Generations -Where have the good ones gone?

The death of Siyabonga Twala’s character, Paul Mashaba, seems like the last nail in the coffin of the moribund show.
Rumours of Twala’s departure started last year in September and it was said that he would be gone in December and when that month came and went, many fans hoped that Paul would continue on the show.
But when he was struck down with cancer, it became obvious that Twala was on an irreversible trail out. Connie Ferguson, the last of the original cast members also bowed out last year and she has since joined her husband Shona Ferguson on M-Net’s soap, The Wild. Another key character, Ntombi, is reportedly in the US but chances are we have seen the last of her as well, or she will just be back for a farewell scene.
The director and the writers are obviously out to wring every last bit of emotion from the viewers through the distraught Dineo as she deals with the cruel blow that fate has dealt her just when she thought she had found happiness at last.
Generations built a huge following locally when it was screened on ZTV a long time ago and later on the free-to-air decoders. With a gripping story line and great actors, the show just forced one to make sure that they did not miss the next episode. But somehow it looks like they have lost the plot and now it has become a propaganda tool to push the gay agenda and other human rights issues. That in itself is no crime and the other SABC1 production Intersexions certainly demonstrated that education need not mean boring.
One wonders if the writers of the soap have all been fired or if they have just lost editorial control? Or is it that the organisations that are sponsoring the show are killing the creativity of the writers in the interest of pushing their agendas?
With the much publicised money problems at SABC there is no doubt that the producers have had to compromise to survive, but at what cost?
The handling of the Jason and Senzo affair has just been off putting. And it is not about homophobia, but getting their issues rubbed in your faces all the time just becomes a bit too much unless you have been warned that you are about to watch a gay rights show.
These shows are meant to be no-brainer entertainment for people to vicariously experience the emotional highs and lows, tragedies and triumphs that generally do not happen to many of us in our lifetimes.
Fabulously rich people, handsome men, beautiful women, evil villains and perfect good people all become objects of fans’ undying devotion or fervent hatred. In some cases fans have been known to attack actors over acts committed by their characters. That is how powerful a soap can be.
Soap operas rely on gripping plots to keep their fans coming back for more and it takes a lot of talent for writers to keep people asking for more five days a week, 52 weeks in a year. And even if the initial capturing of imaginations is wildly successful, that is no guarantee that the love affair will continue. A case in point is on the local productions that have all failed to inspire and sustain fan loyalty over the years.
Twala, who joined the cast in 2007, is said to have left because he was not comfortable with the way his character was developing. Ferguson allegedly cited differences with the producers as her reason for leaving. And before her final departure she was off the screen for quite a long time as what should have been a short trip turned into an epic journey in an obvious manifestation of some behind-the-scenes troubles.
Last year Generations associate producer Pulane Boesak denied that Twala was unhappy with the plot. She said Twala was moving to KwaZulu-Natal to pursue other business interests which would make it impossible for him to continue working on the show.
“He approached the producers and told them that he wanted to move to KwaZulu-Natal. He will always be part of the Generations family and the doors will always be open for him if he wants to come back.”
Boesak said Paul Mashaba would not be killed off.
Famous last words. Now Paul is dead and we are left to see what is next for Twala.
With several other mainstream soaps like the increasingly popular e.tv’s Rhythm City and Scandal, the viewers of Generations are bound to keep on shrinking in numbers. And that is before one even considers the international scorchers like Desperate Housewives available on DStv.
Born and raised in Umlazi township in Durban, Twala began stage acting in 1989. In 1996, he made his screen debut in made-for-TV movie Born Free: A New Adventure. He also acted as Mfaniseni in SABC1’s Emzini Wezintsizwa, a popular comedy about life in hostels.
But it wasn’t until 2005 that he landed the leading role of newspaper publisher Vusi Zwane on e.tv’s Scandal! That was the point that mstar shone. The following year he rocked the theatre with his role in The Suitcase.
In October 2007 he won the Golden Horn for Best Actor in a TV Soapie at the second annual South African Film and Television Academy Awards (Saftas) for his role in Scandal!
Source: questionmarkmag.com