Coronavirus: Lockdown in South Africa brings Lockdown and Trackers to Mzansi Magic as the M-Net-packaged channel on DStv scrambles to plug scheduling holes left by unfinished seasons of Housekeepers and eHostela.

by Thinus Ferreira

South Africa's national lockdown period has forced M-Net to use Lockdown and other shows to plug sudden holes on its Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) schedule.

The spreading global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic also affecting South Africa's struggling TV industry, caused a vast number of locally-produced TV series on public television and pay-TV to abruptly shutter in late-March.

M-Net is now replacing schedule gaps left by incomplete shows on its Mzansi Magic channel, packaged for MultiChoice's DStv channel, with various library series.

After broadcasting new promos throughout March for the second season of Housekeepers, produced by Oche Moving Pictures with Portia Gumede as showrunner and starring Thando Thabethe, Mzansi Magic has pulled the season that was scheduled to debut on Monday 6 April at 20:00.

In its place because of the national lockdown, Mzansi Magic is now showing a borrowed "lockdown": the 5th season the local prison series Lockdown, produced by Black Brain Productions, that was moved to MultiChoice's video streaming service Showmax last year and that made its debut in January 2020 on the streamer.

Since filming hasn't yet finished on all of the episodes of Housekeepers with the production that only started filming at the beginning of March, M-Net decided to remove the series for the time being and to postpone its launch.

It has now been replaced with the prison-wall set series starring Dawn Thandeka King, Connie Chuime, Zola Nombona, Linda Sokhulu and Lorcia Cooper.

The second season of Housekeepers will now start at a date that is still to be determined later in 2020 with insiders who told TVwithThinus that the production was affected and shuttered due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

In another stopgap measure Mzansi Magic also replaced the second season of the KwaMashu-set series eHostela.

The Stained Glass TV produced series was also forced to shutter causing unplanned production delays, with Mzansi Magic that replaced it this past Sunday in the 20:00 timeslot with the locally-produced drama series Trackers that made its debut in October 2019 on the M-Net (DStv 101) channel.

Since 17 March MultiChoice, and individually the various M-Net-packaged channel sets, have all been asked numerous times which TV series specifically have been impacted or shut down because of the virus issue and the national lockdown but so far there's been no response.

Producers Stained Glass TV crows over performance of its local primetime shows Uzalo and eHostela done from KwaZulu-Natal.

The Stained Glass TV production company is crowing over the performance of its two primetime drama series, Uzalo and eHostela.

Uzalo, currently in its 5th season and the most-watched show on South African television and on SABC1, received 7 nominations for 2019's upcoming 13th South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas) taking place on 2 March at Sun City.

Meanwhile viewership of eHostela on Mzansi Magic has reached 1.16 million viewers, the second most watched show on MultiChoice's DStv. 

"We're thrilled about how this year is shaping up so far," says Mmamitse Thibedi, executive producer at Stained Glass TV. 

"As a KwaZulu-Natal based production house, it's been a real privilege to tell the fascinating stories of this part of the country. We've been able to enlist incredible talent from the province – both production and cast – and it shows in the final product."

"Both Uzalo and eHostela have consistently drawn healthy audiences and with 7 Safta nominations for Uzalo, it's clear that the industry also agrees that we're on the right track.

Uzalo has been nominated for Best Actress (Dawn Thandeka King) and Best supporting actor (Khaya Dladla), as well as Best achievement in sound, Best achievement in editing, Best achievement in wardrobe, and best achievement in make-up.

"eHostela, which has enlisted the services of fresh acting talent and some of the industry's most accomplished production professionals, has been rewarded by loyal audiences who have consistently shown up from its first episode on 6 January 2019," says Mmamitse Thibedi.

"The viewership in excess of 1 million viewers, is a true testament to the fact that Stained Glass' commitment to telling authentic South Africa's stories is the most direct paths to viewers hearts and minds."

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.