“We are excited that one of the channel’s most loved telenovelas is set to feature South African legends as they showcase their craft and add even greater authenticity and flavour to the story.”

As an industry made up of thousands of freelance actors, producers, directors and camera operators, Africa’s video entertainment industry is particularly vulnerable at this time. These people play a critical role in keeping viewers and communities informed, entertained and connected

For those in the know, Gomora is also the nickname of the famous Johannesburg Kasi, Alexandra. The ragged squalor and poverty of that township home of the series, which explores the disparity between lower and upper-class members of our country, with the contrast between the two worlds brought to life through one of the most innovative filming styles.

More than half of the catalogue of TV shows and movies on Showmax, whether measured in hours or number of episodes, is now local content. This deliberate shift to local started more than a year ago with shows like The River and The Queen, and more recently with Lockdown and Kwa Mam’Mkhize. And now the latest Showmax Original, Somizi and Mohale: The Union, is breaking viewing records.

Set in the poor, rural town of Mdantsane, known as the boxing mecca of Mzansi, Qubeka’s film follows the anarchical descent of the two brothers into a hellish life as they are driven to the brink by an all-too-familiar toxic masculinity that breaks them down. Over and above a tale of men and boxing, ‘Knuckle City’ is in fact the story of a family’s ability to maintain some sort of unity in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Then enter Zondo, a Newcastle dreamer who recorded her own Friday show in her room for an audience of zero. She watched on intrigued as Matheba enthralled the nation every Friday night, and vowed to occupy that space one day in the future.