Curtain falls on much-loved Isibaya

Filmmaker and executive TV director Angus Gibson will watch the eight years journey of Isibaya coming to an end next month as it makes way for new productions like uShaka.

Gibson is the creator of Isibaya and owner of Bob Production, which uShaka is part of its production. A story that was initially meant to run for a year went on for seven more years, thanks to the public demand, forcing Mzansi Magic to allow the story to continue.

The daily drama series that enjoyed popularity and success, winning 25 South African TV and Film Awards (Saftas) as well as 22 Royalty Soapie Awards, had to desist. Last month, the cast shot the last episode to be aired on April 5, and Gibson addressed the cast, thanking actors for bringing the story to reality. 

The Isibaya story worked because of many elements and characters like Samson Ndlovu (played by Bheki Mkhwane), Mpiyakhe Zungu (Siyabonga Thwala), Mandlenkosi Ndlovu (Bongani Gumede), Mkabayi Zungu (Thembi Nyandeni).

Other characters that made the story worked was Skhaleni (played by Zakhele Mabasa), Pam (Lolo Mphephi), Mamthembu (Celeste Ntuli), Bhekumuzi (Melusi Mbele), Jabu Zungu (Pallance Dladla), and Lillian Nyandeni (Linda Sobezo).

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Sowetan met Gibson, who boasts more than 30 years of experience in film and television, and the interview was done at the Bomb Production offices in Randburg, northern Johannesburg.

The 63-year-old tried to pull a brave face as he spoke about one of his successful shows ending, but you could see deep down it was special. He refused to reveal how the story will end, inviting the public to watch the finale.

“I feel okay about it coming to an end. I mean… part of me feels that the first season should have ran for a year and when the audience showed interest in it there was a desire to continue. It has been eight great years and a great journey and that comes to an end, making way for new things like the new show uShaka. It is the same as Yizo Yizo, I was willing to do the first season and we had to do the second season of the show due to high demand from the viewers and we had to oblige,” Gibson says.

“We don’t know when uShaka is going on air due to Covid-19 regulations. We have not started filming it because we cannot shoot battle shots at the moment. As soon as the Covid-19 regulations are relaxed we will start casting. We are using the time to continue research and hoping to start building the sets as soon as possible..”

Isibaya started like a house on fire, with the public enjoying the taxi industry wars-related storyline, polygamy and chieftainship battles while balancing rural and urban life.

Gibson admits that after the story was extended it posed challenges to writers who had to continue keeping the story fresh without losing the momentum.

“It was challenging because we had to bring in new characters like Bhekifa. I was instrumental in the creation of his character. He really added a new dimension to the storyline.”

The idea of Isibaya developed out of the taxi wars documentaries that Gibson did. As a person who had been visiting areas like Msinga in KwaZulu-Natal since the 1980s while doing documentaries for British television, Gibson learnt more about taxi wars and the polygamy culture .

He is also a big friend of polygamist and musician Sipho Mchunu. When Isibaya started, he says it felt like it had shifted something in the television scene.

The aim was to do something about the taxi industry which felt like a rich source of story and central element of life in our country and a generational thing.

Isibaya set trend for other TV shows

Bheki Mkhwane, who portrayed the role of Samson Ndlovu in Isibaya, wants the daily drama to be remembered as a TV show that set storytelling trends.

Though he has accepted that the time has come for the show to end, Mkhwane argues that the TV show made an impact in the industry.

He said following the creation of Isibaya, many shows emerged, mimicking everything they did from storytelling to the set design to the caricature of characters.

The seasoned actor believes that Isibaya started a culture of telling SA stories differently. As the curtain falls on the show on April 5, Mkhwane says he walks away proudly, having spent eight years with a TV production for the first time in his career.

“Honestly, what makes me happy is to be part of a legacy, and Isibaya is that legacy for me as an actor.  It feels like a legacy to do something new and walk away with that integrity. We [the cast and production team] can walk tall for setting the trend for all other television shows created after Isibaya."

“We told the story so truthfully that we suddenly became more than just actors, but prophets of the story.” One of Mkhwane’s highlights was being able to always speak isiZulu, thanks to director Gibson.