turning Heads Casting Agency.

Now the SABC plans to replace Muvhango in the 21:30 weekday timeslot on SABC2 with something called Pimville Queens produced by Bakwena Productions, notorious for payment problems to cast and crew of Paramount Africa's Pound 4 Pound drama series that was on BET (DStv 129).

Instead of keeping ratings steady as SABC2's most-watched show, the relaunched Muvhango slid further in viewership and by the end of 2024 had lost close to 60% of its entire audience which it had started the year with, despite the reset and introduced on-screen changes.

Muvhango, far off from the over 4 million viewers it lured in its heyday to prime time, fell in 2024 from a high of 1.6 million viewers to under 923 000 by the end of last year. 

When it returned in August, it only kept bleeding viewers, sliding from 1.32 million in July to just 1.084 million later in August when it returned for a new season, and continuing its viewer erosion to under a million viewers nightly in the months after that.

Lala Tuku, the SABC's head of video entertainment, last year noted that the SABC had reservations and "challenges" around its decision to bring back Muvhango.

She said that the Muvhango contract ran out in what essentially became the show's de facto cancellation.

Money and dwindling ratings for what the SABC pays and gets in return was the big issue that caused "a tussle" in the negotiations around bringing Muvhango back in 2024. The SABC remains technically insolvent.

According to Lala Tuku, expensive shows - including Muvhango - need to perform ratings-wise to bring in advertising revenue or risk being replaced, which is what happened with SABC2's cancelled 7de Laan.

"The reality is that the SABC derives its revenue from advertising. We require audiences to choose to watch our content. The reality is we have brilliant content on our platform and we need our audiences to select it and come in," she said in July last year about Muvhango.

Yeshica Naidoo, series producer, now reportedly said Word of Mouth Pictures are still waiting to hear from the SABC on whether it will be commissioned for a further season.

"We are waiting for confirmation from the SABC about a way forward, so at this moment we just wait and see what is going to happen to the show."

In April, when the SABC was asked about Muvhango finally getting axed and replaced with Pimville Queens, Mmoni Ngubane, SABC spokesperson, said "The SABC can confirm that only one season of Muvhango is currently contracted, and the current contract is set to end on 31 July".

"The SABC cannot comment on the future of the programming at this stage".

Muvhango was the South African public broadcaster's first Tshivenda language drama, which started in April 1997 with one episode per week, after which Muvhango over time expanded to become a 5-day-per-week soap.

Also negatively impacting the soap's possible continuation is tax evasion charges totalling R25 million hanging over Muvhango creator and producer Duma Ndlovu who appeared in court in October 2024.

Besides Muvhango, he also produced Queen Modjadji through his Rhythm World Productions banner for MultiChoice and M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel on DStv, as well as the now-cancelled Umkhokha, also for Mzansi Magic where the cast and crew also struggled to get paid.

The Umkhokha cast and crew who were not paid at the end of October last year and just told there was "a cash-flow problem". They only got paid after MultiChoice then intervened.

SABC2's Muvhango forced to stop production again after writers, cast and crew again go unpaid by Word of Mouth Pictures

by Thinus Ferreira

Production has once again shut down on the SABC's Muvhango after the writers, crew and cast of the Word of Mouth Pictures produced Venda weekday soap on SABC2 say that have not been paid.

Insiders first told TVwithThinus on 6 October that writers, cast and crew on Muvhango have again not been paid for September.

This has happened multiple times in the past with the embattled Word of Mouth Pictures show, and is the first time production was forced to cease for the just-started 26th season.

Filming recently started on the 26th season of Muvhango after months. 

It follows after Muvhango stopped filming on 25 June on a shortened 25th season for only half a year's episode after the SABC effectively cancelled the show.

The SABC eventually signed a new 26th season contract for another full-year 260 episode order, after which filming resumed on a cheaper-done show, although first forcing SABC2 into airing Muvhango repeats in the timeslot that tanked ratings.

At a hastily-arranged and badly done media event in Fourways, Johannesburg on 25 July, the SABC promised that the 26th season of Muvhango would start on 5 August together with a new logo and opening sequence but none of that happened and the show also failed to start on 5 August.

