Johannesburg – Ekhaya, an Eswatini-produced telenovela, broadcast its debut nine-part episode on SABC 1 to a South African competitive sopie audience.
The Bumba Media production, directed by Samkelo Nxumalo, is a family conflict storyline that follows a hotshot lawyer, Mandla Manyatsi (played by Thembinkosi Mthethwa), whose career in the city faces challenges. Mandla, the son of a chief, finds himself back home, and his mother is unwell and not receiving medical care, clashing with his father. His wife miscarries. He receives a phone call from his sister telling him of his father’s demise, ending the episode.
He will be compelled to succeed his father, putting his strength to the test by preserving family secrets while battling inheritance conflicts and a prophet in order to save his mother and open the community clinic. 
SABC announced viewing data earlier this year, revealing that the daily soapie Skeem Saam, produced by Peu Communications, surpassed 4.5 million viewers, maintaining its status as one of South Africa’s most popular television dramas. Its ability to connect intimately with audiences across the country is credited to the amount of viewers who engage with characters.
