BY Nkosazana Ngwadla
With an impressive cast, gripping storylines, and mouth-watering plot twists, the new Mzansi Magic telenovela, Gqeberha: The Empire, is promised to be a favorite with Mzansi viewers.
Produced by the multi-award winning Tshedza Pictures (The River, The Republic, Legacy), this is the first Mzansi Magic telenovela filmed entirely in the Eastern Cape.
Gqeberha: The Empire’s star-studded cast includes Zikhona Sodlaka (The Wife, Blood Psalms); Zandile Msutwana (Grootboom & Sons, The Queen); Mbulelo Grootboom (Wounds, Suidooster); Kay Bikitsha (The Queen); Phila Madlingozi (Isikizi, The Queen); Anele Matoti (Recipes for Love and Murder, Wounds); and Akhenime Mfenyana.
Luzuko Mxenge (played by Grootboom) is a successful businessman who is husband to three very different, very strong wives: Bulelwa (played by Sodlaka), Zimkhita (played by Luzuko) and Nozuko (played by Bikitsha). What more could he want? Another wife, for starters.
Akhenime’s character, Anathi is first noticed by Thulani, the businessman’s son, but later impresses the businessman himself with her beauty when he dines at the restaurant he works at. With her poor background and dream of becoming a chef with her own restaurant, Anathi agrees to marry Luzuko because she is charmed by him and knows that marrying him will change the life of her family.
Her portrayal of Anathi has already impressed viewers – and who doesn’t love a fresh face on television?
“Mzansi Magic is excited to premiere a new telenovela, which is one of the genres our channel is known for and that our viewers enjoy greatly. With its premiere, we are excited to expand into Gqeberha and the Eastern Cape – a first for the telenovela world.
With the incredible quality of storytelling from one of the top production houses on the continent, we are optimistic that the audiences will fall in love with the series,” says Shirley Adonisi, Director of Local Entertainment Channels at M-Net.
His decision to expand the family soon threatens to bring out the bitterness his wives have long suppressed – but also comes with complications no one could have predicted, endangering his relationship with his heir-apparent.
Gqeberha: The Empire follows themes of dynasty, family, love, betrayal, polygamy, and jealousy, through the lens of characters viewers will be able to relate to – there will be those you root for and those you love to hate.
Catch the show every weekday at 9pm only on Mzansi Magic.