Insiders this month said they've refused to work further on Muvhango due to not being paid by Duma Ndlovu and that they have gone unpaid yet again without any explanation, except that there isn't money.

Thanduxolo Jindela of Kwathole Conexion, Muvhango's PR firm didn't respond to a media query.

Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson, in response to a media query made last week about Muvhango, tells TVwithThinus "The SABC can confirm that the Muvhango production is currently on a reading break and will resume this week. The SABC and the production house are in constant engagement as per norm for a smooth running of the production".

Earlier this month Duma Ndlovu appeared in court after he was charged with tax evasion of over R25 million.

Dumakude "Duma" Ndlovu appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Palm Ridge on tax evasion charges spanning multiple years, together with his co-accused tax practitioners Rodney Mutsharini and Maxwell Mloyi.

Duma Duma Ndlovu is the producer through Word of Mouth Pictures of the Venda soap Muvhango on SABC2, as well as Queen Modjadji through Rhythm World Productions for MultiChoice and M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel on DStv.

Rhythm World Productions also produced a litany of other shows for Mzansi Magic like Umkhokha, eHostela, Komkhulu, My Brother's Keeper as well as the current Sibongile and the Dlaminis, and co-produced Imbewu: The Seed for eMedia's e.tv.

ALSO READ: The SABC effectively cancelled SABC2's Muvhango that has run out of episodes with no further contract for Word of Mouth Pictures

ALSO READ: SABC revives Muvhango for 26th season as cheaper show with new faces

ALSO READ: SABC resets Muvhango amidst ratings and money woes, adds Leleti Khumalo

ALSO READ: Producer Duma Ndlovu in court for alleged tax evasion of over R25 million

Producer Duma Ndlovu in court for alleged tax evasion of over R25 million

by Thinus Ferreira

The veteran South African TV and film producer Duma Ndlovu (69) appeared in court on Tuesday after being charged with tax evasion of over R25 million.

He was granted R100 000 bail.

Duma ka Ndlovu first tried to ban the media from the court while his lawyer unsuccessfully pleaded with the court not to have the media present for the court proceedings.

Duma Ndlovu is the producer through Word of Mouth Pictures of the Venda soap Muvhango on SABC2, as well as Queen Modjadji through Rhythm World Productions for MultiChoice and M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel on DStv.

Rhythm World Productions also produced a litany of other shows for Mzansi Magic like Umkhokha, eHostela, Komkhulu, My Brother's Keeper as well as the current Sibongile and the Dlaminis, and co-produced Imbewu: The Seed for eMedia's e.tv.

Dumakude "Duma" Ndlovu appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Palm Ridge this afternoon on tax evasion charges spanning multiple years, together with his co-accused tax practitioners Rodney Mutsharini and Maxwell Mloyi.

According to the tax evasion charge sheet, Duma Ndlovu owes the South African Revenue Service (SARS) over R25 717 680.44 as a result of "undeclared personal income tax, corporate income tax and VAT".

For the tax return four years of 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and its financial assessment, SARS says Duma Ndlovu's misrepresentations led to more than R19.2 million in losses for SARS.

Duma Ndlovu told the court that he owes SARS R234 000.

Duma Ndlovu's bail conditions include that he must not have any contact with any state witnesses, must report to the Sandton police station weekly on a Monday or Wednesday, and must hand in his passport.

Rodney Mutsharini and Maxwell Mloyi were granted bail of R50 000 each.

If Duma Ndlovu is found guilty, the state wants him and his co-accused to be imprisoned for no longer than two years or fined.

SABC silent over broken promises of new Muvhango logo and opening title sequence.

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African public broadcaster and Word of Mouth Pictures have been unwilling to say or explain why nothing came of broken promises of a new show logo and a new opening title sequence for the new season of Muvhango on SABC2.

Muvhango creator Duma Ndlovu and the SABC said that Muvhango would restart with a 26th season that would come with a new, updated logo, as well as new opening title sequence. Neither happened.

After Word of Mouth Pictures' contract ran out for season 25 (that had just 130 episodes instead of the usual 260 required to fill a year's worth of weekday episodes) which effectively means that Muvhango was cancelled, the SABC eventually signed a new contract for a 26th season and a further 260 episodes - meaning a full season order.

