The highly anticipated 5^th season of Lockdown will come with a lot of tears, spine chilling drama and gripping moments.

And if the new trailer is anything to go by, Sophie Lichaba’s debut on the show will be finding her revealing layers to her craft we haven’t seen before!

Sophie Lichaba will debut as ‘Palesa’ in the upcoming 5th season of prison drama, ‘Lockdown’. Photo Credit: Supplied

The action-packed two-minute trailer gives fans their first look at this season’s new star, Sophie Lichaba, aka Sophie Ndaba, who became a household name in South Africa during her two-decade-long starring role as the feisty receptionist Queen Moroka in the SABC1 soapie Generations.

Arch-rivals Mazet (Dawn Thandeka King in a SAFTA-winning role) and Tyson (Lorcia Cooper in a SAFTA-winning role) are running the prison yard together. Photo Credit: Supplied

In Lockdown, Lichaba portrays the character of a certain Palesa, the head nurse at Kgotsong Asylum, a key location this season, where Monde’s sister, Katlego (Natasha Thahane), has been transferred.

“Palesa’s a broken woman who’s been through it all,” says Sophie in a press statement. “She’s so broken she will do anything to feel better, even if it’s not right.”

The drama series, which boasts the honours of being the most awarded drama series at the 2019 SAFTA awards, on Wednesday debuted the upcoming season trailer.

As QuenchSA reported last year, the prison drama, which previously aired its premiere episodes on Mzansi Magic, will be streaming on Showmax exclusively from 30 January 2020. The streaming platform will be releasing two episodes per week every Thursday.

Notorious for its cliffhangers, plot twists and emotional rollercoasters, Lockdown takes viewers into the daily battle for survival in the cells and offices of Thabazimbi Women’s Correctional Facility.

WHAT TO EXPECT ON LOCKDOWN SEASON 5

As Season 5 picks up, Masebata’s cult is no longer in power. Arch-rivals Mazet (Dawn Thandeka King in a SAFTA-winning role) and Tyson (Lorcia Cooper in a SAFTA-winning role) are running the prison yard together, for now.

Governor Deborah Banda (Pamela Nomvete in a SAFTA-nominated role) is under pressure from the Department of Correctional Services, after one death too many at the prison. And Monde (Zola Nombona in a SAFTA-nominated role) is trying to make things right with Vicky (Lauren Jenae).

Sophie joins a stellar cast, which also includes SAFTA winners Nomsa Buthelezi and Linda Sebezo as fan favourites Slenda and Maki, and the multi-award-winning Patricia Boyer as Sue.

“It’s an all-female power cast,” says Lauren. “You see these magnificent women who are so beautiful in real life, and then they come into prison in Lockdown, and they are grungy and nasty. It’s so nice to be part of a cast like this, where beauty is nothing – it’s all about how dirty you can get and how true to your character.”

“The other show I do, I’m glam and beautiful, with the hair, the heels and all of that,” says Nomsa. “Then on Lockdown, I come with short hair and nothing and I look like a boy. But when you’re a storyteller, you forget about yourself.”

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Both Zola and Lorcia say Lockdown helped them escape being typecast. “At the beginning of my career, I was starting to be typecast as the bimbo with the hair and boobs and short skirts,” Zola remembers. “I was tired of that, so when this came along, I was like, ‘Thank you, Lord; you’ve answered my prayers; I’ve always wanted to play a character as bare as I can be, without my beauty being enhanced.”

Similarly, Lorcia says, “Before getting Tyson, I was always typecast. I think people always saw the pretty coloured girl with the good body and straight hair… to a point where I used to go to auditions and people would say, ‘You don’t look coloured enough.’”

Lockdown creator Mandla N, who still directs every episode, started his career as an actor on shows like City Ses’la and Ses’Top La before moving into directing. That experience helped turn him into “a cast whisperer,” to quote Zola.

“Authenticity is everything,” he says. “Prison is a gritty, dirty, grungy world and we can‘t glamourise that. So when you see the ladies in prison in Lockdown, you think: ‘This person could give me a run for my money.’”

