Soapie wars heats up as new contenders enter the fray

South Africa's war of the soapies is set to become a whole lot hotter with the arrival of ambitious new shows to take on old favourites.

SABC1, in a bid to unseat DStv's award-winning Isibaya, has commissioned 156 episodes of Uzalo, co-produced by Gugu Zuma-Ncube, President Jacob Zuma's daughter.

Uzalo, featuring Leleti Khumalo in one of the lead roles, is set in the Durban township of KwaMashu. The show is being billed as "a provocative, bold and authentic narrative" that tells the story of two family dynasties and two young men facing the complexities of money, family and love. It goes out in the popular 8.30pm slot.

The fast-paced telenovela promises much intrigue as it sets out to explore the "importance of family and the loyalty forged with strangers".

Zuma-Ncube, who had roles in Isidingo and Rhythm City, said on Friday: "The fact that one of the properties we are up against is Isibaya makes me very nervous. It is such a successful show. But I am also confident in the show we are producing," she said.

Producer Desiree Markgraaff's Isibaya debuted in March 2013 and dominated last year's South African Film and Television Awards with wins in four categories.

Also raising the stakes is e.tv, which is audaciously going after the country's No1 soapie, SABC1's Generations: The Legacy, in the 8pm slot.

The free-to-air channel announced details of its new series, Ashes to Ashes, on Thursday. The first episode will be screened on March 2.

Generations, before its reinvention, dominated the time slot for more than 20 years.

It was renamed Generations: The Legacy after the axing of 16 key actors who had embarked on industrial action over salaries and the payment of royalties late last year.

The new show suffered a setback earlier this month when SABC2's Muvhango unseated it as the country's most-watched TV programme for adults - with an age restriction of 15.

Muvhango , created and produced by Duma Ka-Ndlovu, is not classified as a soap , but competes with the soaps for viewership.

Muvhango was trailed by SABC1 drama Skeem Saam. Generations: The Legacy had to make do with third place in the overall rankings.

Skeem Saam seemingly gained popularity when it replaced Mfundi Vundla's Generations after the actor walkout.

Jyoti Mistry, associate professor at the University of the Witwatersrand's School of Arts, said it was a good thing that local TV had committed to new productions, because it boosted the industry.

But she was concerned that there was not enough variety and diversity in genres.

"There seems to be an assumption that the soap opera format is all, or primarily, what local audiences want."

Mistry said this was "a disservice to the public", because it was based on an assumption that viewers would consume whatever was given to them.

Zuma-Ncube said the growing number of soapies and telenovelas on local TV demonstrated an appetite for the genre.

"I believe we need to give people what they enjoy and what they find entertaining," she said.

Ashes to Ashes features five former Generations cast members. It stars Patrick Shai, who described it as "a game-changer" with an intriguing storyline.

"For the first time it feels like we are making a movie and this is a feeling I've not had in a long time. The 8pm slot will be quite exciting," Shai said.

As is the case with most of the current offerings, it involves family dynamics around business.

Producer Genna Lewis said the series centres on the Namane family, who own a funeral parlour in the Gauteng township of Tembisa.

The series features, among others, Nambitha Mpumlwana, who played Mawande on Generations; Mandla Gaduka, who portrayed Choppa; and Zenande Mfenyana, who was Noluntu Memela.