Gomora premiered with a bang at the beginning of the year. We’ve been hooked since that fateful first night that saw the murder of Mbongeni after a botched hijacking that involved Ntokozo, the son of an upright High School Principal and an endearing social worker.

And thanks to the brilliant cast, impeccable writing, and a range of multi-layered plot points, the telenovela would go on to dethrone The Queen as the highest-rated show on the channel back in May (A record 2,5 million viewers in a single episode), marking quite the splash of an entrance for the Seriti production.

New episodes of ‘Gomora’ deliver a thrill we’d missed for a while on the show. Photo: DStv

But by the time they reached their first 100 episodes two months ago, Gomora had clearly begun tumbling down from its initial peak. What started out as a fast-paced unravelling of a complex script that kept us on our toes, suddenly plunged into a yawnfest of long-winded story arcs that led to dead ends.

For a while, I wondered if M-Net had asked for the amount of violence and the heavy narratives to be cooled because of the early evening time-slot during the weekdays at 19:30.

It certainly seemed plausible because the speed chases on the high way with riveting drone shots, the back to back the revelation of jaw-dropping secrets, as well as the novelty of the comedic timing that makes such characters as Zodwa and Teddy so endearing, slowly vanished.

Now we are watching a drawn-out portrayal of the school debate, a storyline that felt more like a filler that really could have been left on the cutting floor. The pyramid scheme storyline also ended quite abruptly, with no recourse and a way out for the characters who fell victims to the deception of a con artist.

What really didn’t make sense, however, is how the show seemed to have abandoned its major plots in favour of watered-down detours. You have Langa being Melusi’s son, a secret that will likely toss the entire Dlamini family into the doldrums. Ntokozo, Sonto and MaZet’s involvement in the murder of Mbongeni. Would that not burn down the block?

There’s also the truth behind Glady’s and her obsessive saviour complex. While lionised for her compassion, its been clear for a while that there’s more behind her need to save someone. We soon found out that she had terminated a pregnancy previously, and Melusi to this day, does not know.

For a while, they left all those questions unanswered.

THE ‘GOMORA’ COMEBACK

We are glad to have stuck around long enough to see the tightening in recent scenes of the show. The latest episodes are starting to revive that feeling we first got watching Gomora, staying on edge and never knowing what to expect next.

With detective Mahlasela in the frame, the skeletons are being dragged back to the surface, and its happening fast! That man is on to them, and it looks like he won’t be letting it as easily as the previous detective Kolisi, who was outplayed and outsmarted by Sonto without much of a sweat.

Mahlasela is on to them!

Despite Sonto and MaZet playing a crafty card, enabling them to avoid jail time, Mahlasela has not stopped digging into the truth about Mbongeni’s death. With all the evidence he has leading to Sonto, he’s even started connecting Ntokozo to the murder, and intends weaponising that as a possible angle to bolster the case further.

There’s Teddy and his teacher Ncebakazi Manzi. They are having somewhat of an affair, although it looks to be more complicated than that. While at 19 he is no minor, at least not legally, he’s in her classroom and she is totally taking advantage. I don’t know how far they are willing to explore their dynamic, but she’s really problematic.

It’s how she’s going to get caught that keeps us on edge here. The change in Teddy’s behaviour has everyone concerned, so she will likely be getting her unethical cover blown soon enough. But, who will catch her? Will Zodwa allow him to continue living under the Dlamini roof, when they couldn’t protect her son from a predator who is their guest?

Overall, we are glad to see the show slowly picking up the tempo and getting back to its roots. We are certainly keeping an eye on how everything is unraveling on Gomora, airing Mondays to Friday at 19:30 on channel 161.

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The latest episode of Cheeky Palate, Phat Joe’s talk show on 1Magic, came with quite the fascinating discussion. Too many of our icons and legends, who in their lifetimes rose to become symbols of our creative brilliance and heritage, die with nothing.

Why, despite all the outrage that comes around every time a performer’s family has to resort to begging the public to help with funeral costs, has this continued to be the case?

