IN IMAGES. 30 photos of the media launch of Zee World's Mehek drama series in South Africa as the first to feature the inclusion of an African cast.

On Thursday evening Zee Africa held a media launch for Mehek, its adapted new drama series, filmed in India, and set to start on the Indian-focused entertainment channel Zee World (DStv 166) on Saturday, 6 April at 21:00 as the first-ever Bollywood TV production to include African actors from South Africa as part of the cast.

The landmark drama series for Zee World includes African actors Shonisani Masutha, Kamogelo Mogale, Ndaba ka Ngwane and Nomava Kibare and will broadcast 7 days a week on Zee World.

The purple-colour infused media launch took place at The Venue Green Park in Morningside, Johannesburg with the South African executives from ZEE Entertainment Enterprise Ltd. (ZEEL), the South African cast of Mehek, and media in attendance.

ALSO READ: 'The entire Soweto watches us': Zee Africa boss, Harish Goyal, on the origin-story and growth of the Zee World channel that has now led to the first-ever Bollywood drama series, Mehek, that includes an African cast.

ALSO READ: The first Bollywood TV production with African actors in the cast and filmed in India, Mehek, to premiere on Zee World in April. 

ALSO READ: ZEEL's Zee World channel celebrates 4 years in Africa with phenomenal viewership growth for its Bollywood content; first locally-produced content to be broadcast from April 2019. 

MultiChoice dumps Zee Bollymovies channel after two years, won't replace the Indian movies channel when it goes dark at the end of February.

MultiChoice has decided to dump Zee Bollymovies (DStv 114) after two years, with the Indian movies channel that will be removed from DStv at the end of the month.

Zee Bollymovies is the first TV channel to be taken off of DStv in 2019.

MultiChoice is telling DStv subscribers on the Zee Bollymovies channel's "i"-plate that viewers should "please note that Zee Bollymovies will stop airing on 28 February 2019. Find Indian specific content on Zee World (DStv 166) and Star Life (DStv 167)."

Zee Bollymovies launched in March 2017 and specifically packaged Bollywood movies, dubbed in English, that were adapted for African audiences, as a one of its kind, 24-hour dedicated Bollywood movie channel for the African continent.

MultiChoice in response to a media enquiry asking about the Zee Bollymovies removal told TVwithThinus that "our contract with Zee Bollymovies has come to an end and we will not be renewing. The channel will not be replaced."

Zee Africa responsible for running the Zee Bollymovies in response to a media enquiry tells TVwithThinus "Zee Bollymovies was launched on Kwese with a 2-year contract which ended last year due to the platform's closure".

"DStv added the channel on its platform for a period of 2 years as a value-add on its retention pack for Afril till February 2019".