The second season of eHostela launched this past Sunday and it seems the drama series is living up to its “dramatic” genre as reports have it that its award-winning director Mandla Ncgongwane has opened up about his decision to cast award-winning musician and actor Sjava for the show.
In a recent interview with entertainment news website the director of the show was quoted confirming that Sjava will “shake things up” on the show as a villain called Fish - Celemba’s son.
“Sjava has always been such an amazing actor, I've worked with him musically as well. He also did the soundtrack for Vula Vala. I've always admired his work when it comes to that, so we brought him in to basically shake things up as one of the antagonists within the story, and he's also doing the music,” reads the article.
This comes after last year; the “Ngempela” crooner made headlines based on social media reports that his role on popular SABC 1 soapie Uzalo was cancelled due to a sexual assault case against him. This was fueled to great heights when Sunday newspaper reported that the SABC had allegedly told Uzalo's executive producers that they had made a mistake by casting him.
The National Prosecuting Authority later threw out the sexual assault case.
eHostela is a crime drama series about izinkabi, starring actors Dumisani Dlamini who plays Celemba and veteran actor Mduduzi Mabaso who is cast as AK. Both Celemba and AK are new kingpins at the helm of the Brotherhood with targets on their backs as Mndeni, played by Thobani Nzuza, comes to town and finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place - he has to decide whether to rejoin the notorious hostel gang as an ally or as a police informant as Captain Moloi, played by Lockdown actress Linda Sebezo, closes in on the eHostela’s most feared gang.
Mandla said he was not worried about the possibility of fans doing the same with eHostela.
“Boycotting Sjava? How about other actors, how about other artists, how about everything else? You know what I mean? So, for me, that's how I look at it.
“I'm not [scared] at the possibility of a boycott, as what I think is it will actually do is attract people, because his case is pretty much done now. So, must we shun him? Must we take him out? It's very challenging, unless he was found guilty and taken to prison, then that would've been a different story.”
The award-winning director added that having Sjava on the show will help people appreciate him more.
“People have been craving Sjava, they haven't seen him in a while. He's been living under this whole entire thing that has been a kind of a cloud over his life. But now he can express himself.”
In this season viewers will see Mndeni on a quest to find closure and perhaps new beginnings at the back of his exit from the Brotherhood in season 1 following his gang-style execution of his out of sorts stepbrother, Jama, to avenge the killing of his wife Khethiwe in view of the members of the community. Mndeni moves to Delinkani hostel in Johannesburg where he joyously reunites with his old buddies 2Litre and Vovo, but this soon reminds him that he is alone and without any family. Actress Andy Mnguni, best known for her role as Sindi on The Republic, will play Sikhakhane, a love interest of Celemba. Will Captain Moloi succeed in convincing Sikhakhane and Mndeni to work against the Brotherhood by feeding information to her?
Watch eHostela season two every Sunday on Mzansi Magic DStv Channel 161 at 20:00. CAT
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