Local drama about izinkabi paid assassins, eHostela, coming to Mzansi Magic from January 2019.

A new local drama series about the murky world of paid assassins, eHostela, that was filmed in KwaZulu-Natal, is starting on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) on 6 January at 20:00 as a new Sunday night drama.

eHostela was shot entirely in KwaZulu-Natal, with the 13-episode series that was produced by Stained Glass Productions, also responsible for SABC1's Uzalo.

eHostela will chronicle the mysterious and dangerous world of paid assassins (izinkabi) bound by loyalty and secrecy through the eyes of a young inkabi, Mdeni (Thobani Nzuza) - the adopted son of a ring leader Mancinza (Bheki Sibiya).

Mdeni doesn't want to kill but has a dream to follow his real passions - maskandi music. 

All seems to be going according to plan with Mdeni agreeing to one last hit, but his loyalty to his family is questioned when he meets Khethiwe (Lungelo Mpangase) at a maskandi competition and allows himself to fall in love - plunging his life into turmoil.

Besides battling a more violent brother, Jama (Wiseman Mncube) who is Mancinza's biological son, things get worse when Jama's rage and jealousy spirals out of control when it's revealed that Mancinza planned to leave the family business to the more reclusive Mndeni.

Meanwhile, the local South Africa Police Service is incapacitated by fear and doesn't dare set foot in the infamous Delafuka Hostel's surrounds. 

Detective Brightness Sithole (Zola Nombona) has been transferred to the region and she has a lot to prove in this hostile male-dominated setting. She is assigned to the KwaDela police station situated just outside the dangerous hostel and believes that The Brotherhood are the cause of the lawlessness in the community.

She is hellbent on breaking the world of corruption, murder and crime. Her partner, detective Nkomo (Martin Ziqubu) is widely respected in the community and highly celebrated in the police force. He lost his former partner to the Delafuka Hostel, when the hitmen sent a strong message to the police about their "territory" and Nkomo has an axe to grind.

"Mzansi Magic viewers will be exposed to the desperate lengths one is willing to go to for love, set against the backdrop of a world bound in blood and uncompromising loyalty," says Reneilwe Sema, director of local entertainment channels at M-Net.

INTERVIEW. Actress Zola Nombona on her Dancing with the Stars SA journey: 'I went in fearlessly and I had the time of my life'.

On Sunday night actress Zola Nombona didn't win Dancing with the Stars South Africa during the live finale but ended up as one of the two runner-up couples together with actor Eden Classens.

Just after the live finale broadcast on M-Net (DStv 101) TVwithThinus caught up with Zola Nombona who spoke about how the show that she expected would be "rosy" became a personal challenge to grow, that she didn't realise how really difficult the dancing competition show would be, what she thought about the judges - and revealed the one thing she was scared of, but lied so she could get to do it.

Is there anything that you would have done differently during the course of the show?
Sjoe. Maybe ... Nothing comes to mind. I did my best.
I dived very deep into spaces that I never even thought existed. Maybe if I were to go back, I'd go in with more vigor, I guess. At this point I believe I gave it my all, but there's always space for more growth, for more work. So I would go with that extra 2% of more vigor.


What has the experience of being part of the show been like for you?
Absolutely crazy.
I was not expecting it to be this intense. I just thought it was going to be a fun journey, like dancing and being with fun people. Then it was this very serious competition, that was not only demanding physically but pushing me mentally as well.
But Dancing with the Stars SA is just great if you want to push yourself - if anyone wants to find out exactly what capabilities they have, outside of their comfort zone, then you should really do something like this.


How was the experience of getting a body harness strapped around your body and straps through your legs and around your thighs - in addition to wearing ballroom dancing clothes in the finale, and then being hoisted up with wires and dropped down for the one dance number?
That was a highlight for me, for my whole journey!

It's something I had never done before. I was asked beforehand "are you afraid of heights?" and deep down I knew it was a "yes", but when I looked them in the eyes I said "no" because I knew this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I would never have a chance again to do something like this in such a big show and such a big production again. So I went in fearlessly and I had the time of my life.

Can you talk to me a bit about the trust relationship between you and your dance partner and how that grew over the course of the show for someone that you met and didn't know at all when you started?
I think in a journey like this, you just have to throw yourself in at the deep end and I think I built that trust early on in this competition.
We always trusted each other on what we can do and can do together. Our trust definitely grew., I must say. I think we were meant to dance together, you know. I made a great friend and a great brother with Tebogo Mashilo and I think the next person he's going to be dancing with will be a very lucky girl!


What did you think of the judges?
I loved our judges, oh my goodness! They were the most amazing people.
They are so diverse in the different aspects of dance which I think really helped us as dancers. Every time we left the floor, one had something practical, something that you learnt metaphorically as well - that you had to go and figure out yourself as well.
Sometimes I left with "I don't know what she's saying right now!" but sooner or later it would click, hey.
Ja, so I loved them, they're amazing people, and they were great.


