Brenda Mhlongo dumps ‘Imbewu: The Seed’ for ‘The River’. Image via Twitter @TVMzansi
Brenda Mhlongo dumps ‘Imbewu: The Seed’ for ‘The River’
Actress Brenda Mhlongo – who plays KaMadonsela in ‘Imbewu: The Seed’ has dumped the e.tv telenovela for 1Magic’s ‘The River’.
Brenda Mhlongo dumps ‘Imbewu: The Seed’ for ‘The River’. Image via Twitter @TVMzansi
Seasoned actress Brenda Mhlongo – who plays KaMadonsela has reportedly dumped e.tv’s telenovela Imbewu: The Seed for 1Magic’s The River after producers downgraded her contract in 2021.
The Durban-based show reportedly offered her a lower-paying call actor’s contract last year (2021).
ALSO READ:‘Imbewu: The Seed’ replaces FIRED Buhle Samuels with Angela Sithole
BRENDA MHLONGO JOINS ‘THE RIVER’
Imbewu: The Seed actress Brenda Mhlongo – who plays the character of a traditional healer – KaMadonsela has joined Tshedza Pictures’ multi-award-winning telenovela The River.
Sources from e.tv’s telenovela informed City Press that the actress has relocated to Johannesburg to film with the show this month.
She joined The River after they offered her a more lucrative global contract.
It is alleged that the former Generations: The Legacy star felt “disrespected” when she was presented with a lower-paying call actor’s contract in 2021 by Imbewu.
“They’re cost-cutting and instead of letting her go – as they did to half the cast and crew last year – they put her on a call contract, which meant she was only paid per shoot.”
“As a big actress, she didn’t take kindly to that at all,”
Mhlongo joined Imbewu after Skeem Saam actress – Fundiswa Zwane dumped the show due to salary disputes.
ALSO READ:‘Imbewu’ replaces Nkanyiso Mchunu with Kay Sibiya after salary disputes
PLAYING KAMADONSELA IN ‘IMBEWU: THE SEED’
Sources added that Mhlongo reportedly handed in her resignation in March without warning.
“They’d written her role into the main storyline for coming episodes because, on the show, KaMadonsela had gone away to the river to perform some ritual and was set to come back.”
“Now they’ve been forced to write that character off, which they’ll somehow do by saying that KaMadonsela didn’t make it to the river.”
“[They’ll have to] kill that role because getting another actress to play it won’t be appealing to viewers,” said the source.
The source also says producers didn’t know she’d leave so abruptly and that they had to work around the clock to find alternatives.
“Actors who were shooting with her came to work for days after [her resignation] and were turned away because the script wasn’t yet ready to explain KaMadonsela’s departure.”
Other actors who left the telenovela between 2021 and 2022 include Buhle Samuels, Muzi Mthabela, Nkanyiso Mchunu, and Phindile Gwala.
ALSO READ:Inside Muzi Mthabela’s ‘Imbewu: The Seed’ exit and new ‘Generations’ role
