Photo courtesy of politicalanalysis.co.za

The forth week of 2019, ending 25th January, was nothing short of a dramatic, climax rollercoaster and being ill with flu didn’t stand a chance at getting in the way of me missing any minute of the drama. It was the most important week for the story as The River (a weekday telenivela from DSTVs 1Magic) came to an exceptional end.

Credits to the brains behind the story.

A story begins and ends with the writer and I pay special credits to Phathutshedzo Makwarela and his team for conceptualizing this masterpiece, which the local TV viewing industry seriously needed. There is not a lot of variety and TV shows that are of high quality on the market these days. It’s only a pity that not everyone could get access to see & enjoy this story but I hope that one day, everyone will get that choice. Credits also go out to the Ferguson’s (Supervising Producers) for providing the necessary resources and supervision to Phathu as he took on the role of Co-Executive Producer.

Breakthrough Performances.

One of the most notable breakthrough performances of the show (there were many) for me was delivered by Larona Moagi (Itumeleng Mokoena) – who came from nowhere, was entrusted with one of the leading roles, in a sea of seasoned acting legends, but packed her own punches and delivered. I celebrate the success and doors that the show has opened for her and other new faces that the show has been able to successfully introduce. These include, amongst others, the electric and humorous duo combo of Galaetsang Koffman (Beauty) and Thapelo Sebogodi (Khabzela). The show also brought back a couple of local acting legends back on-screen, those include Moshidi Motshekgoa (Malefu Mokoena), Presley Chweneyagae (Cobra), Hlomla Dandala (Zweli Dikana), Tina Mnumzana (Flora) and Ferry Jele (Veronica). The cast overall is indeed stellar.

Why I easily connected to the story.

I connected to the story because it’s based on an industry that I am particularly a part of currently professionally and was interested to see how the show will get the context right and they did their best – the mere setting at a Pretoria squatter camp close to a Diamond Mining company nailed the authenticity factor for me. Mining is a complex sector with power and control struggles from all stakeholders. The management, workers, community and union relationships are often tricky but need to be in place and ironed out to ensure the smooth flow of business.

The leading lady – Sindi Dlathu.

Of course, The leading lady, Sindi Dlathu, has to have a special mention in this piece. I have a lot (of positive things) to say about her in general but will keep it brief for now to only mention that she is not celebrated enough for her craft. After playing a character we’ve grown to love on screen for over 20 years through her previous soapy role, she then made the brave decision to call it a day on it and after months of speculation from people in the industry of her grand next move, she resurrected her craft completely, displayed her versatility through her portrayal of the show’s greedy and malicious Lindiwe Dlamini-Dikana. A very first for Dlathu as the public has grown to know and adore her for her mostly sweet, kind and protagonist previous role. Dlathu can also be heard as the voice behind the intro theme song of the show. Talk about a multi-talented South African gem!

Lastly…

I feel there is serious lack in genuine creativity and originality where local drama series are concerned but I am hopeful that there is a space and platform for the showcasing of new homegrown talent that such a show and others from production stables across the industry have been able to display. South Africa has a lot of authentic stories to tell and this is one of many to come from our local TV productions. As season 2 begins, I hope the creative engine momentum doesn’t die.

A very well done to DSTV – 1Magic on this one, one more reason I won’t end my subscription anytime soon and will always look forward to coming home every single weekday night.

“How far will you go to preserve your power & influence?”

#TheRiver1Magic

Oh and No, I was not paid for anything in this post.