Masasa Mbangeni hits back at claims 'Scandal!' will go downhill without her

While Scandal! fans are still mourning the death of her character Thembeka, actress Masasa Mbangeni has moved to reassure viewers that the show won't fall apart without her.

The villain was shot and killed by her rival Mthunzi Mayisa on Wednesday night's episode of the hit e.tv soapie, leaving many in shock.

Masasa's departure comes just weeks after Scandal! said goodbye to veteran actress Kgomotso Christopher.

When fans shared their fear that the show was bleeding talent and may lose viewers as a result, Masasa moved to calm the situation.

She said that the show would go on without her and other talented actors, because it was “the nature of the work”.

“The nature of storytelling is the coming and going of characters or else it becomes stagnant. It’s allowed. It’s the nature of the work,” she said.

The star first left the soapie in 2016, making a return last year.

She has dismissed any suggestions of rejoining the soapie again, saying her character is “death dead”.

Instead, Masasa will be taking some time out to work on herself and look at new opportunities.

She told True Love magazine in February that her comeback on the show last year nearly didn't happen.

“Returning to where I'd started my career really rattled me. A few months ago, I got a call from Scandal!, telling me they wanted to bring my old character back. To be quite honest, I had mixed emotions about it. So much about me had changed, and I wondered if going back would do the character any good, and how it would be perceived by the public.

“During my last days at Scandal!, I was personally going through emotional turmoil. That, I suppose, assisted in how I played the character. Therefore, I knew that how I approached Thembeka this time around would have to be different.”