Popular soapie Isidingo has hit a nerve with a storyline comparable to the controversial Oscar Pistorius shooting, and which reached a climax during Monday's episode.
The contentious storyline revolves around new cast member Izak Davel's character Bradley Haines, a burly Springbok rugby player with a love for guns that borders on obsession.
The character of Bradley, who incidentally also has a limp, further resembles Paralympian Pistorius in the sense that he's paranoid about falling victim to crime.
He has a girlfriend called Charlie Holmes (Michaella Russell) and a short temper, and at some point threatens someone with his gun in public. He even gives Charlie a gun so she can protect herself.
Murder-accused athlete Oscar Pistorius is currently on trial for the murder of model Reeva Steenkamp, who he shot dead in his house during the early hours of Valentine's Day 2013. Pistorius shot Steenkamp through his bathroom door but claims that he felt threatened and thought she was an intruder in his home, and is pleading not guilty to all charges against him.
The 27-year-old athlete also faces charges for the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition - and two counts of discharging a firearm in public, once in a Joburg restaurant and once through the roof of a car.
'Isidingo's Bradley storyline peaked on Monday, when he kills his father, Albert Haines (Michael Richard), who has a gambling addiction. The two have a public spat and Albert later heads to his son's hotel room to make peace but, upon hearing a noise, a paranoid Bradley get his gun and shoots through a door, only to find he's shot dead his own dad.
The reaction of 'Isidingo' fans has been mixed, with many unimpressed, but the SABC3 soapie insists similarities to the Pistorius case are mere coincidence.
Speaking to the Cape Argus, SA managing director of production company Endemol, Sivan Pillay, said: "A story like this can also be compared to the OJ trial many years back. South Africans are sports enthusiasts and we felt that a sport-related dramatic story would be socially relevant."
Pillay also said they expected a mixed response from viewers, as they've touched on controversial subjects many times before.
"We generally tackle a large amount of very sensitive subject matter in any year of Isidingo, including woman abuse, drug abuse, HIV and cancer," he added.
The Oscar Pistorius murder trial was unexpectedly postponed last week after one of the judge's assessor's fell ill, this incidentally on the day the athlete was expected to take the stand. The trial is set to resume on 7April.