That authenticity is helped by his decision to film the series at Constitution Hill, the historic prison complex where the likes of Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Albertina Sisulu served time.

As Lauren says, “As soon as you get here, you feel the history and the stories that have come out of this prison. It really changes your mindset as soon as you walk in here.”

Mandla’s also surrounded his cast with background artists who are largely former inmates. As Zola says, “We ask them, ‘Does this really happen?’ It’s a big bonus as an actor being able to have that direct reference next to you.“

This season, Dawn says fans can look forward to more action than ever. “I’m excited about the audience seeing the stunts that we are going to be doing this season,” she says. “There’s a heist, we blow up stuff, I was in a van that was burning, and there’s a lot of shooting. I shoot a real gun this season. It’s been exciting; I’ve never done these kinds of stunts before.”

Showmax will release two episodes every Thursday, from 30 January 2020. If you’re not already addicted to South Africa’s favourite prison drama, you can catch up on the first four episodes of Lockdown S1 on YouTube from Thursday, 16 January 2020, and the previous four seasons on Showmax.

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Because we see them splashed everywhere, all the time, it’s easy to feel weirdly familiar and acquainted with celebrities.

Having become a household name thanks to his portrayal of the fictional Ayanda Mdletshe on popular SABC 1 soapie Uzalo, Kay Sibiya has become one such famous figure. As the 29 year old South African actor readies his anticipated appearance on Tropika Island of Treasure, premiering on SABC 3 on March 20th, we dish out 10 fun facts you didn’t know about Kay Sibiya.

1)      Kay’s ideal weekend would be at home with his phone on flight mode so that he can’t receive any calls or texts, and watching series. “I’m a big fan of vegetating on my couch and watching series. I love it so much,” he says. “Whenever I get a chance to relax and binge, I’m at my happiest.”

2)      Kay’s favourite food is African cuisine. “African food is so underrated,” Kay says. “I have travelled extensively in Africa and the food in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Ethiopia is so great. I’m so much a fan of African food that I tried all these cuisines before I even visited the country and I really think we need to be shouting about this more.”

3)      He is a big fan of the ocean. “I once shot a show and I stayed in Mauritius for four months where I went to the beach every single day. In fact, it’s one of the reasons I am so excited about taking part in the upcoming season of Tropika Island Of Treasure.”

4)      Speaking of Tropika Island Of Treasure, Kay’s cool wit and competitive nature will work in his favour when he captains Team Peach when the series, which takes place on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, premieres on 7 March 2020 on SABC 3.

5)      While Kay is often the life of the party, he considers himself a bit of a loner to some extent. “I often withdraw to my own little corner,” Kay admits. “Sometimes the attention gets a little bit too much for me so I make sure I take a step back and remind myself what is really important in life and not let the attention and the fame get inside my head.”

6)      Tom Hardy is his favourite actor. “He’s the best actor who has ever lived. He’s highly underrated but he’s amazing,” Kay says. “The way he embodies characters is incredible. He is never the same as any character before and that’s always so great to watch. He’s the master of accents and dialects and he’s a shapeshifter as well. He never looks the same for any character and I love how dedicated he is to his work. He’s phenomenal.”

7)      Kay loves being naked. “It’s liberating,” he says. “When I am at home in my personal space, you can often find me without any clothes on and I really enjoy the feeling.”

8)      Content is very important to Kay who admits that he is a huge YouTube junkie. “I live off YouTube,” he says. “My latest obsession is battle rap. I love how creative people can be with wordplay and its essence really intrigues me. I also watch spoken word poetry, tutorials of just about everything, music videos, vlogs and almost everything I can get my hands on.”

9)      Another reason Kay can’t wait to take part in Tropika Island Of Treasure is because he is obsessed with reality TV. “I love watching singing and talent competitions especially because I love seeing dreams come true and how people put themselves out there doing the thing they love the most,” Kay says. “It’s such a big stage and people don’t make excuses. They don’t choke or stumble; and they take advantage of the platform that has been given to them because they have been working their whole lives for that one moment.”

