Soul City 11 Rebroadcast on your screens every Friday

The series earned five SAFTA-2013 nominations, including for Best Director and Best Writing Team. Series 11 was screened for the first time at the end of 2011, so if you missed it then here’s your chance to catch up with the vibrant community life of Soul City.

Florence Masebe takes on the role of Sis Noni, the Soul City clinic manager, who needs to balance the services her clinic can offer with the demands of the community. Her husband Malusi (played by Dumisani Mbebe) runs the local boxing ring and the family with two sons, Sam and Mandla, need to confront the dilemma of safe circumcision for the teenage boys as they journey into manhood.

Samukelo Ndlovu delivers her SAFTA best supporting actress nominee role as Nkosazana, daughter of new Soul City arrival Grace Kunene, played by Leleti Khumalo. The two of them need to grapple with making ends meet following the poor financial choices of the spend-thrift Grace.

As the community faces service delivery problems at the start of the series, they must find creative responses to their health needs, including getting a new clinic as soon as possible. This is where Fana Mokoena comes in as the councillor, Phinane (Phil) Maponya, who not only has to confront some intimate secrets from his past but also the corrupt financial interests that bedevil the council.

In the meantime Jimmy (played by Patrick Mofokeng) and his pregnant wife Musa (played by Ayanda Ngubane), are forced to challenge some deeply engrained cultural beliefs around childbearing and childrearing. When Musa is pregnant and when the new baby arrives, the couple test the healthcare system’s tools and approaches in preventing HIV transmission to their baby.

Directed by Akin Omotoso and Vincent Moloi, this season of the long-running Soul City series is controversial in raising the debate around traditional versus medical male circumcision, a problem that still plagues South Africa given the high number of deaths of adolescent boys during the traditional male initiation season of winter this year.

For more information on the Soul City Series, contact Bongani Ndlovu on Tel: 011 771 7919 or email: bongani@soulcity.org.za

Click on the images below to download hi-res versions.

Samukelo Ndlovu as Nkosazana, who helps her mother (played by Leleta Khumalo) get back on her feet after a serious financial setback. The 18 year-old Nkosazana engages in a risky love affair with older man Vuyo even though Sam, the younger son of Sis Noni, falls in love with this new girl in his class. Ndlovu earned a SAFTA-2013 best supporting actress nomination for her role.

An accident means the community must not only explore creative new options for health care services, but they also need to mobilise their local councillor to provide services.

The Cwala family must confront the reality of ensuring safe circumcision for two teenage sons as they stand on the threshold of their journey into manhood. The one son Mandla decides to head into the mountains for a traditional initiation and circumcision, while Sam opts for a medical circumcision.

The spendthrift and vivacious Grace (played by Leleti Khumalo, left) returns to Soul City after 18 years to get her life back on track after some bad financial choices. She forces local councillor Phil Maponya (played by Fana Mokoena, right) to face up to an intimate secret from his past.

Musa and Jimmy are expecting their first child and the health services need to come their aid to ensure that Musa’s HIV+ status is not transmitted to the new born baby. The couple have to also confront some deeply engrained cultural beliefs around child rearing to ensure the best and safest feeding practices for their infant child.

The dedicated Sis Noni (played by Florence Masebe) the head nurse of the Soul City clinic, struggles with the few resources that are meant to respond to the community’s urgent needs. She has to fight several battles at the same time, while making sure the Soul City community is adequately serviced and lives are saved.