As
you know, Scandal! erupted in a brouhaha on Monday night (10 March) when the show shot forward by a year with a new logo, title sequence, setting and radically new storylines after the NFH explosion the week before.
This isn't the first time a soapie's done this. First there was Generations which became The Legacy after the cast mutiny in 2013 and then Muvhango went through a time warp of 18 months, which turned out to be the beginning of the end for the show.
Is this an omen that Scandal! will suffer the same fate? Gen managed to survive it, will Scandal! too?
If you're finding yourself in confused-ville with the new characters, here's a close-up on each of them, with a portrait of Mthunzi too and a list of the pre-bomb actors who'll be returning:
Botsotso
Played by Wright Ngubeni
Botsotso is an attractive former soccer star in his 30s. He is the definition of a chancer. He has a way of getting what he wants out of people but somehow ends up owing everybody around him.
He has an endless line of credit from when he was a big deal in the community. However, he still found a way to make his former stardom keep working for him at Ethembeni, scoring him a free drink or meal here and there.
His friendly ease and charming personality make him easily liked by everyone around him. He gets away with all his random shenanigans because he is such a likable guy.
While his soccer days seem to be in his past in terms of age and fitness level, he still believes that his soccer career isn’t completely over. In his mind he can get back to the game at any time.
He was a skilled soccer player, and his dream died too soon. He doesn’t want to be told that he is too old to play the game he loves and refuses to give up on his pipe dreams.
For a man who had the fame and the fans, now he seems to be alone in the world.
De Wet Myburgh
Played by Danny De Bruyne
De Wet is a hardworking man who runs his own business in Ethembeni. He is a principled man. He has a big goal of making a success of his bottle store.
When he moved to Johannesburg, he fell in love with the vibrancy of Ethembeni and never looked back.
He makes sure to mind the business that pays him and keeps him out of trouble. He feels like an outsider looking in sometimes as the only white man running a business in Ethembeni.
The arrival of new people threatening his business has put De Wet on high alert, but he tries to find a middle ground with the new owners of Ethembeni, so he doesn’t lose his livelihood.
He found love with Tshidi, who brought a different energy into his life. He has always had an interest in being with black women, and when he met Tshidi, he left his wife, making his sidepiece his new wife.
They have a very passionate relationship with squabbles that have to be endured by the residents at Ethembeni sometimes. But even through all their ups and downs De Wet would still choose Tshidi over anyone.
Ephraim Gasa
Played by Bongani Gumede
Ephraim is a dignified and highly respected man. He values family and takes his role as an uncle and grandfather seriously. He is not very trusting of new people.
He is responsible and is seen as a leader in the community. People in Ethembeni trust his views and opinions and trust his judgment. He is a no-nonsense kind of man.
His presence makes you think twice before you say or do anything out of line. He takes pride in his traditions and culture. He is firm about holding onto his culture and beliefs.
He is a strong believer in building a legacy, which is why he cares deeply about his butchery business and Ethembeni.
With the arrival of new people, he feels that they threaten the legacy he plans to build for his family. He is resistant to the change that has come and tries to fight it.
He is loyal to his friendship and partnership with Sammyday, so when Sammyday is the one to bring strangers to Ethembeni, Ephraim doesn’t take too kindly to that betrayal.
With some difficulty he warms up to the idea of change at Ethembeni.
Even though he has family with Nhloso, his nephew, Ephraim longs for love. He made a mistake long ago, which cost him his marriage, and this haunts him to this day.
Amid his longing he has found comfort in Kedibone Thubela’s arms. Kedibone has proven to be the sense of peace and love Ephraim needs, and their budding romance shows great promise.
Kedibone Thubela
Played by Khutjo Green
Kedibone is a fierce mama bear who loves and wants the best for her son, but only if the best serves her or measures up to her expectations.
She is hard to please because of her expectations. She has a mean side to her, especially when it comes to what she wants for her son and family.
She is a woman who has had many hardships which have hardened her and left many scars. She has had bad luck in love, which makes her overly cautious.
She has worked hard to make sure her family has food on the table. She dreams of her son becoming a success and saving their family from poverty.
Experiencing Poet and Thoriso’s love has opened her eyes to her faults and how unfairly she treated them because of her bias. In accepting their love, she has gained a daughter and another family.
