Class Act Alumni Yonda and Sdumo Team Up For A Mzansi Magic Series

It seems like just yesterday when Yonda Thomas and Sdumo Mtshali were just regular guys with big dreams of becoming professional actors on the talent search show, Class Act. 4 Four years later, both Sdumo and Yonda are bonafide stars and have earned their stripes as professional actors in South Africa. Now the duo will star together in a new series called Saints and Sinners which will air on Mzansi Magic. 

Since Class Act, Sdumo, who won the first season of the show, has gone on to star in highly acclaimed shows like Intersexions and Rhythm City. The KZN down-to-earth star, also got some media attention this year when his winning prize film, iNumber Number, finally made it to the big screen.

Yonda, has also made a name for himself on the small screen with leading roles in Fallen and Muvhango. He has also headlines a few TV commercials and was named as one of the sexiest men on tv. 

The two will now add television veterans like Nthati Moshesh and Tshepo Maseko to their list of co-stars in their resume'. They are starring with them in Saints and Sinners, a 13-part drama which kicks off in August. 

The series is a gripping family drama centered on the lives of two very different families, living in the south of Johannesburg.

The show is being produced by Penguin Pictures and stars a superb line-up of acting talent, including, Nthati Moshesh, Tumisho Masha, Nomphilo Gwala, Tshepo Maseko, Warren Masemola, Sibulele Gcilitshana, and Siyabonga Radebe.

Inspired by a quote by Nelson Mandela (“For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others”) Saints and Sinners focuses on the new struggle faced by South Africans – an inner quest that revolves around economic freedom, issues of identity, the fall of traditional family structures, and lack of cohesion within the nucleus and community at large.

The two families at the heart of Saints and Sinners represent this struggle in such a compelling way that the series is likely to become essential viewing alongside other homegrown Mzansi Magic dramas like Rockville.

I am so proud of Sdumo and Yonda and happy to have been part of their journey to get here. Goes to show, when you work hard and explore every opportunity you are presented with humility and grace, dreams can come true. 

Catch Yonda and Sdumo on Saints and Sinners, premiering on Sunday, 3rd August 2014 on Mzansi Magic (DSTV channel 161).