TVwithThinus reported on 24 July that the SABC had decided to do another season of Muvhango.

The SABC at a hastily arranged media event on 25 July in Fourways, Johannesburg confirmed the reporting.

At this media event, the SABC said that season 26 of Muvhango would start on 5 August. 

On 5 August Muvhango failed to start on SABC2, without any proper media advisory and with the SABC saying that it suddenly had to show Olympic Games coverage on SABC2. 

Muvhango's new season eventually started on 12 August. 

At the media event, Duma Ndlovu and the SABC claimed that Muvhango would have this new show logo with a different font, and "unveiled" it to the media:

When Muvhango restarted belatedly on 12 August, there was no longer any updated show logo. Over the past two weeks Muvhango kept using the same old, existing logo.

At the media event, Duma Ndlovu and the SABC also claimed that Muvhango would have a new, updated opening title sequence. This also turned out to be false.

At the Muvhango media event, Duma Ndlovu claimed that "Muvhango has a new logo, we have a new title sequence, we've listened to the young people. We've come back with what we think is a stunning show."

Since 15 August the SABC was asked repeatedly for comment and for explanations about the broadcaster and Word of Mouth Pictures announcements about a new show logo and title sequence and why it didn't happen.

At the time of publishing this article on 26 August, the SABC hasn't responded to any of the questions.

The SABC's reset of Muvhango on SABC2 with new episodes fails to start on 5 August as promised.

by Thinus Ferreira

After the SABC spent and wasted thousands of rands on buying liquor and hiring a pool venue in Fourways on 25 July to tell the Johannesburg media that Muvhango would restart with a new season on 5 August, SABC2 failed to start showing the new 26th season on Monday without any explanation to the press about why.

The SABC once again wasted a lot of money on an event to tell the media one thing, only for the complete opposite to happen and all that marketing and attempt at PR on 25 July to boomerang in the public broadcaster's face when what it said would happen, failed to happen on Monday and left viewers confused.

After the SABC's contract with Word of Mouth Pictures and Duma Ndlovu ran out after just half a year and 130 episodes for season 25 of Muvhango, filming stopped on 25 June this year after previous Muvhango seasons had 260 episodes - one for every weekday of a year.

The SABC eventually signed a new contract of 260 episodes to bring Muvhango back to SABC2 as a cheaper show with a younger cast for another year and a 26th season, although the SABC confusing keeps labelling it "Muvhango 27" to refer to the duration of years Muvhango has been on television since it started, instead of actual seasons.

The SABC sent no press statement, advisory or explanation to the media about Muvhango's abrupt postponement on Monday, with no reasons why, and chose not to do any pro-actively communication as a follow-up after the massive expense of 25 July's media event to tell the media that Muvhango will suddenly no longer start on Monday 5 August.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, SABC2 on Monday afternoon, suddenly said "Due to the Olympics schedule, Muvhango will start next Monday".

Instead of Olympics coverage, the SABC keeps showing Muvhango repeats.

The SABC also knew since months ago - and from long before its Muvhango event on 25 July - what its 2024 Olympic Games coverage, timeslots and schedules on the SABC's TV channels like SABC2 would be.

It means the SABC now comes across as either lying, or being incompetent in terms of planning programming, for using "Olympics coverage" as a sudden excuse for SABC2's Muvhango no-show. 

The SABC didn't respond to a media query made Tuesday afternoon asking why Muvhango didn't start with season 26 on Monday 5 August as the SABC said would be the case, why the SABC didn't alert the media that Muvhango would no longer start with a new season on Monday night, and what the new date is for when new episodes might now start.

At 25 July's hastily arranged Fourways event Lala Tuku, the SABC's acting group executive for video entertainment, noted that the public broadcaster "had challenges" but managed to sign another contract for Muvhango.

Lala Tuku alluded that financial issues and ratings - the SABC is technically insolvent and  Muvhango has lost millions of viewers over the past decade - are the crux that caused "a tussle" in negotiations around signing Word of Mouth Pictures to bring Muvhango back after the SABC relented and decided it wants to continue the show.

