The SABC has effectively cancelled Muvhango from SABC2 as it had no more episodes and no longer had a contract with Word of Mouth Pictures.

by Thinus Ferreira

The SABC has indeed cancelled Muvhango on SABC2 – the channel’s most-watched show – after 27 years, after soap opera Venda ran out of produced episodes last night and left the channel with a hole in the 9pm timeslot.

According to insiders, Muvhangocreated by Duma Ndlovu and produced by Word of Mouth Pictures, has completely closed, with no new episodes or contract extensions for further episodes in progress. I have learned that June 15th was the last day of work for the cast and crew.

The SABC and SABC2 did not warn viewers that Tuesday night’s show Muvhango episode – episode 130 of the 25th season – would be the last. The SABC will now pad the Muvhango time slot with old reruns from tonight at 9:00 p.m., starting with the first episode of the first season.

The long-running show was the South African public broadcaster’s first Tshivenda-language drama, which began in April 1997 with one episode per week, after which Muvhango Over time it developed into a soap opera broadcast 5 days a week.

Just before its cancellation notification, Danie Odendaal Productions, which directed 7th Avenue For SABC2, production was also halted, delivery of episodes was delayed and the SABC was forced to pay outstanding debts of several million rand before further episodes were given to SABC2.

It happened again after 7th Avenue

was cancelled when producers demanded payment from the SABC before the final remaining episodes were filmed and delivered in late 2023.

Something similar happened with Muvhango.

A spokesperson for Word of Mouth Pictures said: TV with Thinus “The final episode aired last night. Discussions are ongoing with the SABC. No contract has been signed yet. We are not filming.”

The production referred all further questions to the SABC and said the broadcaster should answer “content-related questions”.

The SABC was asked in the media about Muvhango A spokesperson was also contacted by phone and asked about the apparent cancellation of the show. SABC comments will be added as soon as they are received.

MuvhangoCurrently airing at 21:00 on SABC2 and the only show on the channel to attract over a million viewers on weekdays, it has introduced actors like Gabriel Temudzani, Dingaan Khumalo, Lindiwe Chibi, Khabonina Qubeka and others.

The apparent cancellation of Muvhango after almost three decades, comes after the SABC scrapped its only Afrikaans soap opera 7th Avenue which ended in December 2023 after 24 years.

After 7th AvenueSABC cancellation orders announced by SABC insiders TV with Thinus that Muvhango on SABC2 and Generations – The Legacy On SABC1, the next two big-budget scripted series were axed because there was no money to keep them going.

The public broadcaster is technically insolvent and simply can no longer afford large shows with an ensemble cast, unable to sustain these types of multi-camera productions that run for several years.

While Muvhango has seen massive erosion in SABC’s audience and lost several million viewers since the show’s heyday on SABC2 as it battled multiple slot changes in SABC2’s programming schedule over the years, it remained the most-watched show on the channel with 1.29 million viewers in May with a 13.4% share.

Muvhango‘s close This follows years of continued non-payment and late payments from cast and crew, with employees repeatedly deciding over the past few years not to show up for work demanding payment, as well as a work stoppage on the production side due to lack of funds.

Following 7th AvenueThe series was axed and nothing followed the promise to replace it with a new drama series following a call for tenders launched to the entire production industry, Muvhango was SABC2’s last original scripted drama series in production with new episodes.

After MuvhangoSince the channel’s exit last night, SABC2 no longer has an original soap opera airing on the channel with new episodes every night.