Before the Coronavirus hit South Africa, Mzansi Magic’s drama series was the only lockdown we recognised. Season 5 of LockDown is set to return on DSTV channel 161 on April 6, in the place of the previously scheduled season 2 of The Housekeepers. As luck would have it, the series had found a new home on the streaming service Showmax, but recent events have led the recall of the popular show. To date, LockDown still holds the record of being the first Mzansi Magic drama series to reach five seasons.

RELATED: PREVIEW OF LOCKDOWN SEASON 5 EPISODE 1

If you are wondering what precipitated the return of the show to the small screen, it is suggested that the production of The Housekeepers was halted by the announcement of the 21 day lockdown by President Cyril Ramaphosa. This means that the air date of show will be announced at a later stage once production has resumed. In the meantime, catch the premier of the award-winning drama series LockDown on April 6 at 20:00 on DSTV Channel 161.

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Mzansi Magic, DStv channel 103, on Monday debuted their highly anticipated new telenovela drama, Gomora.

The thrilling new South African TV show, which chronicles the gripping tales of a woman who’s triumphant rise to the upper echelons of Sandton from her humble beginnings in the township, had viewers applauding its arrival.

WHAT ‘GOMORA’ IS ABOUT 

A woman manages to pace beyond her humble township roots and makes it big as a hotshot Sandton socialite.

But then, a series of events leads it all to come crashing down around her and suddenly she’s back where she started, in the hustle and bustle of Alexandra township which, although just down the road from her previous life, feels like a million miles away.

More than that, she finds herself at the heart of its underworld. There are so many reasons to watch this captivating new show, but here are just a few:

Katlego Danke plays the role of Thathi, a spoilt young woman with plenty of small skeletons in her closet. It’s Katlego’s first role since leaving Isidingo, and the seasoned actress is sure to enthrall us with her talent, as she always does.

There’s a female crime boss. That’s right, Connie Chiume plays Mam’Sonto, a woman who appears to be a loving grandmother on the outside – but underneath has a heart of steel. She pulls the strings in this community and don’t let anyone forget it.

A complicated love story. What would any telenovela be without a bit of romance and Gomora delivers in spades. We don’t want to give too much away, but let’s say that Thathi finds herself reunited with an old flame whose heart she broke – and although he’s moved on with his life, there might just still be something there …

MORE: READ TV REVIEWS, EPISODE RECAPS AND MORE 

There’s plenty of action, scandal and secrets. You’ll be holding your breath from the very first episode as things take a dire turn. And the twists and turns don’t stop from there on. Just when you think you know something, you’ll discover you knew nothing at all.

 It all takes place in Alexandra.The beloved Johannesburg Kasi is where most of the story unfolds (when it isn’t focused on nearby Sandton) and it’s an insight into the love and care of a community, despite the tough, frightening environment they might have to deal with on many an occasion.

Gomora airs on Mzansi Magic, DStv Channel 161 on Mondays at 19:30.

Episodic summaries below

Episode 1

Thathi’s fairy –tale is cut short when she and her kids suffer an unexpected tragedy. Ntokozo finds himself in a predicament he did not sign up for.  Sonto’s dark deeds catch up with her as she endangers her loved ones’ livelihood.

Episode 2

Sonto is relieved to be rid of Mbongeni’s car, but something remains that could send them all to jail. Thati prepares to break the news to her children but is met with yet another shocker. Melusi tries to bond with Ntokozo who gets emotional.

Episode 3

Ntokozo wrestles with his guilt while Thathi is hit with a devastating reality as the truth about Mbongeni trickles in. Ntokozo and Mazet’s search for the medal is far from over.

Episode 4

Thathi is forced to come clean to the family when she suffers a humiliating ordeal at the hands of the courts. Ntokozo crumbles under the weight of his guilt and finds himself in the lion’s den.

Episode 5

Thathi learns that her troubles are only beginning when she discovers more secrets Mbongeni kept from her. Gladys uncannily rekindles old flames by encouraging Melusi to be there for an old friend while Ntokozo continues to battle with his secret.

