Television was only 18 years old in SA in 1994. The newly freed black audiences were looking for new heroes. And so the Morokas became woven into the fabric of the SA TV viewing family when the first episode of Generations was beamed and Rebecca Malope sang Indlela Zimbili at a funeral of the Moroka matriarch.
Something bigger was brewing. A stunner from Kimberley via Lobatse, who was last seen on the Tswana drama Maitemogelo, was front, back and centre. It could have been her perfectly chiselled high cheek bones or svelte figure of a beauty queen, but Connie Masilo had arrived.
She played the role of Karabo Moroka, the troubled daughter with a chequered past, yet she was so lovable and kindhearted. Her battles against drug addiction and terrible choices in men made her accessible and resonated with the viewers. She had the money and lived in the lap of luxury, so she remained aspirational while real.
Today she is known as Connie Ferguson, and as a TV mogul of The Queen and Rockville fame, she has stayed the course and has been a staple of local TV for more than 30 years.
The format of daytime talk television was the stuff of Barbara Walters and Oprah Winfrey in the US. A former exile landed back on our turf and introduced a flavour never seen before. She was impeccably groomed in Escada and her trusted pixie haircut rivalled Toni Braxton’s. Her manicured red nails completed a picture of sophistication and class. Felicia Mabuza-Suttle seemed to polarise the country – whether it was over her name, the content of The Felicia Show, or her mannerisms.
A society deeply steeped in patriarchy was riled up that she used a double-barrel surname.
“When I was in the US,” her constant reference to her experience overseas, drove others up the wall. But FMS, as her show later became known, was tough. She never cowered or blinked in the face of controversy and criticism. She had a good heart and good intentions, but was easily the most misunderstood TV personality of her time.
She was ahead of her time and pushed the feminist agenda unashamedly, and that earned her admiration and disgust in equal measure. She did get the nation talking, all right. Some of the topics were uncomfortable for an African society while others were light and fun, especially when she had musicians over such as Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela or Yvonne Chaka Chaka.
Friday evenings were for appointment viewing for the youth music game show Jam Alley. I remember my then 70-something old grandfather yelling thatha bangane, thata and I knew Vinolia Mashego had arrived. My grandfather was a minister of the verkrampte N.G. Kerk but he too could not resist the charisma of V-Mash. She was loud, brash, bold and commanded respect. She and Nimrod Nkosi represented the new cool on TV with those baggy jeans and jackets and plastic designs by Ineeleng Kavindama.
Later in the night Studio Mix brought music videos from all over the world and locally to our screens. The hosts were the charming and smooth radio personality Bob Mabena and the laid-back stunner Melanie Son (now Bala). The two became the personification of cool as their names shot up the stratosphere of fame and prominence, thanks to their talent, chemistry and looks.
Zama-Zama izokusetha man became synonymous with veteran actress Nomsa Nene, who made a TV comeback as the cleavage-flashing, flirty, playful and fun host of the game show. It became a runaway success for a while and introduced Nene to another generation.
The trajectory of TV production took a turn with the rise of lifestyle magazine shows and, most importantly, dramas and soapies.
Carol Bouwer, the former Generations actress whose matchmaking show Buzz showed off her presenting skills, ventured out with her own talk show called Motswako – The Mix, which launched her as a player in the TV production stakes.
Already a formidable and glamorous TV presenter, Basetsana Kumalo and her business partner Patience Stevens had earned legions of followers and admirers with a travel and lifestyle show called Top Billing. Kumalo toured the world, sampled exquisite cuisine in exotic locations and interviewed Hollywood’s most sought-after talents, all the ingredients for a must-see programme.
In 1997 Marah Louw and Glen Lewis were mother and son on Muvhango, the new Venda soapie on SABC. It was about the family in Johannesburg and the one in Venda fighting over the burial of its father figure. Created by the incomparable Duma Ndlovu, it was masterfully told and engaging as it reflected the real life challenges faced by black families, especially at a time of death, as the urbanites have to contend with the demands of the ones from the rural village. It became essential viewing and part of the water cooler conversations in offices.
Isidingo was launched in a mine shaft in 1998 and heralded a new era. It became competition for Generations, even though they were on different time slots. Being on SABC3 while Generations was on SABC1 meant that the nuances and how far the script would be pushed would be different. Hlomla Dandala as Derek Nyathi and Bianca Amato as Philippa de Villiers, the interracial couple, was groundbreaking for TV audiences still grappling with the new SA and racial tensions that kept bubbling up.
Set in the fictional Vulindlela College, the e.tv drama Backstage reflected the energy, aspirations and challenges faced by the young people in 2000. The characters came from diverse backgrounds and pursued careers in performance and entertainment arts. It gave the industry stars like Katlego Danke, Lorcia Cooper, Rami Chuene and Bonnie Mbuli.
The Simunye continuity presenters were real-life Barbie dolls. Disarmingly attractive, glowing and fun to watch, they turned the seemingly mundane job of TV presenting into celebrity. They had their fair share of criticism and controversy.
It got so bad that they didn’t want to conduct interviews with certain media houses which they believed were out to belittle them or ridicule what they stood for. To some quarters they were annoying ditsy blondes who mangled English and made fools of themselves at the start of every programme.
But one man, Robert Marawa, rose above the criticism and the ridicule to become a sports juggernaut when he shifted from continuity presenting to hosting sport and later became a legendary radio broadcaster. He has now moved into the digital space and boasts a loyal following across platforms and is the undisputed authority in sport.
His father was a comedian par excellence and his mother a revered actress, so Somizi Mhlongo was born to be a star. He was groomed for the stage from an early age and went on to dazzle international audiences as part of Sarafina! It wasn’t until the film that the nation noticed the fresh-faced son of Mshefane in the role of Fire. It was only the start of great things. His was a journey paved with success and failures, losses and gains that only polished him into the superstar he is today.
For a long time Somizi monopolised the choreography business in SA, from Miss SA to Joyous Celebrations shows. If Somizi didn’t choreograph your show then it was under par. No show would get under way without the Somizi touch. The power of television came in handy as the star of Backstage and that cemented his domination.
When his fortunes tanked, it wouldn’t be for long. He returned as Madame Gigi, a character in drag that he moved from gay clubs to the mainstream when he hosted a show on SABC2. He lost almost everything, only to build it up to what he is today as an all-round entertainer, author of books and a trusted crowd puller. It has been a long and arduous journey for Somizi. Somgaga brought LGBTIQ+ visibility and acceptance into pop culture at a time it was frowned upon and the topic of representation was off the table.
Another Sarafina! alumni is Leleti Khumalo, who played the lead character in the stage and film versions of the iconic production. She became the poster girl for all young girls who wished to pursue a career in performance. So many Sarafinas were born on school and church stages across SA.
Khumalo’s move to Generations proved how difficult the transition from stage and film to TV can be. The reception for her character Busi was lukewarm and frankly forgettable. But she had greater success with the Oscar-winning Yesterday, in which she played an HIV-positive mother who faces the bleakness of dying and leaving her young child.
Khumalo brought a spark to her role in Uzalo as Zandile Mdletshe and is now one of the suits as an executive producer of the hugely successful e.tv drama Imbewu, where she also starred as Nokubonga Bhengu.
The 1990s carried so much promise because of the fresh start of the new SA. The building blocks were laid and careers set on a freeway to greatness. Some have gone on to fulfil their destinies and others are residents of the boulevard of broken dreams. Such is life.
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