Season 1
Home Affairs is a South African television drama series created and produced by Roberta Durrant for Penguin Films which tells the story of nine very different women whose lives are interconnected by universal synchronicity and examines the connections people share with one another, unwittingly or not.
The series aired on SABC1 from 14 July, 2005 to 11 March, 2010. There are 65 hour-long episodes in four seasons. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 1
Home Affairs is a drama by women for women.
It tells the story of nine very different women whose lives are interconnected by universal synchronicity and is about the connections people share with one another, unwittingly or not.
The women's stories reflect the wide cultural range of South African women. The women each undertake a journey of self-discovery, connecting with each other in various and random ways.
Katlego is a drama student at university who has to reconcile the emerging sense of her African identity with her Eurocentric upbringing.
Her journey collides with that of Thandeka - a highly driven NGO executive who dedicates her life to causes, but discovers that no cause can fill the void in her personal life - a void that began with her abandoning an infant child.
Vuyokazi is one of the lives touched by Thandeka's organisation. She uses sport as a way of elevating herself and escaping the misery of her home existence. Vuyo is not alone in her journey. She takes responsibility for the welfare of her younger sister, Buli.
Ntombi is a flight attendant whose job reflects her life - she is never grounded, always on the go and only experiencing life and love in fleeting moments.
Shanti is a doctor who has to balance the expectations of her family with listening to her own inner voice and being true to her heart.
Shanti's work brings her into contact with Cherise. Cherise is in an abusive relationship. Her challenge is to find the strength within herself to save her own life - and the life of her unborn child.
Katherine is Katlego's oldest friend who undertakes a journey of self-discovery to determine her identity as a white woman in post-apartheid South Africa - a country she still wants to call her home.
Finally there is Nandi, who works in the Home Affairs office and has always lived vicariously through observing other people's activities ... until now.
The show struggled for ratings in 2005 as it was competing in the hottest Thursday night timeslot - its competitors were the first season of The Apprentice: SA on SABC 3 and the first season of Desperate Housewives on M-Net.
The title of the show - Home Affairs - was supposed to have a duel meaning: affairs close to home and the more literal meaning of South Africa's Department of Home Affairs, where identities are found and lost, and where one of the characters works.
Unfortunately most South Africans view the Home Affairs office in a very negative light, and the season was almost over before viewers started realising that the dreary title did not match the surprisingly good quality of the show.
Home Affairs was created by Roberta Durrant with Portia Gumede, Makgano Mamabolo, Lodi Matsetela, Rosalind Butler, Catherine Stewart, Minky Schlesinger, Dennis Venter and Thomas Hall. The theme music was by Murray Anderson and Warrick Sony and the series was produced for SABC1 by Penguin Films.
Seasons
Series exclusive to SABC1
Season 1 (13 episodes)
Premiere: 14 July 2005 | Finale: 6 October 2005 | Thursdays, 21h00
Season 2 (13 episodes)
Premiere: 10 January 2006 | Finale: 4 April 2006 | Tuesdays, 22h00
Season 3 (13 episodes)
Premiere: 31 May 2007 | Finale: 23 August 2007 | Thursdays, 21h00
Season 4 (26 episodes)
Premiere: 3 September 2009 | Finale: 11 March 2010 | Thursdays, 20h30