This coversation is a continuation of the past two scenes. If you haven't read them yet, it is advisable that you read them first. The first scene is available and so is the second scene.
Executive summary: In this very final scene of Muvhango actors unplugged, we chat about Sondeza and porn. Actress Mahumela has very strong opposing views on SA porn industry. We talk about Muvhango kissing and why kissing has become relevant to Muvhango storylines. Phila proves he can give Muvhango storyliners a run for their money and Rapulana Seiphemo tells me why he would like to kiss all Muvhango ladies. This was supposed to be scene 3 and 4 but I decided to just gooi everything in here so the filming can end.
Muvhango ladies all cosy during our chat
Nthabi: What’s Sondeza?
Makisto and Mahumela: You don’t wanna go there, believe us!
Makisto: Actually, let her go there and find out what the site is all about.
Mahumela: No no no no no, you know what? If I want to watch porn, I will watch porn from America, not here!
Makisto: Why not South Africa? Don’t many people believe local is lekker?
Mahumela: I cannot watch...
Nthabi: Is it Black people on Sondeza.
Neo: Yes
Mahumela: local porn because with the thought of Ubuntu, especially...
Millicent: People, we are still being recorded, right Makisto?
Makisto: Yes, this is a story for my blog.
Millicent: So, you were saying about Facebook?
Makisto: No no no no no no no n o Milli, we are talking Sondeza now. The Facebook profile is now closed. We talking Sondeza now, we talking Sondeza now, we talking Sondeza now (lolling)
Themba Nofemele (Ranthumeng), Mahumela Mahuwa (Susan) and Makisto
Mahumela: It never crosses your mind that there is another Black woman doing something like that somewhere. You know, like when we were growing up, people will say porn and you want to watch White people. That’s the mentality we grew up with. Then you hear they are filming porn in Venda and that is so not on.
Makisto: But people who are for it are saying in any case, people will still buy DVDs at Adult World and they are from American and European markets. So they argue: Why shouldn’t we have our own thing here to supply our own people with this commodity they need. How do you feel about that kind of a statement?
Mahumela: No people, we are Africans, some things don’t just...
Azwi: We have a standard of morality...
Mahumela: Ja
Azwi: Playing with nudity isn’t acceptable in African culture. Nudity is for the bedroom. Some things we do is not for the public. We don’t wanna see you naked and we don’t wanna see you playing with stuff. Intimacy belongs in the bedroom.
Makisto: Ok now, let’s leave it there. I wanna drive this conversation back to Muvhango and spice it with some sort of Sondeza. I do know that Muvhango is a family show and everything. Therefore, characters don’t actually kiss, we have never seen kissing scenes until very recently. Now, with our bedroom talk, would you say because of the whole pro-African theme that’s the thumbprint of the show, has necessitated that you guys don’t kiss on screen, would you say that?
Mahumela: Muvhango is family show and you can watch it with your children. As African people, I don’t wanna watch TV with my mother and there are people kissing and kissing and kissing some more. Muvhango is that kind of a show that you can watch with everyone including children and older people.
Makisto: However, I have been reliably told that the kissing veil has been lifted and there is more kissing coming our way. I wrote about this a while back on my Frankly Speaking blog on TVSA and one of the bloggers said they want to see the chief and Pfuluwani kissing. Do you think we can ever see something like that ko Muvhango?
Actress Azwi Malaka (Pfuluwani) and one of Muvhango directors Brenda Mukwevho (who played Lufuno)
Mahumela: Foerget it, forget it...
Makisto: Why?
Mahumela: Forget it...
Makisto: What would be your reaction if the producers or the writers decide to come up with such a storyline?
Mahumela: I’m getting paid, so why not? (We all lol)
Makisto: So you would like it?
Mahumela: It’s not that would like it or not like it.
Makisto: Wena Millicent you have been very quiet. How would you feel if Agnes was to start having kissing scenes:
Millicent: Agnes would kiss that person.
Makisto: Ok, and Nthabi, would Meiki kiss Mmbangiseni?
Nthabi: Well Mmbangiseni is no longer part of the storyline. However, I think on TV, things have to be done with motivation and be educational. I don’t like scene that are nje like as in The Bold and The Beautiful. I think that show should move to 22:00 because everyday is...uhm, what’s her name?
Makisto: Brooke modelling her lingerie and being date-raped by Ridge who is her daughter’s step-brother.
(Rapulana comes back now that the Sondeza thingie is over. I only hear his voice saying something in the background of my recording and I ‘m thinking he was asking if Sondeza is over)
Muvhango extras, lol
Nthabi: (Loling) Exactly, there is no motivation why she is kissing Ridge and his father Eric then the sister (Donna) is also kissing Eric. I just had a conversation with Neo that if my kissing storyline had a motivation, I would do it happily. I won’t just kiss nje because people want to see me and Rapulana kissing because they enjoy the sound we make, it’s not gonna happen.
Makisto: Ok!
Neo: But I’m thinking it comes down to
Nthabi: (Interrupting) Our viewers are conservative imagine me walking around in lingerie (Oh oh, I can imagine Nthabi in lingerie and all I see is delicious and in my mind I go damn, mara Denis Tau ke tlo mo shapa ka stena one day.)