Facing her hardships and the pain she experienced from Poet’s father Kedibone, she's been able to open herself up to love again. Healing the hurt parts of her has allowed her to love Ephraim, which has been good for her.
Even though she still makes some questionable choices, at least now she has a village to steer her in the right direction and love her.
MaThubela
Played by Ruth Tladi
While MaThubela can be a wholesome grandmother, she has a fun side to her. She is warm and loving towards the people she holds dear.
She is not afraid to speak her mind. She is very protective of the people she loves. She is loveable and easy to talk to and has a knack for making anyone feel welcome and seen.
MaThubela has her finger on the pulse of her community and is known for knowing the goings on in the community she loves so much.
Her faith is very important to her, and she is a senior member of her church. She has found a good friend in MaDlomo through their love of God and fellowshipping together.
She is a woman of many talents and has extensive experience in childcare from when she ran her own creche.
Mthunzi Mayiza
Played by Bongile Matsai
Mthunzi is a Jekyll and Hyde character, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. At first glance, he comes across as extremely innocent and pleasant, but his bite is worse than his bark.
All his efforts to take down the Langas and his backhanded schemes ultimately landed him in prison. Now he is back and on the lookout for another score.
Having been accustomed to an expensive lifestyle and being the man who sat in the seat of power, coming back into the world with nothing is a huge adjustment. His life as a successful businessman is officially in the past.
Now Mthunzi has to start anew and grind from the bottom. He has nothing to lose and wants the easy way of making it back on top.
He is handsome, sexy, charismatic, and utterly charming. He’s ambitious, calculating, and can be ruthless. He’s under control and a smooth operator.
He’s a chameleon who easily plays different roles to different people to get what he wants. When he wants something, he carefully plans it but can be impatient.
He likes taking risks. He believes the world owes him, doesn’t like working hard, and wants things to happen now.
He’s selfish and an opportunist, who will do anything to achieve his goals, even if it means betraying those who are close to him.
Sammyday More
Played by Owen Sejake
He is an OG Kofifi-type character. He is a divorcee - his marriage never worked out for him. Despite his bad luck in romance, he is still a ladies’ man.
Commitment isn’t his thing. Women come in and out of his life, and he isn’t against paying for a good time with a woman.
The tragic thing about Sammyday is that he doesn’t have anyone. From the outside looking in, he leads a sad life which is difficult to see.
People easily enjoy his company and everyone around him finds him charming and charismatic, which is why the sense of loneliness in his personal life is so tragic. He has a strained relationship with his family and has a son out in the world whom he hasn’t met.
In his Hay Day, he was in league with the big dogs in the business game, but he wanted to be the top dog on his own.
He is a man who is always ready to pitch the next big business idea. Even though his current venture is a sinking ship Sammyday is sticking it out.
He's holding onto his dream even though everything is falling apart. He is headstrong and can be set in his ways which can cause friction with any partners he may work with.
Tshidi Myburgh
Played by Botlhale Baitsiwe
She is very youthful! She isn’t loud. Tshidi is the kind of woman that isn’t easy to read. She is the sort of person who isn’t a gossip but is always in the know.
She can easily instigate things but manages to avoid getting in trouble for it. She operates under the radar. Tshidi isn’t the sort of person who speaks her mind easily.
She has an element of being two-faced and knows how to use anything to her advantage. It always feels like something is bubbling under the surface with her. She has a keen ability to hide her true feelings about things.
She is a side-chick turned wife. Tshidi is the perfect example of side-chicks winning and kicking the wife out of her marriage. Tshidi and De Wet are truly in love and are the perfect match.
While it stings that De Wet’s family refuses to accept her, she is happy with her marriage.
Tshidi is a very passionate lover, which she expresses in very public and loud fights with De Wet when they have disagreements.
Even though they fight like cats and dogs they also show up for each other in every way.
Returning actors are:
Mapaseka Koetle (Dintle)
James Sithole (Mdala)
Kwenzo Ngcobo (Nhloso)
Londeka Sishi (Busisiwe)
Mamarumo Marokane (Vuvu)
Makoma Mohale (Tlhogi)
Seputla Sebogodi (Kgopolo)
Moses B. Mabuza (Taps)
Nombulelo Mhlongo (MaDlomo)
Kamogelo Maree (Thoriso)
Edward Nkhumishe (Poet)
Thandolwethu Ngidi (Thembelihle) and
Wonder Ndlovu (Ntuthuko)