In between the fine dining over gourmet dinner prepared with love and rare culinary technique by an in-house chef, Joe hosted an esteemed panel of guests, which included Florence Masebe, Tbo Touch, Zinzi Zungu, Linda Moeketsi and Lala Tuku, as they critically examined the reasons we’ve had so many local creatives reach their demise with barely enough to cover their funeral expenses.

Through the years, we’ve had many cases where some of the most established performers in the land suffered this similar fate by the time of their death. The likes of Vusi Mahlasela and Mandoza, who have one of the most critically applauded discographies in the country, ever, didn’t have much by the end.

Actress Florence Masebe wants this systematic injustice against creatives, in particular actors, to come to an end.

The Republic‘s award-winning leading lady has made it her mandate to take on the entire system, involving the Department of Arts & Culture to confront policies, practices, and systems that privilege corporates, recording labels, TV channels, production companies, and broadcasters.

For one; local actors don’t get royalties for shows that get repeated. That sounds insane when you consider that someone makes a lot of money when the repeats and reruns air. On the other hand, however, what do the contracts say? Do artists even go through these contracts with legal counsel coaching the process?

Perhaps it’s irresponsible for them to continue falling into a trap that has been written in the fine print, and whose devastating end has been well documented. But there’s more to it than a sloppy approach to business.

For one; It seems creatives need to first build a name for themselves, that they can later leverage to score better deals. If you are unknown and have proven nothing, to absolutely nobody, why wouldn’t broadcasters just get someone else who’s willing to sign?

Linda Moeketsi, who has built a formidable name as a leader in the world of PR, Marketing and Branding, opined that the onus is on artists to familiarise themselves with the business aspects of their craft.

At the end of the day; it’s incumbent of singers, actors, and athletes to protect their revenue and build a lasting stash.

But they don’t, Phat Joe and Lala feared. Instead, they are in a weird bubble where rules that apply to other professions don’t apply to them.

In particular performing musicians, he expressed, come into the game with deluded expectations. And who can blame them? The whole allure to fame is the promise of fortune and a life that shines so bright that it can be seen from space. Unfortunately, as we’ve all learned recently with local musicians fighting with their labels, nothing could be further from the truth.

It’s a topic we are all curious about. In recent times, the interrogation of unfair practices that underlie the poor treatment of creatives has continued to be at the forefront.

From the music industry into the film and television production world, it seems to be a never-ending cycle of exploitation and tears. Just last year, award-winning actress Vatiswa Ndara took on a top production company over the same issue. She put aside her justified fears of being blackballed and iced out of the game, to expose some shocking realities.

We also found out a lot about similar things that characterize the music industry. Young artists sign without full comprehension of what they are getting themselves into, and quickly burn through the advanced debt they get to put on a show about fake wealth.

Cheeky Palate airs Fridays at 19:00 on 1Magic, channel 1o3.

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Mzansi’s favourite gangster; Ntokozo ‘TK’ Dlamini, famously known for his role on SABC 1’s Uzalo, was rumoured to  be on his way back on the daily soapie. He, and dynamic partner-in-crime, Nay Maps were suggested to have reunited to bring back the mayhem that Mastermind and Mxolisi caused on screen.

The on-screen chemistry that Nay Maps and TK exude makes it a no-brainer to bring back the duo, after Uzalo’s ratings have been on the downward trajectory. TK teased his followers on Instagram, with a snap claiming that he merely bumped into his former co-conspirator.

The picture of the two sent more than 50 thousand fans into a frenzy, with nostalgic memories of their bromance on the show. It has now been confirmed by the show’s publicist that the two will not be returning to Uzalo.

 

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A post shared by Ntokozo Dlamini 👑 (@tk_dlaminii)

The last time Ntokozo was on Uzalo was in early 2019, when he assisted his friend escape prison. Nay Maps is still contracted to The Fergusons production, The Queen; while TK’s last acting gig was on The River as Prosecutor Sihle Ngema.

Keep it locked here for any developments on the story.

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