Neo: Eish, the mother is dating her ex-husand’s son and her son is dating her nemises ( Taylor)
Rapulana: Then I must start watching The Bold!
Nthabi: Meiki just parading around in lingerie in the Mokoena house
Makisto: Rapulana, you mean you never watch The Bold?
Rapulana: No no, I have seen The Bold.
Neo: Is this still part of the story?
Makisto: Yes it is, I am recording you guys and every word you say will be online and will be available for generations to come. I am going to publish this story in two or three parts because it is long.
Nthabi: Sometimes we need to do things with a purpose. We can’t just kiss nje fela.
Rapulana: Let’s just kiss nje. (we all burst out laughing because Rapulana is quite a comedian, not the Trevor Noah kind of comedian but an actor comedian. Hope you catch my drift)
Dingaan Mokebe and Rapulana Seiphemo check their lines for one last time
Makisto: (I calm the lolling and get everyone back on track) Ok, what do you guys think of Spha and Vuyiswa’s kissing? Since Phila is here, he may want to reply to this. Phila?
Nthabi: In that relationship, they needed that kiss and it made sense why they kissed. They didn’t just kiss. Kissing is uncomfortable and so is Spha and Vuyiswa’s relationship. They needed to kiss.
Rapulana: Are you saying other relationships don’t need a kiss?
Nthabi: No, because it was part of telling the story on how...
Rapulana: Why do you think I came back to Muvhango? I came back to kiss. (We all lol) I was like heah, suddenly people are kissing in Muvhango, let me go back and see if I can also kiss a few Muvhango ladies.
Makisto: Ok, there is a story here, there is a story here. Rapulana, are you saying you are back for good?
Rapulana: No no no, I’m back for a kiss, when I get the kiss I leave. (We all can’t help but laugh. This guy is a serious comedian sjoe)
Makisto: Who do you want to kiss?
Phila, Jo-Anne and Makisto
Rapulana: Everybody. Of all the soapies right now currently on air on television, Muvhango has the most beautiful women. I wouldn’t mind kissing all of them. From the receptionist to the CEO, I wouldn’t mind kissing my way to the CEO. (Hint hint on why Pheko is back!)
Nthabi: But you passed the coffee shop (Meiki’s coffee shop Dukathole) and the lawyer (Nomusa played by Neo) on the way.
Makisto: Phila, how do you feel about Vuyiswa and Spha’s kissing?
Phila: No comment!
Makisto: Stop that! I want a story here man. Unless if you have the hots for Zukisa Matola lol?
Phila: I don’t know what you on about. (Everybody lols and I miss the joke, as it turns, Phila likes joking when on set)
Makisto: Fine fine, whatever! Let’s talk about your hair. Why did you cut your hair?
Phila: It was falling.
Makisto: Tjo! So you are rocking shorter hair now. Is this gonna be for a longer period or it’s for now until you have decided what to do with your hair?
Phila: I am keeping it this way.
Makisto: I do know that Vuyiswa is going to leave Spha heartbroken. Are we going to see him finding somebody else as Pheko will also find some sort of rebound love.
Thandaza's mother Mankosi (Cyntia Shange)
Phila: I don’t know about her leaving him.
Makisto: You don’t?
Phila: I don’t.
Makisto: So how would he feel if Vuyiswa left him?
Phila: Very sad because they have a child.
Makisto: They have a child? O kae ngwana wa gona?
Phila: O teng. (Everyone laughs out loud and the director had to ask us to keep our noise on a minimum because the cameras are busy rolling on the other side of the church)
Azwi: That’s Muvhango of your own, we don’t know anything about it.
Makistso: Was the child conceived on the day Vuyiswa ne a gogela Spha is her office and they were all kissy kissy and Vuyiswa was unbuttoning his shirts?
Rapulana and Dingaan Mokebe (James) in a scene
Phila: Ke eng go gogela?
Nthabi: To pull.
Phila: Oh, ok. Yes, that’s the day the child was conceived.
Makisto: How does Spha feel about fatherhood?
Phila: Because Spha is an 18-year old, he is very excited and confident. He is now a club manager and the money is good you know, (Azwi laughs) and Vuyiswa got him a Range Rover and he is leaving the life.
Makisto: Is this true love though because it seems Vuyiswa is just using Spha’s young energy to make herself feel like an 18-year old too?
Phila: Yes, is is true love, when it is true love, they are against and when it’s not true love, they are not against.
Makisto: But now, how does Vuyiswa feel ka the pregnancy?
Muvhango elderly
Phila: She is a bit depressed because the first pregnancy she miscarried.
Azwi: OMG
Phila: I’m joking, all these things I’m saying I’m joking.
Makisto: But is Vuyiswa really pregnant?
Phila: The pregnancy I cannot confirm because due to contractual reasons, I am bound not to divulge
Makisto: Jo-Anne, you have been very quiet. You wanna tell us anything about your upcoming storyline.
Phila: In her storylines it comes t light that she is a transgender.
Makisto: We can never see something like that ko Muvhango. The show doesn’t do things like that.
Phila: We actually find out that she is a man.
Azwi: Jo-Anne, he says your character is a man.
Makisto: Ok now, I’m signing out and switching off my BlackBerry voice recorder.
Pictures through Makisto's lens.