Season 3
Tsha Tsha is a South African educational youth drama series produced by Curious Pictures and CADRE (Centre for AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation) which follows the lives of young people in the fictional rural Eastern Cape town of Lubusi, as they negotiate the big issues of life – love, sex and relationships.
It is broadcast in Xhosa, with English subtitles.
The series originally aired in South Africa on SABC1 from 11 April 2003 to 27 October 2006. There are 78 half-hour episodes in four seasons. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 3 originally aired on SABC1 from 20 October, 2004 to 13 April, 2005, on Wednesdays at 20h30. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are 26 episodes in the third season.
Season 3
There is plenty of drama in Lubusi as the young people from Tsha Tsha 3 make their way through the passage to adulthood.
The town is gripped by taxi violence; evil lurks in the form of Cedric, the father of Boniswa’s child; there are murders and mayhem, court cases and intrigue.
The four lead characters, Viwe, DJ, Andile and Boniswa are joined by a strong supporting cast.
Mimi (Brenda Ngxoli) is a successful business-woman running a hair salon; Unathi (Mpho Makoko) gets involved in a really destructive relationship with Cedric (Luzuko Nkqeto) and Lazola (Pumzile Mlungwana) flits from one failed business venture to another.
Newcomer Zuko Dwane - a medical doctor by profession - makes her debut as the beautiful but damaged Chuma, a waitress in the Satisfaction.
Lubusi also gets a new mechanic, Hennie Blignaut (Deon Stewardson) and the introduction of a white person into this world has hilarious and surprising results.
Tsha Tsha was produced for SABC Education by the Centre for AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and Curious Pictures. It was funded by USAID through Johns Hopkins University Health Communications Partnership, which also provided funding support for research on the series.
Harriet Gavshon and David Jammy from Curious Pictures and Warren Parker from CADRE were the Executive Producers of Tsha Tsha.
All the principal actors grew up in the Eastern Cape and are familiar with the language and texture of a small town. Producer Lumko Dukashe and many of the crew are also from the Eastern Cape, and kept a watching brief on authenticity and the use of language.
Tsha Tsha had numerous directors, including Tim Greene, Shaft Moropane, Rolie Nikiwe and Catherine Stewart. Director of Photography on Tsha Tsha was Mike Downie.
Seasons
Series exclusive to SABC1. Rebroadcast dates included.
Season 1 (13 episodes)
Premiere: 11 April 2003 | Finale: 4 July 2003 | Fridays, 20h30
Premiere: 2 September 2003 | Finale: 25 November 2003 | Tuesdays, 20h30
Season 2 (13 episodes)
Premiere: 9 January 2004 | Finale: 2 April 2004 | Fridays, 20h30
Premiere: 5 May 2008 | Finale: 28 July 2008 | Mondays, 20h30
Season 3 (26 episodes)
Premiere: 20 October 2004 | Finale: 13 April 2005 | Wednesdays, 20h30
Season 4 (26 episodes)
Premiere: 5 May 2006 | Finale: 27 October 2006 | Fridays, 20h30