To maintain its top spot as South Africa’s most-watched drama series Uzalo will be bolstering its cast with two additions. The drama series will be adding award-winning actors Fanele Ntuli and Nkanyiso Mchunu. We can’t wait for the drama capped with thrills to unfold.
Of interest is the fact that bubbly actress Fanele Ntuli will take over the role of Nomaswazi Magwaza. She will be making her debut on 2 January 2023. However, she will replace Omuhle Gela, who recently bowed out of the drama series.
Fanele Ntuli said:
“Being allowed to dive into such a colourful and intense story has been challenging but fulfilling. I look forward to my new journey on Uzalo and the SABC family. I believe the audience will love the magic we made”
However, on the other hand, Mchunu will join the star-studded cast of Uzalo after being offscreen for a while. We last had a glimpse of his unmatched acting flair when he was still at Imbewu: The Seed. In the mix of things, he dumped his on-screen character of Nkululeko after having a fallout with the showrunners. Rumour mill has it that the celebrated actor and the showrunners couldn’t reach common ground regarding his contract demands. On the other hand, some sources have it that he had a fallout with Leleti Khumalo, who stars as MaZulu and doubles as producer of the drama series.
After all, he is bouncing back with a bang and bigger. He will make his much-talked-about debut on 10 January 2023.
Fanele Ntuli and Nkanyiso Mchunu joins Uzalo as Pastor Gwala and Nosipho exit the show
The bubbly actor will play the character of Siphamandla “Wizard” Nkosi. Wizard grew up in South Africa with a fascination for computers and coding at a very young age.
He comes from a respectable family of academics but has always been the black sheep of the family, rebellious and always getting himself into sticky situations but running at the first sign of trouble. His curiosity has led him to be an expert hacker.
Nkanyiso Mchunu said:
“Joining Uzalo has been a dream come true for me. Uzalo is the biggest platform of them all and the highest storytelling platform in the country. I am thankful to get another chance to showcase my versatility as an actor because I do not want to be known as a one-dimension actor. Wizard gives me a chance to show that I can play other roles. He is one complex character. Working alongside Wiseman Ncube, playing the role of Sibonelo, and Masoja Msiza, who plays Nkunzi, has been amazing and looking forward to working with the cast and crew”
In the wake of the mass exodus that saw the drama series losing almost its entire lead cast has been beefing up the cast of late. However, recently the drama series revealed that two lead cast members were kissing their on-screen characters goodbye.
The showrunners revealed that two characters, Pastor Gwala, played by Menzi Biyela, and Nosipho, played by Nompilo Maphumulo, will bow out of the drama series.
Reports have it that they are already shooting their exit scenes. Confirmed reports say they are set to exit the popular soapie at the beginning of season 9, which will debut early next year.
Thuli Nhlapo, Acting Channel Head of SABC1, wished them all the best in their future endeavours.
“We want to take our hats off to the stellar performances of Nompilo and Menzi over the years. Their portrayal of the characters, Nosipho and Pastor Gwala, will forever be embedded in the hearts and minds of our viewers. Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,” she said.
“We are incredibly honoured to have worked with such talents. Nompilo has been an integral part of Uzalo since season one, she has brought us a remarkable rendition of Nosipho that the fans will never forget, and Menzi’s portrayal of Pastor Gwala has been nothing short of exemplary. Our viewers love them, and so do we. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours.” – King David Mukwevho, Series Producer.