Season 1
Evita in Excelsior is a South African mockumentary miniseries which includes the story monologues Evita Bezuidenhout is famous for, and excerpts from iconic interviews.
Tannie Evita is 87 years old, and her life is crazy busy.
Her three grandchildren, Winnie-Jeanne (19), Nelson-Ignatius (16) and LaToya-Ossewania (13) live with her in Excelsior – an old mansion in Johannesburg she manages for the ANC.
Her old stalwart and personal assistant, Bokkie Bam, former high-ranking official of the dissolved homeland Bapetikosweti, helps Evita with her autobiography which takes them on a trip down memory lane through the minefields of the South African past and also obliges them to divulge a few old secrets.
Evita represents many of the fears, expectations and prejudices of her generation, but she is also aware of the need to listen and laugh, and the importance of hope and humour and koeksisters with rooibos tea.
She must adapt – not only with the daily challenges of democracy but also with the younger generation, a rapidly changing world and her age.
Between work on her autobiography and visits to Luthuli House, the family keeps her on her toes with teenage problems and modern opinions.
And Evita tries to keep up, but she can't figure out what TikTok is.
The cast of Evita in Excelsior includes Pieter-Dirk Uys as Evita Bezuidenhout, Lizz Meiring as Bokkie Bam, Vinette Ebrahim as Ella and Royston Stoffels as Cecil.
Also featured in the series are Brümilda van Rensburg, Hannes van Wyk, Martin Kluge, Veronique Jepthas, René Cloete, Ayden October, Brent Vermeulen and Tevin Musara.
Special guests in the series include General Secretary of the UDF and FEDSAW, Cheryl Carolus; Springbok legend Kobus Wiese; widow of ex-president FW de Klerk, Elita de Klerk; and the first South African chef to be awarded a Michelin star, Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen.
Evita in Excelsior was created and written by Pieter-Dirk Uys and is produced by Brainwave Productions for kykNET.
The series director is Tinarie van Wyk-Loots and the producer is Carien Loubser.
Season 1 Cast
(scroll to bottom for available actor bios)
Starring
Pieter-Dirk Uys ... Evita Bezuidenhout
Vinette Ebrahim ... Ella
Lizz Meiring ... Bokkie Bam
Royston Stoffels ... Cecil Gupta
Recurring / Guests
Brent Vermeulen ... Sammy
Hannes van Wyk ... Hannes van Wyk
René Cloete ... Latoya-Osewania
Ayden October ... Nelson-Ignasius
Veronique Jepthas ... Winnie-Jeanne
Tevin Musara ... Blackberry
Lesley Maasdorp ... Floor Manager
Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi ... Bored Security Officer
Lerato Sokhulu ... Comrade 1
Lebo Borole ... Comrade 2
Bongo Tshabalala ... Young Comrade
Zoleka Ndamoyi ... School Teacher
Jana Verburg ... School Pupil
Diatleho Mpeke ... School Pupil
Hazig Biggs ... School Pupil
Liezel Verburg ... School Parent
Pierre Mouandibou ... School Superintendent
Chris van Rensburg ... School Principal
Mbulelo Grootboom ... Leroy
Ramey Short ... Francois
Brümilda van Rensburg ... Babs
Johan Esterhuizen ... Herman
Martin Kluge ... Hairdresser
Marion Holm ... Hairdresser's Client
Aphiwe Sithole ... Security Officer (as Aphiwe Sitole)
Safwaan Esau ... Security Officer