January 31, 2020

Isidingo to end on 12 March 2020

A while ago we’ve heard that cash-strapped SABC decided to cancel Isidingo after 21 years on the air. Isidingo’s Twitter account announced that they’ve already shot the last episodes which will air on 12 March 2020.

Last week we shot our last Isidingo episode ever.
We have been blessed and proud to have been welcomed into your homes for the past 21 years.
Thank you for growing with us and allowing us to tell YOUR stories.
Tune in as we bid you farewell on the 12th March 2020.#Isidingo pic.twitter.com/PIXbPM8Hbw
— Isidingo (@IsidingoSABC3) January 30, 2020

Hopefully, Isidingo’s producers pitch the show to DSTV or Netflix and it can continue in some way. SABC didn’t always treat Isidingo with the respect it deserved, often moving or cancelling the show for sports programming. But to be fair, the Isidingo writers didn’t always treat fans well either. They’ve gone back to basics recently, but it was far too little, far too late.

I personally, tuned out of Isidingo four or five years ago and only watched three episodes on YouTube recently and it was legacy characters involved. Once when Ma Agnes and Bra Zeb were killed (off-camera) and another two episodes for Sechaba’s recent wedding. Isidingo had a huge gap when they let characters like Ma Agnes and Bra Zeb leave – characters that could’ve held the show together – and kept those like Barker Haynes, Rajesh Kumar and Lincoln Sibeko for far too long.

Isidingo was also late in the game going to YouTube due to some shortsightedness by some of their actors. While the show was topical it dropped the ball in not making episodes available on YouTube for those who couldn’t watch in real-time. As for the topicality of Isidingo, I hated it. I watch soapies to escape, not for reality. I know it was a popular feature for many – probably the majority – of Isidingo viewers.

I watched Isidingo when it started. My favourite characters were Cherel (Michelle Botes), Gottlieb (Rapulana Seiphemo), Lorraine (Tina Jaxa), Bra George Zamdela (Darlington Michaels), Katlego (Kgomotso Christopher), and a few more.

It’s always sad to say a final goodbye, even if I’ve said goodbye to Isidingo a long time ago. I wish lots of work for the actors and behind-the-scenes people who worked on Isidingo. I’ll see if I can recall my favourite memories in another post. One thing for sure, Isidingo had some of the best storylines in South Africa soap history.