Episode 6

Thathi and her kids fail to adjust to their new living conditions while Sonto learns that the police have evidence that may lead to her doorstep. Ntokozo finds himself in a compromised position that could expose the truth. Teddy is publicly ridiculed by a family member’s bad behaviour.

Episode 7

Melusi learns that one of his students’ medals was found at the crime scene. Thathi gets some shocking news from her lawyer as Ntokozo and Teddy bond in an unlikely way.

Episode 8

Teddy’s friendship with Ntokozo costs him his freedom. Thathi learns who her true friends are when she hits rock bottom.

Episode 9

Ntokozo works overtime to help prove Teddy’s innocence while Sonto fights to get Thathi out of the bottomless pit of misery and despair.

Episode 10

On the brink of giving up, a piece of evidence unwittingly falls on Thathi’s lap. Gladys’ marital joy and Ntokozo’s peace of mind are disrupted when the Ndaba’s move to Alex. Detective Kolisi has news for Thathi that bring relief to Sonto.

Episode 11

Thathi calls on the Detective to follow on a lead everyone considers a useless dead end, and just when Sonto thinks she’s safe, Thathi stumbles on another lead. Melusi and Gladys’ good deeds put their son’s life in danger.

Episode 12

Sonto works around the clock to counter Thathi’s efforts to get in touch with the police regarding her new lead on the hijacking. Things don’t go well for Langa at school and Zodwa makes a crucial decision about her and Teddy’s futures.

Episode 13

Just as Thathi is about to give up on finding the maroon Cressida, Detective Kolisi comes in with information that could lead them straight to the owner. Fate leads Ntokozo to saving Langa from bullies.

Episode 14

Langa finds an unexpected ally while Sonto reveals some new information about Mbongeni’s hijacking case. Sonto does her best to derail Detective Kolisi and Thathi from going to look for the maroon Cressida.

Episode 15

Thathi is finally proven right as she nabs one of the hijackers. Sonto teaches a snitch a lesson but her victory is short lived while Ntokozo and Langa’s budding new relationship is quickly ruined.

Episode 16

Jomo is caught between a rock and a hard place when Detective Kolisi reveals new information about the case. Thathi’s reappearance in Alex is proving to be problematic for Melusi. Ntokozo and Teddy convince Langa not to snitch.

Episode 17

Gladys catches Thathi and Melusi in a compromising position. Detective Kolisi’s new findings rattle Sonto into making drastic decisions.

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• Noughts + Crosses is based on Malorie Blackman’s award-winning novels
• It became the no. 1 show across all channels when it premiered on 5 March 2020 in Britain
• Largely shot in South Africa, with SA’s Masali Baduza in the lead role
• Also starring BAFTA winner Jack Rowan (Born to Kill, Peaky Blinders)
• 82% critics rating, Rotten Tomatoes

“Over 700 years ago, the Aprican Empire invaded Europe. Aprica colonised the continent and reached as far as Albion. Albion has been under Aprican rule ever since.”

So begins Noughts + Crosses, a controversial six-part BBC One series that has just started screening on Showmax and M-Net, with new episodes every Thursday night from 23:30.

South African Masali Baduza (Trackers) and BAFTA winner Jack Rowan (Born To Kill, Peaky Blinders) play Sephy and Callum, two star-crossed lovers in the tradition of Romeo and Juliet.

Sephy is the privileged daughter of the Home Secretary, Kamal Hadley, while Callum’s mother, Meggie, is the Hadleys’ housekeeper. While Sephy and Callum grew up together, they may as well have lived in different worlds.

Shot largely in Cape Town, the series also stars Paterson Joseph (Peep Show, The Leftovers) and South African actress Bonnie Mbuli (Invictus, Wallander) as Sephy’s parents, Kamal and Jasmine, with BAFTA nominee Helen Baxendale (Cold Feet, Emily in Friends) and Tribeca winner Ian Hart (Professor Quirrell in Harry Potter) as Callum’s parents, as well as Josh Dylan (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, The End of the F***ing World) as his brother Jude.