10)   Kay says that the most terrifying moment of his life was when he became a father to his four-month-old son. “Being a father and trying to be the man that you want your son to be one day is terrifying,” Kay admits. “The gap from where you are to where you want to be and the person you want your child to emulate is so vast and I fear I may never be the person I need to be in order for my son to look up to me. It’s not something you recover from but something you work on every day.”

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If the second season of the Real Housewives of Johannesburg was an upgrade from the show’s premiere season, then these Reunion Specials have taken the entire franchise to a whole level.

We were never ready for this volume of explosive files, hideous fashion choices and shady scream-fests!

It’s a good thing; nerves were all over the place when the locals found out that fan fave, Evodia ‘Madam’ Mogase would not be returning with her daughter Mercy.

Evodia later announced her own spin-off show with the daughter, and it’s set to premiere on Mzansi Magic some time this year.

The Mogases, a.k.a Versaces, were the breakout stars on the South African edition of the popular reality TV franchise, and one couldn’t imagine what the show would look like without Madam’s drama, iconic quotables and her fascinating mother-daughter relationship with Mercy.

Fortunately for us all, as it’s turned out, the Versace’s absence didn’t stop the reality show from dishing out every single bit of the drama, shade and wealth we hoped to see this season. The newbies are seasoned, no pun intended.

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This season gave us enough to talk, laugh and gasp about, and some.

We had elevated supplies of drama (Lethabo, who’s now being lambasted by multitudes for bordering on bully), vicious deliveries of swift shade (Now, you know Mrs. Mops collected these girls and read them for filth the entire season) and actual storylines (Brinnette and Christall served the kind of post-divorce reality that made up for the girls’ disappointing reluctance to delve deeper into their romantic relationships).

Phat Joe is the host of Real Housewives of Johannesburg Reunion Special

If anything lacked during the season, the girls are certainly making up for during the three-part Reunion Special.

For one, we’ve gotten a side of Lebo we didn’t know was there!

The polite lady who sauntered through the season showcasing her blissful romance with her husband, top Johannesburg businessman Lebo Gunguluza, has gone from being the quiet peacemaker to serving heated files on her frenemy, Lebo.

She also revealed that at some point during the season, she had to fight an urge to slap Mrs. Mops.

While there’s enough reason to believe she’s come out fiercely during this finale to reserve her spot for the next season on the popular show, we are certainly impressed that she’s saved her best game for the end.

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That Lebo, as gracious as she was the entire time, clearly knows that this is chess, not checkers.

Proving that experience comes with power, returning housewife Brinnette Seopela came prepared for the girls.

Having kicked things off by presenting title deeds to host Phat Joe to prove that she does, in fact, own property, Brinnette proceeded to check both Mrs Mops and Lethabo.

She cross examined the season’s ‘mean girls’ with chilling reads while dropping files that fellow cast members have slammed for not being appropriate for national television.

Brinnette made claims that Mrs Mops, who Phat Joe questioned about being on a “married high horse”, has been less than faithful to her husband.

The good sis did, however, fail to produce fails to back her explosive allegations, and instead based them on here say. Mpumi Mops and Lethabo laughed it all off, clarifying that the night in question was a shoot and whatever male figure Mpumi was “seen leaving with” must have been part of the project.

Not done with Mrs. Mops, Brinnette questioned her on how she met her husband. On the first episode of the season, Mpumi had painted a fairytale picture of how she met her hubby.

We all caught feels when she revealed how he wooed her while she was a student, and a week later flew her out in Milan. What she left out, Brinnette claimed, was how she was “hooked up” by an acquaintance they share. And also, she added, how she’d been pregnant within a week after that.

Then she came for Lethabo, with who’s she’s been feuding the whole season.

A married man, we were told, paid for Lethabo’s hotel room during the girl’s trip to Durban, where they’d flew out for the Durban July!

Lethabo denied these claims, saying a friend handled the bookings.

In the previews for the next and final episode, we see Lebo going at it with Lethabo. Lebo threatens to sue the living daylights out of Lethabo, who she appears to claim does not even have medical aid.

Real Housewives of Johannesburg airs Fridays at 7PM on 1Magic, DStv channel 103.

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