Season 1
Jongo is a South African superhero action series created by Gareth Crocker and set largely in modern day Johannesburg, which tells the story of a young man, Eli King, who acquires an array of supernatural abilities after an alien crystal is found in a cave at the Cradle of Humankind.
The stone was left to him by his father, an enslaved miner who was murdered shortly after escaping from the cave.
As Eli (Pacou Mutombo) tries to deal with the death of his father and sets out to find the men responsible, he must also grapple with the powers of the crystal and how they will indelibly alter the course of his life.
What Eli doesn't know is that the men he is hunting have crystals of their own and need Eli's stone to fulfil an ancient and devastating prophecy which will threaten the lives of millions.
And caught up in the middle of everything is Maya (Pauline Zwane), the love of Eli's life.
Produced by Motion Story, Jongo is executive produced by Chris Lawrance and Colleen Lawrance with Phillip Wolmarans as producer. Nick Keulemans is the cinematographer and the series is co-directed by Gareth Crocker and Fred Wolmarans. The music is by PremiumBeat.
Main Characters
Eli King (Pacou Mutombo)
Eli is a normal guy living a humble life in Johannesburg. He can no longer stomach his day job as a courier and compensates by losing himself in his night job as a dance teacher. As he saves up to buy his own studio, his world is cast into turmoil. Now in possession of a mysterious crystal that has imbued him with the kind of physical strength that no mortal should possess, Eli will have to reach deep within himself not only to avenge his father's death, but to spare the world from a devastating prophecy.
Kay Brennan (Katlego Baaitse)
As Eli's best friend, Kay is a young and upwardly mobile young man. Blessed with a sharp mind and even sharper wit, he cruises through life on charm and good humour. While he works for a major tech company, he is not reliant on the job as he is the sole beneficiary of a multi-million dollar trust. However, due to the fractured nature of his relationship with his family, Kay is very close to Eli and sees him more as a brother than anything else. After Eli's life is thrown into disarray, Kay has to decide to what depths he is willing to go to support his closest friend.
Maya Dlamini (Pauline Zwane)
Maya is a highly successful and talented sculptor who is looking forward to settling down with Eli, the love of her life. However, as Eli's world descends into chaos she is caught up in the turmoil. She is forced to search deep within herself just to stay alive.
Benjamin Abaddon (Bartho van Tonder)
As the son of a lunatic billionaire, Benjamin inherits his father's madness. He also runs the largest mining and shipping conglomerate in Africa and now owns an ancient cave where three crystals of unknown origin have been discovered. As his father gives him the blood crystal on his death bed and, with it, the ability to control people's minds, so the stone infects Benjamin's own mind and begins to reveal an ancient prophecy. As his obsession with the crystal grows, so he spirals out of control. Ultimately, he will stop at nothing to get his hands on Eli's crystal which, he believes, is the key to unlocking the prophecy.
Lola Abaddon (Christl Weinbeck)
Lola is Benjamin's deranged sister. After murdering a teenage boy who was bullying Benjamin in high school, Lola was locked up in an asylum for more than a decade. Now back with her brother, she believes she has a daughter named Ivy. However, Ivy is merely a broken doll that she found in the asylum. She loves her brother deeply, but wants the emerald crystal for herself. She suffers from a rare psychotic disorder, which leads her to believe that she's living in some sort of twisted fairytale.
Ziv Agbaria (Ryan Davies)
Ziv is an ex-member of the Israeli Special Forces and carries out much of Benjamin's bidding to devastating effect. But is Ziv one of Benjamin's trusted generals or merely a pawn in a high-stakes game?
Klaus Engel (Chris van Rensburg)
Known as 'Mr Angel', Klaus is a German national working for Benjamin Abaddon. On the surface he heads up Systems Security for Abaddon Holdings, but is there more to it than that? It's not long before Klaus's dark side begins to show.
Alexandra Molotov (Sarah Kozlowski)
Alexandra is a human trafficker. She is also Benjamin's girlfriend. A six-foot soulless vixen capable of almost anything.
Noah (Luthuli Dlamini)
Noah is the head of a clandestine agency that operates outside the government's control. He is acutely aware of the power of the crystals and of the potential threat they pose to mankind.
