He is the actor behind the role of Caesar, the ruthless boss on e.tv’s drama Smoke & Mirrors. There were rumours that he was fired by the production company after a dispute over money following season one. However, Zolisa denied the rumours and said he was close to finalising the negotiations for season two. A source from e-TV revealed that Final Chapter Productions, the company behind Smoke & Mirrors, was still weighing the options of keeping or letting go of the lead actor due to the difficult negotiations. “They have not confirmed anyone for the next season yet, but they were discussing the finances. Maybe they felt threatened by him knowing what he wants, and they thought of dropping him during the talks.” The source said that the channel did not make any official announcement of the separation. Zolisa has completed shooting season one, which means he has fulfilled his contractual obligations so far. “That simply means, even if they don’t renew my contract, I won’t be fired. I will just not come back. So, I have not been fired.” Zolisa explained.
He told Savanna News that they were almost done with the negotiations. “We are still in serious talks for season two. Negotiations are never easy and clauses can be tricky. But we have not reached the point of breaking up. The last time we talked was this morning and there was no bad blood,” he added.
Zolisa had left Mzansi Magic drama series, Gomora in 2022 after he felt his character was losing its essence. In an interview on Kaya 959, Zolisa said that he left partly because they changed the original idea of his character of Melusi being a pure and good man. “We talked about what we would do for season three, but we decided to put it on hold until we could find a way to restore the character for the future,” he said. “I liked that he was a positive representation of a black man, unlike the characters on screen that don’t reflect who we are as men. I admired that he was trying to be a good father, even though he was unconventional. Everything he did was out of love for his family and community.”
The show was in the spotlight earlier this year after Diamond and Dolls Reality TV star Tebogo Ramokgadi accused the series producer at e-TV of stealing his show concept. Tebogo said he had pitched a similar idea that was rejected and years later he saw the new e-TV show.