Generations is a South African soap opera which first aired on SABC 1 on February 4, 1994 as a weekly drama and in 1996 became a daily soap opera. The show later became a sensational success on a near 20 year dominance of the South African 8pm (20:00) time-slot. Generations dominance lasted until it was pulled off air at the end of September 2014.
| Genre | Soap Opera |
| Created By | Mfundi Vundla |
| Theme Song | Unknown |
| Country | South Africa |
| Language | Multilingual |
| with Subtitles | |
| No. of Episodes | Unknown |
| |
| Executive Pruducer | Mfundi Vundla |
| Production House | MMSV Productions |
| Distributor | Morula Pictures |
| |
| Channel | SABC 1 |
| Picture Format | 480i (SDTV) |
| |
| February 4, 1994 – September 30, 2014 | |
| |
| October 1, 2014 – November 30, 2014 | |
| |
| December 01, 2014 – to date | |
| Website | Unknown |
Generations is the South African soap opera created by Mfundi Vundla.
On Generations, Mfundi Vundla serves as an executive producer.
Generations first went on air on February 4, 1994 on CCV-TV, forerunner to SABC1, as a weekly drama.
It later aired twice a week and in 1996 Generations began to air every weekday at 8pm (20:00) South African time.
The story of Generations once centered around the advertising industry, the Moroka family and their company New Horizons.
The business environment and the high life in the city of Johannesburg have always been the general theme.
The Moroka family has always been there from the start up to the day Generations went off air.
Down the years Generations expanded from the advertising industry theme to the general media theme.
New Horizons was bought out by Ezweni Communications during the Dlomo insurgence.
However, the Moroka family kept the stake in the company through owning shares in both New Horizons and the parent company, Ezweni Communications.
The arrival of Sibusiso Dlomo (Menzi Ngubane) marked times of uncertainty for the Morokas who, at that point, were a females only family.
Karabo Moroka (Connie Ferguson) had risen from model and hair salon owner to a business executive to be reckoned with.
Queen Moroka (Sophie Ndaba) had struggled to developed and, although she owned shares in the family business, she had remained in the same dead end as a receptionist or secretary who specializes in paddling gossip in the office and around town.
Karabo Moroka had no children or surviving children while there has been multiple death of characters of children on Generations, Prince Moroka (Gauta Takalo) has been lucky to have made it all the way to teenager.
Prince Moroka will be the first Moroka men since the death of Karabo Moroka’s big brother Archie Moroka (Sello Maake-KaNcube).
Karabo Moroka, Archie Moroka, Busang Moroka and Zakes Moroka were children of Paul Moroka – the family patriarch and single father.
While Queen Moroka is a Moroka by marriage; she had a brief relationship with Archie Moroka but later embarked on a serious relationship with his half brother Zakes and they got married but Zakes was shot and killed on their wedding day – Queen Moroka later mothered a child (Prince Moroka) by Zakes Moroka’s brother Terrance.
Tau Mogale (Rapulana Seiphemo) arrived in town, a refined gentleman who is a businessman with a discerning taste, a past shrouded in mystery, questionable business practices and butler named Khaphela Ngcobo (Mike Mvelase).
Underworld Johannesburg belonged to fearless crime boss Jack Mabaso (Vusi Kunene) who hardly had too many word to his rivals and enemies.
Sibusiso Dlomo a.k.a. Ngamla (Menzi Ngubane) burst into the scene with intentions of taking over both the corporate Johannesburg and the underworld – he had dealings with the best of them; from Jack Mabaso to Tau Mogale to Karabo Moroka.
He found himself embroiled in a bitter rivalry with his sister Busisiwe Dlomo (Leleti Khumalo) who had been brought in by Karabo Moroka as an ally who will assist in fighting off the advancing Sibusiso Dlomo.
In a dramatic turn of events, Sibusiso Dlomo’s former protégé – Kenneth Mashaba (Seputla Sebogodi) – stole Afri-Media from under his nose and launched a prolonged explosive rivalry that at one point looked like Kenneth Mashaba was winning but Sibusiso Dlomo always returned in a bid to regain the control of his company.
