LEGENDARY TV producer Mfundi Vundla is celebrating a major milestone.
The executive producer behind Generations: The Legacy is reflecting on 32 years of the iconic soapie. It remains the longest-running show on South African television.
For the 80-year-old producer, reaching three decades in television is something he never takes for granted.
"It gives me a good feeling, and I feel like I've accomplished what I set out to achieve. I actually accomplished what I wanted to achieve 25 years ago already, and now getting to 32 years is like icing on the cake.
"I feel fulfilled, really fulfilled professionally. I've worked with great collaborators, great actors, great directors, and great writers. I feel like I've been part of the growth of the South African film and television industry, and I'm very proud of that," he said.
The crisis years
However, the journey has not always been easy.
Mfundi admitted there was a moment when he feared the show might come to an end during the infamous "Generations 16" crisis years ago, where artists put their tools down in 2014.
"I didn't panic, but I was emotionally drained and I was sad a lot. I felt like here is my dream, and my dream is about to be shattered. But I resolved that God put me on this planet to do this show, and I was going to fight back. I fought back, and I created a sequel to the old Generations, and people loved it.
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"I'm just so grateful to the audiences of South Africa for embracing the show again after a three-month hiatus. They came back and still supported the show, and I'm truly grateful," he said.
When the show returned after the break, it attracted record-breaking numbers.
"That first episode reached 10 million viewers. That number is amazing by any standard. Any show in the world that comes back with 10 million viewers is incredible. It was really amazing. Of course, later the numbers stabilised again, but that moment told us that people love what we are doing. It was a real vote of confidence," he said.
Back to theatre
While TV remains a huge part of his legacy, Mfundi said his heart is now returning to theatre.
"I've accomplished my task with this show, and now I've gone back to my first love. My priority right now is theatre. I feel like I have three plays left inside me. The first one premieres on 27 March at the Joburg Theatre. Another one is already at a high level of development, and I've been writing it for almost two years. I will finish that one by November this year, and then I want to start the third one after that. That's my commitment now. I'm going out doing theatre," he said.
"If God says I can still write another play after that, I'll write another play. But these three plays feel very important to me. If there were to be a collection of Mfundi Vundla's plays one day, these three would definitely be part of that collection."
Cancer battle
His new production, Man With No Surname, is also deeply personal.
"The play draws from two parts of my life. The first part focuses on my life in South Africa just before I left for America and then my experiences when I arrived in America. I was 24 years old when I got there, so it explores my social life, my political activism, and the key friendships I formed in the cultural and music world in America.
"Another part of the story comes from my own life in recent years. I became sick in 2022, and I had cancer, but I survived it. The play also talks about my treatment and my struggle with cancer," the producer added.
