The River is one of South Africa’s most watched telenovelas and at the helm of its storyline is the 36-year-old Phathutshedzo “Phathu” Makwarela, an award-winning scriptwriter and co-founder at Tshedza Pictures.
Who better to speak to about the making of a telenovela than the man himself? He has all the ingredients to make a successful show and his work speaks for itself.
“A telenovela is like a short story. It’s a concept that was developed in Latin America,” said Phathu.
Contrary to traditional soapies that have a never-ending story arc and are usually centred on an ensemble cast, telenovelas are usually driven by one “dramatic, inviting incident that climaxes when the telenovela ends”. Telenovela story arcs usually play out over the course of a year.
The example Phathu uses is that of the first episode of The River, where Lindiwe (Sindi Dlathu) kills Tata Mokoena – the incident – and after that the story unravels, with people asking themselves if and when she’ll get caught.
He attributes the rise of telenovelas to the country’s love for drama.
“South Africans want their dramas every single day,” Phathu said.
His journey as a screenwriter dates back to 2013, Ferguson Films was commissioned to do a 10-part drama series for Mzansi Magic.
The Fergusons roped in Phathu and his business partner, Gwydion Beynon, as head writers and, just like that, Rockville was born and their careers at M-Net began.
The pair have grown into talented screenwriters who have worked on a number of great local
Phathu says there is no big secret to why viewers love telenovelas such as The River or The Queen. It all boils down to social realism.
“I think South Africans really want TV that reflects who they are and I think that’s the ingredient that makes a successful show.”
He believes South African audiences have a strong affinity for local content and says what makes sense in a good telenovela in a local context is how close to reality it is.
“For me, it’s that. It validates a society and that’s why so many people watch local content.”
He became interested in storytelling after observing ordinary people and what makes them tick, and wanting to give them relief from their everyday stresses.
His rationale is that if somebody is finally sitting down in the evening after a long stressful day, it’s better to put a smile on their face than make them feel miserable.
“That is always my drive and what inspires me is how you make people enjoy the end of their evening,” he said.