Sibusiso Dlomo’s ousting at Afri-Media led him to Ezweni Communications where he later became CEO and launched renewed efforts to pry his beloved Afri-Media from Kenneth Mashaba who has gone on to rename the company Mashaba Media.
Just like Afri-Media, Mashaba Media was bitter rival of Ezweni Communications. Down the years the two companies have become have had a part friendly, part hostile relationship. Most notably, when Karabo Moroka ran Ezweni he had to share a radio show with Kenneth Mashaba on Pan Africa (fictional radio station), a radio station co-owned by both companies.
Sibusiso Dlomo had remained ceaseless in his pursuit to regain the company he lost to Kenneth Mashaba, and in his pursuit of power. He tried to round up all Ezweni Communications to very little success.
His (Sibusiso Dlomo) biggest power move was when he finally succeeded in toppling the unrelenting Kenneth Mashaba. Sibusiso Dlomo further positioned himself to clean up when Mashaba Media finally collapses in the absence of Kenneth Mashaba.
Thomas Mashaba (Rantebeng Makapan) had his job cut out for him while his father (Kenneth Mashaba) languished in the Thai jailed over the drugs planted by Sibusiso Dlomo’s goon in his luggage.
Sibusiso Dlomo misled Thomas Mashaba and set him up for failure in order to accelerate the collapse of Mashaba Media, however, Thomas Mashaba soon realized that Sibusiso Dlomo was not his friend and set out to out-smart.
Thomas Mashaba knew that he had come to a point where he could no longer save his father’s company, as a result he moved to ensure that he does not give Sibusiso Dlomo a chance to buy it.
Thomas Mashaba made his biggest move when he sold the company to Mawande Memela (Nambitha Mpumlwana) leaving Sibusiso Dlomo with egg on his face and without his beloved Afri-Media.
As it turns out, Mawande Memela is the old lover of Sibusiso Dlomo. Her brother Mziwanele Memela an old friend and ally of Sibusiso Dlomo in the armed struggle and he died in exile.
Mawande Memela renamed Mashaba Media to Yona Yethu and set out to build her own version of Sibusiso Dlomo’s “family legacy”. Sibusiso Dlomo would not relent in the pursuit of the ghosts of his old company, however, with history between the Dlomos and the Memelas – the dynamics of the rivalry between the companies had drastically changed.
Sibusiso Dlomo could not longer be as brutal with Mawande Memela as he had been with all his previous rivals; this led to a more collaborative working relationship between Ezweni and Yona Yethu although the friction, the backstabbing and the betrays never ceased.
Furthermore; the ownership of both companies further blurred the rivalry lines ushering a new period in relations. Harmony never lasted as Kenneth Mashaba sent shock waves across town when he returned from his unplanned extended holiday in the Thai prison.
Notable Events
Archie Moroka (Sello Maake Ka-Ncube) led the Moroka family after the death of the patriarch Paul Moroka. Archie Moroka was married to Zoleka Mudau (Sthandiwe Kgoroge) – identical twin of Zinzi Mudau – she (Zoleka Mudau) fell pregnant with his child but had a miscarriage after contracting measles.
Zoleka Mudau later learned that she could no longer have children so she asked her twin sister Zinzi Mudau to pose as her (Zoleka Mudau) and fall pregnant with a child she (Zoleka Mudau) and Archie Moroka could raise as their own.
Archie Moroka caught them out and left Zoleka Mudau but the pair later reconciled. Archie Moroka later died in a plane crash.
Glen Majozi (Roderick Jaftha) was in a relationship with Karabo Moroka at one point, they later got engaged but never married – the marriage was halted by the death of Archie Moroka.
Glen Majozi married Vivian (Faye Peters) who cheated on him with one of his colleagues and fell pregnant. Glen Majozi died when a building he was in collapse while Vivian was giving birth.
