By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The South African Broadcasting Co-operation (SABC) announced that telenovela Pimville will be discontinued from tonight, due to unresolved contractual obligations with the production company, Bakwena Productions.
In a statement this evening, The SABC said that its “regrets to announce that Pimville will be discontinued from tonight, due to unresolved obligations and breaches identified and communicated formally to Bakwena Productions”.
Fullview learnt that no further episodes are available and have been produced to air.
The production companies normally shoot three months ahead of broadcast to establish a buffer for editing, visual effects, and network scheduling.
This lead time allows crews to accommodate actor maternity leaves, align with seasonal requirements, and streamline the post-production pipeline.
However the discontinuation comes after the public broadcaster has suspended the head of content Lala Tuku and other executives amid the payment crisis involving the telenovela.
The SABC has launched an internal investigation to determine whether proper controls and intervention measures were followed as the crisis escalated.
It is trying to recover R19 million that it paid to Bakwena Productions to produce episodes of telenovela Pimville and which it is struggling to get out of the company.
In April 2025, SABC CEO Nomsa Chabeli wrote to Tsholofelo Katlego Bodlani, Democratic Alliance (DA) member who is part of the portfolio committee on communications, confirming that the SABC had contracted Bakwena Productions to make Pimville.
She acknowledged awareness of the payment allegations against Bakwena Productions and gave her assurance that the SABC has appointed a supervising producer to ensure payment compliance to the cast and crew.
The SABC will now fill the Pimville timeslot at 21:00 with repeats of the telenovela Amalanga Awafani – not the content that advertisers were promised in the timeslot with the broadcaster that will have to do make-goods.
Bakwena Productions is owned by actor Kagiso Modupe and the married couple Rashaka “Rush” Muofhe and Brenda Muofe – notorious for not paying casts, crew and other service providers.
The production company is also embroiled in a nasty legal battle with Black Brain Pictures after its founder Mandla Ngcongwane borrowed Bakwena Productions R4.2 million in order for Bakwena to pay casts and crews.