Zimbabwean film actor and producer based in South Africa, Mthulisi Moyo, says local comedian-cum musician Freddy “Kapfupi” Manjalima was deliberately omitted in the drama titled Mahlalela 2 because the story line does not involve the beleaguered artist.
By Staff Reporter
Kapfupi and South African kwaito star Freddy Gwala featured in Moyo’s project, Mahlalela 1 — an enthralling drama which was shot in Harare (Zimbabwe) and Soweto (South Africa) in 2015.
Speaking from his South African base, Moyo clarified why the Mai Nga hitmaker was not part of the Mahlalela 2 cast.
“A large chunk of the drama was shot in South Africa and Kapfupi was not part of that. However, we have started shooting Mahlalela 3 whose large part will be shot in Harare and Kapfupi will be the main man,” Moyo told The Standard Style.
“I will be in Zimbabwe in the next few days where we will be working with Kapfupi and other guys from Zimbabwe.” Moyo said Mahlalela 2 would soon be on the streets. “It’s coming out soon and it will be distributed by Diamond Studios in Zimbabwe,” he said.. Moyo recently released another drama titled Mahlalela Inalithi, which features veteran South African actor Vusi Thanda, popularly known as Tshwawe. Gwala also features in the drama that has shaken the South African performing arts sceen.
Mahlalela 1 was about a young man, Mahlalela (Moyo) who stayed in his brother’s (Kapfupi) matrimonial house. This caused friction between the brother and his wife (Mavis Mpofu) as she was not comfortable with the arrangement. The brother, who was hiding his identity as a Zimbabwean and had South African identity documents, then asked his pastor (Gwala) to help Mahlalela get lodgings. In Mahlalela 2, the pastor helps Mahlalela to get a job in South Africa, but unfortunately their joy is short-lived after Mahlalela is arrested because he does not have proper immigration documents. His efforts to return to his brother hit a brick wall because the brother relocated to Zimbabwe. As a result, Mahlalela is now caught between a rock and a hard place. Moyo said the involvement of Kapfupi and Gwala in the productions was meant to unite Zimbabwean and South African artists.
“My aim is to see fellow artists in Zimbabwe and South Africa work together and share ideas. You will find out that in the drama there are times when Kapfupi speaks in Zulu while Gwala speaks in Shona,” Moyo said.
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Moyo, who has been in the arts industry for the past 12 years, has produced a number of projects, including a drama titled Phandile, which did not do well on the market. He attributed its flop to lack of funding and publicity.
