SABC 2’s long-running soapie Muvhango reportedly aired its last season on 2 July 2024 after 27 years of airing. Reports have it that episode 130 of season 25 was the last episode of the drama series.
MUVHANGO: ‘THANK YOU FOR WATCHING ALL THESE YEARS’
However, viewers were shocked that the channel never gave them an update about the development. The drama series, created by Duma Ndlovu and produced by Word of Mouth, wrapped its season finale with a wedding scene for Reneilwe and Kgosi.
The Tshivenda language drama series first aired in April 1997. However, due to its newfound fame and spike in viewership, it started airing five episodes a week instead of the initial one episode per week.
Just after the episode season finale ended, Muvhango took to X, formerly Twitter, to confirm that the series was ending. The drama series’ official page posted, “End of the Road for Muvhango, Thank you for watching all these years.”
Since the X post dropped, the drama series has undoubtedly been topping trends. Viewers quickly flooded social media with their two cents, trying to connect the dots about why Muvhango ended without formal communication from the showrunners.
The drama series was SABC 2’s most-watched programme, with 1,292,635 viewers as of May 2024. It was more than a drama series to viewers, as it taught and preserved the Venda language and culture.
SABC and the showrunners are yet to shed more light on the drama series’ abrupt ending.
MAKING HEADLINES
However, The South African has yet to confirm the reasons behind the decision. The post comes after entertainment blogger Phil Mphela announced that the production company responsible for the show had stopped shooting.
On the other hand, it was also reported that the drama series’ contract renewal was in limbo. Reports have it that the SABC has been dragging its drama series’ contract renewal decision.
However, Muvhango is now the second long-running SABC 2 soap to end abruptly. Last year, the channel axed 7deLaan. Over the years, the drama series has thrust several stars into the limelight.
Some celebrated stars who had their shot at stardom thanks to the drama series include Gabriel Temudzani, Dingaan Khumalo, Lindiwe Chibi and Macdonald Ndou.
However, this is not the first time the Muvhango has been embroiled in controversy. Over the years, it has been marred by contract woes and payment squabbles. At some point, it was reported that the cast boycotted their shooting sessions after months without getting paid.