What was the hardest for you during the course of the show?
The most difficult thing was the discipline of the dancing, you know.
Coming from a career space that is demanding, but going into one that is physically demanding, one had to grow some form of mental tenacity and physical tenacity to compete in a competition like this.

What did you not expect from this journey?
I didn't expect it to be so tough, I must say.
Like I said, I thought it was all going to be rosy, you're going to be treated like a star, and you're just going to dance like a star, but it ended up being your journey.
You had the safety net but if you wanted to get to the finals, you had to take the initiative yourself to build this and to get stronger. So it ended up being something that became really personal. So I wasn't expecting it to be so difficult - really difficult.


What have you learnt about yourself?
That the performance gift that I have, I do not have it by chance - it's something that I think is there for a greater purpose. That I'm a really strong person and that I've got great mental tenacity.

Singer-songwriter Connell Cruise crowned the winner of Dancing with the Stars on M-Net in the fantabulous glitter dance show's live finale.

Singer Connell Cruise was crowned the winner of Dancing with the Stars South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) on Sunday night.

The live finale of the retitled 9th season of the BBC glitter floor format show was broadcast from the roof of the Hyde Park Corner shopping centre in Johannesburg, with the reality competition series that was produced by Rapid Blue.

Before the broadcast of the Dancing with the Stars SA live finale, invited guests who had to adhere to a "strictly ballroom" formal clothing dress code, snacked and sipped outside the Dance Dome (see photos at the end of the article), and got special Lindt bonbons handed out at their seats for the last episode.

The broadcast of the Dancing with the Stars SA live finale was followed by a press conference with Connell Cruise, the Rapid Blue executive producer and M-Net executives, followed by an over-the-top and lavish afterparty at the mezzanine pool deck and lounge of the Southern Sun Hyde Park hotel adjacent to the Hyde Park Corner.

ALSO READ: INTERVIEW. Connell Cruise on winning Dancing with the Stars SA: "It's the story of how hard work always pays off".

The singer-songwriter and his professional dance partner Marcella Solimeo took the glitter ball trophy, winning more public viewer votes in the finale than actress Zola Nombona and her dance partner Tebogo Mashilo, and Suidooster soap star Eden Classens and his dance partner Ash-Leigh Hunter.

Connell Cruise had been a contender and a crowd favourite right from the start of the competition.

"This is just a dream. I thank you all so much," said Connell Cruise. "From day one you filled me with such love for this beautiful art form that took over my life," at the end of the live finale.

Dancing with the Stars SA judge, Debbie Turner, at the end of the 2-hour broadcast, said "There is a famous quote that says, 'dance came from the people and should always be delivered back to the people,' and I believe that the contestants have done that".

The season finale included showstopper group dance performances, as well as special appearances by singers, including The Voice SA winner Craig Lucas, the veteran South African singer Claire Johnson and the multiple Sama-winning legends Mafikizolo.

For one group dance performance, Eden Classens (what he said about it), Zola Nombona (what she said about it) and Connell Cruise (what he said about it) were all strapped into snug-fitting harnesses and hoisted up into the rafters of the Dance dome, only to be dropped down with wire-work during a dance number.

Dancing with the Stars SA closed out with a new South African TV production record: The most glitter dropped on-screen as part of a massive glitter bomb dropped on the in-studio winners and audience, dwarfing what's ever been done before on shows like Idols, SA's Got Talent and The Voice SA.

Connell Cruise, Eden Classens and Zola Nombona to compete in M-Net's Dancing with the Stars SA live season finalé this Sunday.

The live TV broadcast of the season finalé of Dancing with the Stars South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) this coming Sunday at 17:00 will see Connell Cruise, Eden Classens and Zola Nombona compete in a last dance-off to see who will be crowned the winner and get to lift up the coveted glitter ball trophy.

The revived BBC-format - produced by Rapid Blue productions for M-Net and name-changed from Strictly Come Dancing SA to Dancing with the Stars SA for a 9th season to differentiate it from when it was on the SABC for the previous 8th seasons until 2015 - will come to a close from the Strictly Come Dancing SA Dome on the roof of the Hyde Park Centre this Sunday.

The winner of Strictly Come Dancing SA will now be decided by viewers' votes with the scoring from the judges Jason Gilkison, Tebogo Kgobokoe, Debbie Turner and Bryan Watson no longer in play for Sunday's season finale.

Connell Cruise is dancing with Marcella Solimeo, Eden Classens with Ash-Leigh Hunter and Zola Nombona's professional dance partner is Tebogo Mashilo.

M-Net added an extra voting period leading up to the Dancing with the Stars SA finalé on Sunday 22 April, with viewers who can vote until Wednesday 18 April at 22:00 with their usual 100 votes.

Live voting for the finalé show will reopen at 17:00 on Sunday 22 April and will close (slightly earlier than usual) at 18:15 ahead of the winner announcement just before 19:00.

M-Net says the vote count and ranking of contestants is done according to the international format rules and is independently computed by Deloitte and Touche and are confirmed against the vote results as determined by M-Net.