Ready for life after 'The Wild'

Production ends in December but two of M-Net soapie The Wild's actors - Tumisho Masha and Minnie Dlamini - are not anxious about finding new work.

The channel announced on Friday that it was canning the award-winning show.

The broadcaster's passionate assertions over the past year that the show was doing well now look embarrassing. Head of general entertainment channels Theo Erasmus has now admitted that its poor ratings did not justify its heavy funding.

But Dlamini said yesterday that it was not a shock when the cast was told that there would be no season three of the soapie, which has won four SA Film and Television Awards.

"I don't feel like we were blindsided; we knew what the difficulties were. We have spent so much money, and it was too expensive to produce it. But we weren't surprised because we knew what the constraints were. The expectations were so high in such a short space of time too," said the Durban beauty who plays Zintle Lebone on The Wild.

She said the cancellation would give her more time for "a couple of other projects I've been working on for about six months".

Dlamini is already on Metro FM and SABC1 show Mzansi Insider.

She added: "Don't expect not to see me on TV."

Masha, who has had acting stints on Isidingo, Jozi H, Gaz'lam, Society and Top Billing, said he was "100% committed" to The Wild.

"It was a surprise because there was no way we could've known. We knew they [the producers] were looking at systems and ways to get the viewership to a level they desired," he said.

"When the news came, it was a surprise, but it's something we have to accept. It's unfortunate, but we have to say a big up [to M-Net] for trying because that's all they could do. There are no hard feelings. At least we were given four months' notice ."