Former Muvhango stars Tsholo Matshaba (Meme) and Jude Tshisevhe (Rudzani) return as headliners on Wednesday (12 August) in a new SABC2 drama series Mamello.
The series is set in Gauteng and centres round two dedicated teachers at Mamello High School who are determined to live up to the name of their school. Mamello means resilience and the two teachers find themselves needing to draw on their inner resources to manage the challenging circumstances they face at the school.
Tsholo plays principal and teacher Keneilwe Mogotsi who escapes an abusive marriage and returns to Sebokeng, the industrial township she ran away from as a young woman.
Her mission is to rescue Mamello High, a disadvantaged school on the verge of being closed down. As the series unfolds she attempts to rebuild her life while rebuilding the school.
Enter Patrick (played by Jude) and her life is made somewhat easier when she finds a soulmate in him. The two are drawn together through their passion for teaching and their vision of the future.
Together they face the challenges that face so many South African schools - a lack of resources, under-qualified teachers, an ever-changing curriculum, child-headed households, drugs, gangs, rape and teenage pregnancies.
Others in the cast include Refilwe Madumo as Dorah, Lethabo Bereng as Kamo and Lebohang Motaung as Kotsi.
The series is aimed at families but it's been placed in a timeslot that strongly suggests otherwise. It's airing in the late primetime slot of 21h30 weekly.
According to SABC2, the show aims to encourage parents, children and communities to be open and honest about their challenges and to find solutions together but the timeslot means this can't happen because it's too late. It needs to air earlier.