"The reality is that the SABC derives its revenue from advertising. We require audiences to choose to watch our content. The reality is we have brilliant content on our platform and we need our audiences to select it and come in."

Speaking about the decision to bring Muvhango back and to give it another contract after it was effectively cancelled, Lala Tuku said "At the end of the day it was a tussle in the negotiating room around keeping a legacy property which we all believed in. At the end of the day, it is the rands and the cents."

Jacqui Hlongwane, acting SABC2 channel head, said "We respond to what viewers say" and noted that viewer response to Muvhango no longer being on the air pushed the SABC to decide to bring it back. "We are really changing things up in this new season."

ALSO READ: The SABC effectively cancelled SABC2's Muvhango that has run out of episodes with no further contract for Word of Mouth Pictures.

ALSO READ: SABC revives Muvhango for 26th season as cheaper show with new faces.

ALSO READ: SABC resets Muvhango amidst ratings and money woes, adds Leleti Khumalo.

SABC resets Muvhango amidst ratings and money woes, adds Leleti Khumalo.

by Thinus Ferreira

Like it did with Generations the SABC is giving Muvhango on SABC2 a reset after signing a new contract - with new faces including Leleti Khumalo as well as a younger cast, a new logo and intro theme and new storylines - saying it was forced to continue because of viewer reaction after news that the Venda soap was cancelled.

The long-running show that stopped filming new episodes on 15 June, is restarting amidst ratings and money woes for the SABC which realised that it had nothing else in development - and no money - to effectively serve as a placeholder for Muvhango.

After Muvhango's contract with Word of Mouth Pictures ended and filming stopped on 15 June, filming has now restarted for a 26th season, done cheaper, with new episodes that will again be broadcast from 5 August on SABC2.

"We had challenges. But we are here now and we are unveiling a new season," says Lala Tuku, acting group executive of SABC video entertainment, speaking at a hastily arranged media event in Fourways on Thursday night.

"We have no doubt that Muvhango will reach its targets for the slot, wink, wink. We've worked intensely with the team to bring you invigorated stories," she said.

She alluded that financial issues - the SABC is technically insolvent - and ratings - Muvhango has lost millions of viewers over the past decade - are the crux that caused "a tussle" in negotiations around signing Word of Mouth Pictures to bring Muvhango back for another season.

"The reality is that the SABC derives its revenue from advertising. We require audiences to choose to watch our content. The reality is we have brilliant content on our platform and we need our audiences to select it and come in."

Speaking about the decision to bring Muvhango back and to give it another contract after it was effectively cancelled, Tuku said "At the end of the day it was a tussle in the negotiating room around keeping a legacy property which we all believed in, including the SABC board".

"At the end of the day, it is the rands and the cents. The authenticity of the show, the boldness of the storytelling - we just could not do away with it."

Duma Ndlovu, Muvhango creator and executive producer, said "Muvhango has a new logo, we have a new title sequence, we've listened to the young people. We've come back with what we think is a stunning show."

"We decided to bring back some characters who were with Muvhango before and remake them."

Jacqui Hlongwane, acting SABC2 channel head, said "We respond to what viewers say" and noted that viewer response to Muvhango no longer being on the air pushed the SABC to decide to bring it back. "We are really changing things up in this new season."

Veteran actress Leleti Khumalo joins as a new character, playing Dr Nonhlanhla Ximba whose "enigmatic presence as a construction mogul set to disrupt the familiar landscape". 

Lebo Tisane and Wiseman Zitha are two former Muvhango actors who are rejoining the production. Other actors who have made appearances on Muvhango in the past, will return playing new characters.

While it lost several millions of viewers over the past years, Muvhango remained the most-watched show on SABC and the channel's only programme with more than a million viewers nightly. 

In June it drew 1.16 million viewers with the SABC that is adamant that the reset Muvhango should increase both its ratings and audience share.  

The hard reset of Muvhango, whilst keeping "the original DNA" of the show, is similar to what the SABC did in late 2014 when Generations creator Mfundi Vundla got rid of the main cast and did a reset of the show as Generations - The Legacy with a new cast, some older faces who returned, a new intro and logo and cheaper cast contracts.

The SABC told the media interviews would be done with the broadcaster's executives, the show's producers and selected cast members on Thursday night but publicist Caroline Phalakatshela failed to keep to the arrangements.