Ntsiki Lukhele (Pamela Nomvete) was a ‘psychotic super witch’ that everyone loved to hate, she was shot and left paralyzed in a hit ordered by her friend Sarah-Lee Odendaal (Hanlie Roelfse).
Back of the Moon was a bar that preceded Tsalanang. Back of the Moon was owned by Sonny Jacobs (Cedwyn Joel), it burned down prompting him (Sonny Jacobs) to leave leave town.
Tau Mogale (Rapulana Seiphemo) was shot and killed by Jack Mabaso (Vusi Kunene), Tau Mogale later returned and as it turns out, his death was an escape to the witness protection planned by the police and himself.
Jack Mabaso (Vusi Kunene) was a notorious crime boss who terrorized Sibusiso Dlomo, Tau Mogale, Karabo Moroka and others – most notably, he mistakenly blinded Siphiwe Phosa (Mandla Hlatshwayo) after he (Siphiwe Phosa) opened a letter which carried the poisoned Jack of Spades. Jack Mabaso was badly injured and was in a comma when Busisiwe Dlomo (Leleti Khumalo) injected him with a fatal dose of penicillin.
Anne de Villiers (Camilla Waldman) was shot and killed by Busisiwe Dlomo at Sibusiso Dlomo’s apartment after she stole her Ezweni Communications shares and later sold them and set out to leave the country.
Busisiwe Dlomo (Leleti Khumalo) committed suicide by jumping off the balcony of Sibusiso Dlomo’s apartment after shooting and killing Anne de Villiers.
Khaphela Ngcobo (Mike Mvelase) was Tau Mogale’s butler and right hand man. Khaphela Ngcobo exuded calm, reason and wisdom – he often served as a voice of reason to Tau Mogale’s outrageous ambitions but he was not without his faults. Perhaps his earliest and most memorable was when he fell in love with a prostitute named Cleo Khuzwayo (Linda Sokhulu).
In the wake of Tau Mogale’s death (which later turned out not to be) Khaphela Ngcobo and Khethiwe Buthelezi inherited part of his fortune and turned from servants to business owners. Together they co-owned Siqalo Court along side Sibusiso Dlomo.
Khaphela Ngcobo maintained a low key lifestyle after inheriting a fortune and remained besieged by loneliness and isolation, he enjoyed a good relationship – a friendship even – with Sibusiso Dlomo who was Tau Mogale’s rival.
Khaphela Ngcobo was later married Khethiwe Buthelezi who engaged in a sordid affair with Dumisani Shabane (Dumisani Mbebe) – the affair brought into question the paternity of Khethiwe Buthelezi’s son. He also had a relationship with Sarah who is his first wife – Khaphela was in a polygamous relationship.
Khaphela Ngcobo was killed in an explosion set up by his wife Khethiwe Ngcobo (née Buthelezi) with the help of Khuboni, a former prisoner who had a grudge against him.
Upon death, his kidney were donated to his ailing friend Sibusiso Dlomo who was undergoing a regular dialysis while waiting for a kidney donor.
Khethiwe Buthelezi (Winnie Modise) started out as a clumsy, always apologizing housekeeper from KwaZulu-Natal employed by Tau Mogale to whom she had a crush. Even then, Khethiwe Buthelezi exhibited psychotic behavior. She embarked on a journey of great transformation from housekeeper to early business endeavors with Badges R’ Us, to student and businesswoman, to model and face La Ciaccolata.
Khethiwe Buthelezi – later Ngcobo – engaged in disastrous relationships down the years , Khaphela Ngcobo – when he was her husband – had her committed at a mental institution. She later suffered from alcohol abuse and had her baby taken away from her only to learn that it is being cared for by Bridget Shabane (Zukisa Matola) – the ex-wife of Dumisani Shabane who potentially fathered the child in question.
