There's no end to the firings and unpaid salary disputes that are so synonymous with Muvhango. As the soapie heads towards it's 1000th episode later this year, the show is losing six cast members.
Following the controversy at the beginning of the year surrounding actor boycotts because of unpaid salaries, the departing cast will film their final scenes at the end of this month in a mass exodus.
On the OUT list are Tennyson Legethe (who plays Peter Matlala),
Matshepo Malema (Mapule Tshidiso) and
Rapulana Seiphemo (Pheko Mokoena), whose exit is the least final.
Apparently Seiphemo asked for time off to pursue other projects and may be back in the future but our speculations are that he's lost his grip on reality and doesn't know if he's Pheko or
Tau.
He makes his "final" appearance on the show on 25 September 2009.
Another big blow to the show is the departure of longtime gal pals Humbulani and Lebo, played by
Florence Masebe and
Elle Tisane.
Like Seiphemo, Masebe is leaving the show so she can move on to other things, which suggests that Tisane didn't have any option but to follow. There is no news as to what Masebe will do next but we hope she doesn't plan on moving to Hollywood - look at what happened to 7de Laan's
Elma Postma when she made this move - she ended up match-making
lonely farmers instead.
Humbulani and Lebo will make their final appearance on 5 October.
A most notable exit is that of Tshepo, played by
Makalo Mofokeng who has been with the show since the start. His departure has come from the Duma Ndlovu "I MUST fire someone at least once a month" writing team.
It seems he's too old: "He has been with us since the beginning of Muvhango," says an un-named source close to the show. "So the writers felt the character couldn’t grow beyond where it was."
Tshepo plays out his final scene onscreen on 24 November.