Thanduxolo Jindela of Kwathole Conexion, Muvhango's PR firm who is paid to communicate with media about the show, didn't respond to any of multiple calls and messages about the show.

ALSO READ: The SABC effectively cancelled SABC2's Muvhango that has run out of episodes with no further contract for Word of Mouth Pictures.

ALSO READ: SABC revives Muvhango for 26th season as cheaper show with new faces.

SABC revives Muvhango for 26th season as cheaper show with new faces.

by Thinus Ferreira

After its contract completely ran out and production shuttered on Muvhango, the South African public broadcaster now plans to revive the Venda soap for SABC2 but as a cheaper show with some new faces similar to what SABC1 was forced to do with a reset of Generations - The Legacy.

Word of Mouth Pictures ended filming on SABC2's Venda weekday soap on 15 June and shuttered production at the end of season 25, which meant that it was effectively cancelled with no new signed contract from the SABC for the producers to continue making new episodes.

With the cast and crew no longer under contract and with some who have since found other work, TVwithThinus can reveal that the SABC will now bring Muvhango back for a 26th season but with some new faces, some "old" faces, and as a cheaper series.

Despite having lost millions of viewers over the past decade, the long-running Muvhango has remained SABC2's most-watched draw - as well as the struggling TV channel's only regular show that managed to lure more than a million viewers nightly. 

In June, Muvhango topped SABC2's ratings with 1.16 million viewers as the 23rd most-watched strand of content on South African television last month. 

Since 2 July with no further contract in place - or available and delivered original episodes at Auckland Park's playout centre - the SABC has been showing filler repeats of old Muvhango episodes in the soap's 21:00 timeslot. 

The result was that SABC2 ratings immediately plunged as viewers switched away to other TV channels. 

After Muvhango's exit following the cancellation of 7de Laan at the end of 2023, SABC2 this month had no original local primetime soap left that runs on the channel with new nightly episodes.

Insiders told me on Monday morning that the Tshivenda language drama is now being revived for another season. 

Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson, in response to a media query, on Monday night confirmed the move and said "SABC2 will make an announcement in due course regarding the new exciting season of Muvhango."

Thanduxolo Jindela, a spokesperson for Word of Mouth Pictures, didn't return calls and didn't respond to multiple requests for comment made on Monday about production restarting for Muvhango but according to insiders the revived show will "reboot with new faces".

A big question is whether Muvhango will be able to resolve and pay off the big season 25 cliffhanger that the final episode ended with, and if so how. In the final scene, the just-married characters of Kgosi and Reneilwe as well as wedding guests were gunned down by a sniper and collapsed in blood. 

After the production derailment, the other option would be a hard reset for Muvhango, similar to how Mfundi Vundla's Morula Pictures (MMSV) restarted Generations - The Legacy a decade ago.

In late 2014 Mfundi Vundla fired the entire Generations main cast of 16 actors after they collectively demanded better pay and working conditions.

 Two months after Generations went off the air and SABC1 ran out of episodes in October 2014, it returned as the rebranded Generations - The Legacy in December 2014 as "a series with an entirely new contract" and a new cast playing new characters.

On Monday the SABC was asked when it signed a new Muvhango contract and whether it is cheaper than before, for how many episodes it would be (season 25 ran for 130 episodes), what a reset and reinvention would allow the SABC to do, and if Muvhango will again run for five nights a week. The broadcaster declined to answer these questions.

Muvhango made its debut as the SABC's first Tshivenda language drama in April 1997 with one episode per week and grew to become a 5-day soap. 

Over the past few years, insiders explained that the public broadcaster's precarious financial position has made it completely untenable to keep multiple big-budget shows with large ensemble casts all on the air, since they had become simply too expensive for the SABC which is technically insolvent and is struggling to fund content creation.

This has led to the ongoing pattern and demise over recent years of SABC soaps and shows like Isidingo, High Rollers, Top Billing, Pasella, The Estate and 7de Laan which all got cancelled.

ALSO READ: The SABC effectively cancelled SABC2's Muvhango that has run out of episodes with no further contract for Word of Mouth Pictures.