Sibusiso Dlomo (Menzi Ngubane) was in a relationship with Ntombi Khumalo (Sonia Sedibe) when he learned that Karabo Moroka was pregnant with his son. He briefly left Ntombi Khumalo to pursue a relationship with expectant mother Karabo Moroka who unfortunately miscarried – in the end Sibusiso Dlomo married Ntombi Khumalo, they had a daughter named Christina.
After many years of marriage they relationship succumbed and they divorced and Ntombi left for Ghana leaving Sibusiso Dlomo to care for their daughter.
Sibusiso Dlomo engaged in a murderous behavior; including attempting to kill Jason Malinga (Zolisa Xalavu) which resulted in the mishit of Mawande Memela who was an unintended target and successfully ordering a hit on Caleb Moeletsi (Sello Sebotsane).
Sibusiso Dlomo later tried to help Bandile “MJ” Memela – later Dlomo – (Anga Makubalo), his newly discovered son, hide the evidence of Kimberly death after he (MJ Memela) tried to kill Sibusiso Dlomo – before he knew he was his father – but killed Kimberly instead.
Jason Malinga (Zolisa Xalavu) and Senzo Dlomo (Thami Mngqolo) are a gay couple; their relationship was a source of discomfort for Sibusiso Dlomo who briefly disowned his son (Senzo Dlomo) in order to discourage him from continued engagement in a gay relationship – he later supported his relationship with Jason Malinga even though it was for all the wrong reasons. Jason Malinga and Senzo Dlomo married and Jason Malinga took Senzo Dlomo’s surname and became Jason Dlomo.
Kenneth Mashaba (Seputla Sebogodi) was set up by Sibusiso Dlomo when his goon planted cocaine in his luggage and he got caught in Thailand and got imprisoned there but made a shock return after a few years in that country’s prison.
- Children
Prince Moroka son of Queen Moroka (Sophie Ndaba)and Terrence Moroka, Christina Dlomo daughter of Sibusiso Dlomo and Ntombi Khumalo, and Mpilo Ngcobo son of Khethiwe Ngcobo and Khaphela Ngcobo or Dumisane Shabane; are the only children who have been conceived, carried, born and remain alive.
Mnqobi Dlomo was Senzo Dlomo’s (Thami Mngqolo) love child with Noluntu Memela (Zenande Mfenyana).
There has been numerous deaths of unborn children including those of; Zoleka Mudau, Karabo Moroka and Dineo Mashaba (Katlego Danke).
- Paternity
Angela Motene (Dineo Nchabalang) who was raised by Julia Motene (Xolile Tshabalala) and Khaya Motene (Akin Omotoso) turned out to be Tau Mogale’s daughter.
Grace Mashaba (Genevieve Howard) who grew up knowing that she was Paul Mashaba‘s (Siyabonga Thwala) daughter later learned that she was in fact the daughter of his (Paul Mashaba) evil brother Kenneth Mashaba.
Bradley Paulse (Clint Brink) learned that Sonny Jacobs his boss at Back of the Moon was his biological father while Anne de Villiers was his biological mother.
Senzo Zondi became Senzo Dlomo after learning that his biological father was a ruthless mogul Sibusiso Dlomo.
Bandile “MJ” Memela was hell burnt on avenging his father Caleb Moeletsi who was killed on Sibusiso Dlomo’s orders when he learned that the man (Sibusiso Dlomo) he’s trying to kill is his biological father. He has since become Bandile “MJ” Dlomo.
