When the first guitar chords of the
mbaqanga ballad Wangala strummed
during the opening sequence of Mzansi Magic’s new telenovela turned soapie, Isibaya, South African television was
transformed forever.
Five years later, the lovelorn melody, Wangala has become synonymous with one
of the best television soapie to ever come out of the country.
This year, Isibaya celebrates 1000 episodes
and countless moments of action, family feuds, rivalry, love, murder and magic.
A novel concept set against a backdrop that
swings from breathtaking vistas of rolling green hills to noisy congested taxi
ranks, Isibaya dared to tread where
few local television shows had gone before. It’s had South Africa buzzing as it
tackles subjects such as polygamy, laying bare the intricacies of the notoriously
private taxi industry, addressing decades-old family feuds and confronting the
taboo topic of black magic.
When the series’ loved hero Mpiyakhe was
“killed” in a car crash and turned into umkhovu by his enemy, the entire
country lit up social media as each episode held viewers spellbound and
simultaneously chattering none stop. Isibaya had dared to address the sacred
subject of black magic and the walking dead.
Central to all the turmoil was the love
story of Sibusiso and Thandeka, star-crossed lovers whose epic journey of love
could rival Shakespeare’s Romeo and
Juliet. The young couple defied a generational family feud and the risk of
being disowned just so they could fulfil their destiny – to be together as
soulmates.
The show’s popularity saw it turned into a
daily soap opera that straddled tradition and modern life in a Rainbow Nation
of the 21st century. New families were introduced, more rivals came
on board, plots and twists gave viewers whiplash and locations swung from
untouched rural beauty to the mod-cons of urban life.
As Isibaya celebrates 1,000 episodes of
groundbreaking television, it continues to keep viewers on the edge of their
seats with suspense and thrill-a-minute storylines!
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