After months of speculation, the most feared decision has been made and Mzansi Magic’s popular telenovela, Isibaya has faced the chopping board. Isibaya is currently in it’s 8th season but according to Daily Sun it has not been renewed for season 9.
Nomsa Pholiso, the channel director for local entertainment channels at M-Net, confirmed it “It’s always sad when a show that was popular and loved ends, as is the case with Isibaya. However, times change and television is about adopting and adapting. As Mzansi Magic, we’re thrilled about the new partnership with Black Brain Productions. The other exciting element is that this is their first telenovela. It’s a great opportunity for Black Brain to broaden their base and creativity,”
Read more: Sdumo Mtshali To Dump Isibaya As Ratings Dip
The telenovela follows the lives of two feuding families, the Zungu’s and the Ndlovu’s, in the cut-throat taxi industry. Two young lovers from either family caused havoc when they fell in love with each other.
Leading cast members have exited the show one-by-one and this concerned viewers from all over. Sadly their deepest fears have come to life. The soapie has been struggling with viewers as their numbers have been dismal. Less and less people tune in weekly at 8:30 PM to watch the show as it has not been appearing in the top 5 for the longest time now.
According to numbers revealed by the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa the highest watched show is Gomora with 1.1 million viewers and the second was The Queen with also 1.1 million viewers. At number three was the Powerball draw with 938K viewers. These figures are from September and Isibaya has less than 800K viewers, which are the figures for Moja Love’s You Promised To Marry Me.
Sources told the publication that the cast and crew members are well aware that the show is in it’s final season, and that the announcement did not shock either of them.
“Unfortunately, the channel has decided not to renew the show for another season because it doesn’t see a return on investment and doesn’t see sense in continuing with a property that doesn’t make financial sense. The production company was given a time frame within which to increase ratings, but they’re still low.
“The show’s creators are said to have tried to energise ratings by bringing back old and famous faces, but even this didn’t help. They tried to get some of Mzansi’s most recognisable faces, but that hasn’t worked in their favour. The channel asked the producers to come up with ways to improve the show and gave them a deadline to achieve this,” said the mole.According to the source, contracts for soapies are normally renewed by the end October every year for new seasons. That has not been the case for Isibaya.
The two most famous faces on the telenovela Siyabonga Thwala who plays Mpiyakhe Zungu and Sdumo Mtshali who plays Sibusiso Ndlovu are the recent cast members to leave the show. They have been with the telenovela since it’s inception.