Actress Dawn Thandeka King will lead the cast of Inyosi, a new 13-part drama on Mzansi Magic, IOL reported. The show starts on Monday, November 2, at 8pm on DStv channel 161.
The series follows a family fight over power, cultural expectations and a secret kept for decades. According to IOL, that secret has effects that reach across generations.
King is known for her roles in Shaka iLembe, Diep City and other popular local shows. In Inyosi, she plays Mabongi Mageza-Ngcobo, a successful businesswoman and widow.
Other cast members include Thembsie Matu, Kwenzo Ngcobo and newcomer Kethukuthula Jele. The show is Jele’s first television role.
Mabongi runs a company called Ekhaya Events and Catering. She is also a mother to three children. Nsika is played by Kwanele Mkhize, Kwanele by Toka Mtabane and Samukelo by Nandipa Khubone.
Questions over who will take over the company start to divide the family. Her children begin to compete to show they deserve to run the business one day.
The story also goes back 30 years. At that time, Mabongi went with her family to visit Bheki, the man she loved, to tell him she was pregnant.
Bheki did not accept the child as his. He said he planned to marry another woman, one he saw as pure.
The rejection hurt Mabongi deeply. She had taken part in Umhlanga, a traditional rite of passage where young women learn cultural values through song, dance and guidance from elders.
Her shame grew when the young women who attended the ceremony with her turned away from her.
Hoping to win Bheki back, Mabongi went to Sunday Nkabinde, a powerful spiritual healer. Zakhele Msibi plays Sunday, a character viewers know from the drama Isibaya.
She first asked him for umuthi wenhlanhla, a charm for good luck, to bring Bheki back. Instead, Sunday offered her an isthwalo that promised to change her fortunes.
Mabongi said yes. She did not know that the choice would have effects long after her own life.
The secret begins to come out through Buhle, the character played by Jele. Buhle starts to look into a honeycomb-shaped mark on her back.
According to IOL, the mark is linked to the old secret that is now coming to light.
IOL reported that the series looks at the cost of ambition, the weight of cultural expectations and choices made in moments of desperation.
The drama also asks what Mabongi agreed to in her search for wealth and dignity, and what she must give up to keep it.
The first episode of Inyosi airs on Mzansi Magic on Monday, November 2, at 8pm.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Entertainment. Image: IOL Entertainment. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Entertainment desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Rirhandzu Baloyi writes about entertainment for Tzaneen Voice. Rirhandzu covers South African music, film, TV, streaming, awards and celebrity news, from amapiano and local soapies to Showmax and Netflix releases. Stories stick to what happened, who was involved and when fans can watch or listen.