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| Duration | Actor | Character | Notes |
| 1994-2010, 2014 – to date | Connie Ferguson | Karabo Moroka | Last member of the original cast |
| 2002-2006, 2010, 2014 -to date | Rapulana Seiphemo | Tau Mogale | |
| 2013 – to date | Denise Zimba | Mary | Prior to the show’s hiatus |
| 2014 – to date | Ronnie Nyakale | Cosmo Diale | Prior to the show’s hiatus |
| 2014 – to date | Manaka Ranaka | Lucy | |
| 2014 – to date | Letoya Makhene | Tshidi | |
| 2014 – to date | Musa Ngema | Mazwi | |
| 2014 – to date | Andisiwe Dweba | Cosmo Diale’s sister | |
| 2014 – to date | Thulisile Phongolo | Namhla | |
| 2014 – to date | Vuyo Dabula | Gadaffi | |
| 2014 – to date | Ivy Nkutha | Gog’ Flo | |
| 2014 – to date | Moopi Moothibeli | Smanga | Debutant actor |
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| Duration | Actor | Character | Notes |
| 1994 – 2014 | Sophie Ndaba | Queen Moroka | Part of the fired 16 |
| 1994 – 1997, 1998 – 2002 | Sello Maake Ka-Ncube | Archie Moroka | |
| 2002 – 2007 | Vusi Kunene | Jack Mabaso | |
| 2003 – 2014 | Menzi Ngubane | Sibusiso Dlomo | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2004 – 2014 | Winnie Modise | Khethiwe Buthelezi | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2005 – 2008 | Leleti Khumalo | Busisiwe “Busi” Dlomo | |
| 2005 – 2014 | Katlego Danke | Dineo Mashaba | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2005 – 2011, 2014 | Seputla Sebogodi | Kenneth Mashaba | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2005 – 2006, 2009 – 2014 | Zolisa Xalavu | Jason Malinga | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2008 – 2014 | Thami Mngqolo | Senzo Dlomo | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2011 – 2014` | Mandla Gaduka | Selwyn “Choppa” Maithufi | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2011 – 2014 | Slindile Nodangala | Ruby Dikobe | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2011 – 2014 | Thato Molamu | Nicholas Nomvethe | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2011 – 2014 | Nambitha Mpumlwana | Mawande Memela | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2012 – 2014 | Zenande Mfenyana | Noluntu Memela | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2012 – 2014 | Anga Makubalo | Bandile “MJ” Dlomo | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2013 – 2014 | Patrick Shai | Patrick Thlaole | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2014 | Zikhona Sodlaka | Priska Nomvete | Part of the fired 16 |
| 2014 | Atandwa Kani | Samora Lembede | Part of the fired 16 |
The 2014 Dismissal of Principal Cast and a Two Months Hiatus
On Monday August 18, 2014 Mfundi Vundla, the SABC and MMSV Productions sent shock-waves across South Africa when they announced the shock firing of the entire principal cast which boasted some of the country’s most sought after actors.
“MMSV Productions, following consultation with the SABC , have today [Monday] terminated the contracts of the striking actors on the SABC1 soap drama, Generations. The termination follows calls by both parties for the actors to return for recordings, following the start of their illegal strike,” the MMSV Productions statement read.
The dismissal of these actors forced Generation into a rare and unexpected hiatus as of October 1, 2014, it was announced that the show had run out of recorded episodes – as a result the auditions will be held to re-cast and the show will return on air in December 2014.
As of November 2014, it is understood that filming is underway with the new cast which includes the return of the all time favourite characters Karabo Moroka (Connie Ferguson) and Tau Mogale (Rapulana Seiphemo).
The fired sixteen (16) actors are as follows: Anga Makubalo (MJ Dlomo), Atandwa Kani (Samora Lembede), Katlego Danke (Dineo Dlomo), Mandla Gaduka (Selwyn ‘Choppa’ Maithufi), Menzi Ngubane (Sbusiso Dlomo), Nambitha Mpumlwana (Mawande Memela), Patrick Shai (Patrick Tlaole), Slindile Nodangala (Ruby Dikobe), Sophie Ndaba (Queen Moroka), Seputla Sebogodi (Kenneth Mashaba), Thami Mngqolo (Senzo Dlomo), Thato Molamu (Nicholas Nomvete), Winnie Ntshaba (Khethiwe Buthelezi), Zenande Mfenyana (Noluntu Memela), Zikhona Sodlaka (Priska Nomvete) and Zolisa Xaluva (Jason Malinga).
Return from the Hiatus, December 1, 2014 – to date
On December 1, 2014 Generations returned to South African television screens after a two months hiatus.
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