PRODUCTIONS

EMZINI, SYNOPSIS:

BACKGROUND:

EMZINI is not only the title of the show, but the name of a prominent lounge situated in the heart of ALEXANRDA TOWNSHIP… a suburb of JOHANNESBURG. The business is owned by the NKOSI FAMILY, and whilst they enjoy the prominence and affluence of being a successful family, their past… and their future is inextricably linked to the MODISE FAMILY.

In the past, the Modise’s were a family of influence and means, but today, are destitute and struggle to live above the bread line… a fate dealt to them by the Nkosi’s.

BACKSTORY:
In the year 2000, a young, ambitious and beautiful DUDU NKOSI was stuck in an unhappy marriage to DUMA NKOSI, a local police constable, and a man toward whom she’d long been unfaithful. A charismatic, ambitious and strong-willed PANYAZA FAKUDE had captured her heart, and for many years they maintained a torrid, passionate and illicit affair behind Duma’s
back.

Panyaza impregnated Dudu, and as a result she gave birth to her first child, SHAKA… a boy Duma proudly believed to be his.
Things came to a head when Dudu came to the hard decision that she no longer wanted to be in a doomed marriage, but rather pursue a happy and authentic life with Phanyaza. But by then, in the year 2000, Shaka was 10 years old and she had already given birth to her second son, BANDILE… conceived from Duma’s seed.

Their plan was to commit a robbery, and have the capital to start their new life together with Shaka, abandoning Duma and Bandile in the process. Their target for the robbery would be none other than MOLOANTA MODISE, a well-known taxi owner who was a servant to his community… and the patriarch of the MODISE family.

When the day of the robbery came, it would be thwarted by the arrival of Moloanta… catching Panyaza and Dudu red-handed. A tussle would ensue wherein which Panyaza would be shot by Moloanta (not fatally), and Dudu would be strangled by him. But a gunshot would ring out… Moloanta would collapse and a ten year old Shaka would be revealed holding the smoking gun… having killed Moloanta to protect his mother from a certain death.

But by the time the police arrived on the scene, Dudu and Shaka are long gone, with Moloanta’s money… leaving Panyaza to do the honourable thing… taking the fall to protect his son.

Land of Mills & Money

 

THE FOUR OF US SYNOPSIS

When their formidable father dies unexpectedly, four siblings are thrown into turmoil after his final decision shocks the family: the thriving family empire is left not to the capable, disciplined eldest daughter everyone expected, but to the reckless, party-loving second-born son.

As resentment brews and loyalties fracture, the siblings split into rival camps—some determined to protect the legacy at all costs, others questioning whether the new heir is fit to lead. Old wounds resurface, sibling rivalries intensify, and the business begins to wobble under inexperienced leadership.

But the real threat comes from outside the family.

An estranged uncle resurfaces, claiming the company was built with his money—funds rooted in a dangerous criminal past. Believing he is owed his share, he begins circling the vulnerable empire like a predator, exploiting the siblings’ division and the new heir’s weaknesses.

Now the four must decide: continue their internal war and risk losing everything, or unite against a common enemy who could destroy not only their business, but their family itself.

In this high-stakes family drama filled with betrayal, power struggles, and buried secrets, the question remains—will blood prove thicker than ambition, or will the wrong heir open the door to their downfall?

Diepe Waters is a thrilling telenovela about love, secrets, intrigue and plans of revenge taking place within the relentless world of competitive swimming. The show started its first broadcast on 3 October 2022 on DSTV Channel 144, KykNET. And airs 4 nights a week at 18h30. This Afrikaans show about the Swart Marlyne Swim club, is produced by Penguin Films.

Penguin Films is a multi-generational, award-winning film and television production company that has achieved decades of success. This was not the first Penguin Films show making use of Sasani Studios and was an obvious choice when Diepe Waters moved in on 16 May 2022.

Diepe Waters films in two Sasani Studios and various locations around Johannesburg. Although the cast and crew travel all over Johannesburg to film, they still call Sasani their home. “Sasani has everything we need and more!” Apart from the world class, sound-proof studios, Penguin Films also makes use of various offices, makeup rooms, a catering area and dressing rooms at these premises.