Family Bonds (Ezomdeni in Zulu) is a South African television sitcom created by Mandla Thabethe about a young couple who move from the East Coast township of Umlazi to the suburbs of Umbilo and who are inundated with friends and relatives looking to catch a ride.
It tells the story of a young couple, Themba and Buyi Vilakazi, who recently moved from the East Coast township of Umlazi to the suburbs of Umbilo.
They've hardly been at their new home three months before first a live-in handyman and later numerous family members and friends start pouring in.
Some visit for a few days and others for weeks, all with the aim of living the good life while looking for work, getting some fresh air, and generally just chilling out.
Buyi's grandmother comes. Themba's half brother that he has not seen for more than a decade also comes. Winnie, a distant cousin to Buyi is also here. The whole situation becomes chaotic.
As if that is not enough, the guy who stays in a backroom, who has been quiet all along, now starts to behave like a member of this family.
The Vilakazis have had enough now - but how do they get rid of all these people?
Family Bonds wa created by Mandla Thabethe and produced for SABC1 by Deon Potgieter and Mandla Thabethe of Sosiba Entertainment. The series was directed by Nyembezi Kunene and Deon Potgieter.
The show is in Zulu, with English subtitles. It was the first South African sitcom in the millennium to be recorded in front of a live studio audience.
Broadcast Notes
The series originally aired on SABC1 from 27 February, 2007 to 13 July, 2009. It ended following the death of series creator and star Mandla Thabethe in January 2010. There are 39 half-hour episodes in two seasons.