Malik
A mysterious figure working with local police, Malik is tracking the Abaddon family and has an agenda all of his own. Specialist? Mercenary? Government operative? Time will tell.
Broadcast Notes
BET Africa aired the series as eight hour-long episodes. e.tv and eKasi+ aired the series as 16 half-hour episodes.
Season 1 Cast
(scroll to bottom for available actor bios)
Starring
Pacou Mutombo ... Eli King
Katlego Baaitse ... Kay Brennan
Pauline Zwane ... Maya Dlamini
Bartho van Tonder ... Benjamin Abaddon
Christl Weinbeck ... Lola Abaddon
Chris van Rensburg ... Klaus Engel
Ryan Davies ... Ziv Agbaria
Luthuli Dlamini ... Noah
Sarah Kozlowski ... Alexandra Molotov
Tessa Jubber ... Cat
Michael Mutombo ... Malik
Chanelle Sardinha ... Chanelle (as Chanelle Sardinah)
Cindy Swanepoel ... Angela Style
Ron Smerczak ... Richard Abaddon
David Jordaan ... Detective Jordaan
Troy Rohland ... Troy Smith
Lochner de Kock ... Gunther Engel
Motsi Tekateka ... Max Khumalo
Sanli Jooste ... Lisa Winters
Charl de Villiers ... Marcus Marais
Recurring / Guests
Adriana de Olivera ... Dancer
Angelique de Amaral ... Extra
Ann Baker-Keulemans ... Ms Baker
Apie Cronje ... Abaddon Guard
Arno Botes ... Thug
Arye Kellman ... DJ Kellman
Ashley Dowds ... Acting Coach
Benedikt Sebastian ... Corrupt Cop
Brett May ... TV Director
Casper Nyathi ... David King
Cassandra Sfetsios ... Benjamin's Lover
CC Rudder ... TV Girl
Cecilia Wilmot ... Psychic
Chiara Fidalgo ... Dancer
Christelle van Graan ... Susan Jordaan
Conrad Kock ... Main Abaddon Gaurd
Craig Hean ... Craig Jackson
Daniel Moloi ... Ambulance Staff
Divan Lamprecht ... Abaddon Guard
Eben Lubbe ... Agent Stone
Francois Botha ... Boxing Coach
Fred Wolmarans ... Abaddon Guard
Fritz Delport ... Mr Edwards
Gareth Crocker ... Abaddon Guard
Gavin Ramsay ... Abaddon Guard
Given Nyathi ... Agent Peterson
Henry Gwanzura ... Ziv Training Partner
Ian Winter Smith ... Abaddon Lawyer
Johannes Seepa ... Ambulance Staff
John Baker ... Archeologist
Katleho Molai ... DJ Manager
KLT Cronje ... Thug
Lauren Smit ... Make-up Artist
Leandro Pinto ... Dancer
Louis Nortje ... Piano Player
Lymarie Alberts ... Receptionist
Mabine Maila ... Marlyn Mokheti
Marumo Tshesane ... Hit Man
Mbali Maseko ... Ashley Dlamini
Melissa Du Pont ... Abaddon Lover
Michaela de Oliveira ... Dancer
Nick Keulemans ... Abaddon Board Member
Paul Davies ... Angel Bodyguard
Pepi ... Tattoo Artist
Phillip Wolmarans ... Abaddon Guard
Phumza Tiya ... Dead Girl
Sean Laval ... Abaddon Guard
Shevaun McCreedy ... Flower Girl
Sibongile Mohoto ... Ambulance Staff
Stacy Sham ... Dancer
Tamara Da Silva ... Dancer
Tania Knoop ... Mary Mokheti
Thato Sepuru ... Dancer
Theo Landey ... TV Guy
Trevor Goodwin ... Engel Guard
Walter Wolmarans ... Baby
Warren George ... Driver
Warren Wood ... Main Dancer
William Mangena ... Thato Mokheti
Wynand du Plessis ... Abaddon Guard
Yasmine Calasse ... Dancer
Zoe Kolver ... Young Lola Abaddon