Season 1
Ak'siSpaza is a South African comedy-drama series set in a local, family-run supermarket staffed by a family of oddball employees with a set of varying personalities and stories.
These include all sorts, from recent Matric drop-outs to eternal dreamers and long-suffering cashiers.
Together they must all face the daily grind of discount hunters, the torture of end of season sales, awkward training sessions and sales targets, all whilst balancing their own personal lives.
The series is set in Kliptown, which allows for the series to present multiple and contradicting perspectives across colour, generational and class boundaries.
There are commonly held beliefs that mixing business with family is not a good idea, that you must always separate work from your personal life and that in the workplace nothing should be taken personally.
But what happens when you work with your family and the very people you are supposed to open up to about your workplace challenges are the cause of your workplace stress?
Working with family means that every criticism is taken personally and every fight will inevitably be taken home.
Ak'siSpaza is about taking the dysfunctions of family and putting them in a place where they will eventually lead to conflicting and humorous situations.
The series centres round ambitious but failed entrepreneur Tshiamo Tselane (Welile Nzuza), who is left to run his mother's supermarket after her death.
Having had terrible luck with all of his past projects, Tshiamo becomes hell-bent on making the supermarket successful enough to become a franchise one day in order to honour his mother’s legacy and prove his worth as a business man.
In the series premiere: After his mother's funeral, Tshiamo is shocked when his father (Bra Pantsula) returns out of the blue and learns that he has to share 50% of his inherited store with his estranged father.
Kopano gets punished for fighting at school when Tshiamo forces him to work at the store.
Ak'siSpaza was created by Kanne J Puso and Sphamandla Madondo and is produced by Coal Stove Productions. The series producer is Wandile Molebatsi and the supervising producer for SABC2 is Stephen Lorenzo.
Sanele Zulu is the director.
Season 1 Cast
(scroll to bottom for available actor bios)
Starring
Welile Nzuza ... Tshiamo
Sello Sebotsane ... Bra Pantsula
Chantal Stanfield ... Jade
Duane Williams ... Angelo
Mapaseka Koetle ... Puleng (as Mapaseka Kotle)
Meme Ditshego ... Refiloe
Bahle Hadebe ... Kopano
Recurring / Guests
Jerome du Plooy
Matli Mohapeloa
Mthunzi Ntoyi
Mpho Khumalo
Hloni Padi
Khanya Greens
Edmund Ngema
Nolwazi Shange
Dineo Nchabeleng
Nelson Ntombela
Lorraine Moropa
Leiden Colbet
Londiwe Nene
Extras
Njabulo Thabethe
Lufefe Stock
Abraham Phiri
Xolile Sibanyoni
Thulane Davis
Busisiwe Majola
Kagiso Skukula
Bonga Dladla
Siyabulela Kwaru
Daluthando Ndlovu
Thabo Ngcongca
Dipuo Maseko
Gcina Sithole
Titus Langa
Mason Moyo
Bonokuhle Ndlovu
Neo Maseko
Sibongile Ntshangase
Godfrey Khawuleza
Sfundo Nkosi
Portia Mabala
Norman Nhlapho
Katlego Mncwane
Monica Ngobeni
Kingsley Davids
Seema Tekezulu
Elijah Shazi
Azile Moletye
Busisiwe Dongeni
Itemogeng Phelwane
Adelaide Ncongwane
Nokukhanya Mhlongo
Sanelisiwe Zulu
Chrispen Nyathi