Showmax brings back Umkhokha

Multichoice’s African streaming service Showmax and DStv channel Mzansi Magic will launch telenovela Umkhokha: The Curse next month.

The first season of faith-based drama Umkhokha aired in 2021 and follows two families fighting over a church after the leader dies.

Umkhokha: The Curse takes us to the beginning of the story and reveals how the fictional mega-church, Ithempeli Lenkosi, became a deadly battleground.

The cast includes Deli Malinga, Sibonile Ngubane, Nay Maps, Hope Mbhele, Gcinile Nkosi and Daniel Hadebe.

The show premieres on Multichoice pay TV group M-Net’s Mzansi Magic DStv channel and on Showmax on March 6.

Shirley Adonisi, director of local entertainment channels at M-Net, said: “It’s always a positive conundrum when viewers express that a show was on air for too short a time, and that was the overwhelming reaction we were met with when Umkhokha came to an end after 13 weeks.

“Audiences were glued to the show and constantly engaged with the story and spoke about it on social media and on the radio – so its return is long-awaited. We’re pleased that it will now be a telenovela.”