Imbewu star Nkanyiso Mchunu, who played the role of Nkululeko Bhengu, recently revealed that he would be leaving the show. Now as rumours emerged regarding why he was fired, fans are split on what this move means for the show going forward.
The actor recently confirmed via his Facebook page that he had left the show. He said he was grateful for the opportunity that the production gave him to showcase his skills and talent but it was officially the end of the road for their working relationship.
Fans immediately took to his comments to express their disappointment at the news. They obviously love him a lot on the show and it is sad to see him go. And it quickly turned into an outrage, as they believe that the show will be boring without him. They have even threatened to boycott the soapie.
Even so they believe he is a magnificent talent and it won't be long until he finds another production to call home. In fact they have already started suggesting alternative shows for him. Some seem to think he would fit perfectly with the cast of The Wife or The Queen.
Now, close to a week later, reports have emerged that attempt to explain why he exited the show. As Zim Scandals reports, the actor had a major disagreement with the production team. He allegedly demanded a pay rise which the producers were not willing to give him.
However at this point it seems that both the actor and the production team are trying to keep a civil relationship between them. In addition, Kay Sibiya is rumoured to be his replacement on Imbewu. But there are little further details on this transition available at the moment. Even so, fans feel very pessimistic as they think Kay could never play Nkululeko like Nkanyiso did.
Imbewu seems to be haemorrhaging characters of late to the point that it is leaving fans wondering what is happening behind the scenes. I mean it makes sense for one character to leave because of personal differences, but after losing three characters in a short time span, we begin to wonder whether the production is the problem.
It has not even been three months since Phindile Gwala and Buhle Samuels exited the soapie. Phindile was said to have delivered way below what the producers expected of her, talent wise, which is why they had to let her go. Buhle, on the other hand, was said to have disagreed with the writers on the development of her character. She later came out to say she was not fired, she quit.
We wish Nkanyiso the best in his career going forward. We have no doubt that he will land on his feet, and we hope he finds a place he can comfortably call home. In the meantime, if the reports about Kay Sibiya are true, we are excited to see what he will do on Imbewu, knowing how gifted he is.