This South African Pantsula Dance Series is Taking TV by Storm

New South African pantsula dance series Tjovitjo is the most watched series on South African television ever. According to statistics by the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa‚ the series, which first aired on the 20th of August on the national channel SABC1, attracted 5.7 million viewers in its first week.

This is more than any other drama series on the channel, which is the biggest in the country. Tjovitjo broke the record of such popular drama series like Yizo Yizo (3-million viewers), TSHISA (4.7-million) and Zone 14 (4.5-million), which were all aired on SABC1 a few years ago.

Tjovitjo has a star-studded cast including popular South African actors and actresses. The lead role is played by one of the most versatile SA actors, the award-winning Warren Masemola (put some respek on that name). Rapulana Seiphemo, Soso Rungqu, Harriet Manamela, Lali Dangazele, Sibulele Gcilitshana, Ntosh Madlingozi and Hlengiwe Lushaba are some of the popular names in the cast.

The series, which was originally meant to be a feature film, was directed by popular director Vincent Moloi. It's about a pantsula dance group called Amatjovitjo. It follows the crewmembers' individual lives.

Pantsula dance, which originates in the black townships of Johannesburg, dates back to the 1950s. It's one of the most popular dance styles in South Africa, and it survives to this day, though it has evolved from what it used to be.

The 26-part series airs every Wednesday on SABC1 at 8pm.