The alternate reality love story is based on the multi-award-winning 2001 novel by former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman, which was included in both BBC’s list of the 100 Novels That Shaped The World and in The Guardian’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. Grime superstar Stormzy, who has a cameo in the series as newspaper editor Kolawale, calls the five-book series “my favourite books of all time.”

“What I wanted to do was have the black people in my story not as victims, but celebrating their own culture,” says Blackman. “I remember the first time I wore an afro at school, I was sent out of the class for being a troublemaker. It was this thing of black people being penalised for wearing our own natural hair. The celebration of African culture in myriad forms gives a different sensibility to what has been on TV before.”

“Prior to reading Malorie’s books, I had never heard of a world that existed where Africans were the ruling class,” says Baduza. “It was unique and it made me feel warm inside, to imagine a world where this could be a possibility.”

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“As a black African, I have never seen a television show that showcased our being or our ways, in a way that was given a place and was acceptable, until now,” says Mbuli. “It is quite a feeling to walk onto set and feel seen as a person, and feel like your hair and the way you wear it, or the way the people in your world wear their clothes or what they hold dear, is suddenly important and is being given a platform. It is shocking.

“Then you realise that you have spent your whole life without it, that you have never switched on a TV and seen that. That too is shocking. I sometimes walked onto set and started weeping.”

Visionary short film director Kibwe Tavares (Jonah, Robots of Brixton, Robot & Scarecrow) executive produced the series and steered the creation of its Afrocentric world, where everything has been rethought, from the language to the architecture, from beauty norms to the colour of plasters.

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In one powerful scene, Callum cuts his finger and Sephy gets him a plaster, which is too dark for his skin. For context, South Africa has only had ‘skin tone’ plasters for black people since 2015, while in the UK, Tesco has just this year released multi tone plasters – and claims to be the first supermarket there to do so.

“There are so many small moments that a lot of people wouldn’t think about, like the fact that flesh coloured plasters are not the flesh colour of anyone but white people,” says Joseph. “It is an insidious, tiny, incremental knock to you as a citizen of any country to be told what normal is in those casual ways… Working on this drama has exercised all of our minds and made us super aware of everything.”

Noughts + Crosses was the number-one show across all channels when it premiered on 5 March 2020 in Britain. The series has a 82% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Guardian hailing it as “vital viewing”, The Telegraph as a “must-see”, NME as “must-watch TV”, RadioTimes as “a series on the cusp of greatness”, and The Evening Standard as “properly incendiary.”

Of course, the glowing reviews weren’t universal: The Independent predicted “this race reversal drama will induce hernias in right wing commentators” – and they weren’t wrong. Trolls took to Twitter to denounce it as “deeply racist”, “anti-white tripe” and “race-baiting.”

Blackman was having none of it. “Btw, to those accusing me of being anti-white or stating I must hate white people to create such a story as Noughts and Crosses, I’m not even going to dignify your absurd nonsense with a response,” she tweeted. “Go take a seat waaaay over there in the cold, dark and bitter haters’ corner.”

Noughts + Crosses was shot in South Africa with mostly local crew, including award-winning cinematographers Jamie Ramsay and Giulio Biccari, Emmy-nominated casting director Christa Schamberger, costume designer Dihantus Engelbrecht, hair and makeup designer Nadine Prigge, and production designer Shane Bunce.

The African links don’t stop there either – Screen International 2018 Star of Tomorrow Koby Adom, born in the Ivory Coast and raised in Ghana, is one of the two directors, while the soundtrack includes Ghana’s Kiki Gyan and Ebo Taylor; Mali’s Salif Keita; and South African artists Bongeziwe Mabandla, Mlindo The Vocalist, and Umlilo.

As Stormzy put it on Twitter, “This is 100% groundbreaking… I haven’t seen nothing like it on British telly ever.”

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