Actress Gail Mabalane has spoken out after SABC2 abruptly cancelled its drama series Pimville, posting an emotional message to show support for the cast and crew—and for everyone whose day-to-day income was hit by the sudden decision.
Writing on Instagram on Monday, Mabalane looked back at the moment the network revealed the show would be pulled without advance notice, stressing that her heart went out to the many people still trying to recover from the abrupt loss of work.
“I woke up today thinking about #Pimville. The cast, the crew … and the countless individuals still trying to figure out what comes next after the sudden stop of a steady stream of income. Picture this: one day you’re working on a TV production, and the next, you’re seeing a post like this on social media,” she shared.
Mabalane added that the series deserved a more satisfying conclusion than the one it received, arguing that its story shouldn’t have been cut short.
“This wonderful story deserved to be told … it should still be on air. Our beloved viewers!!! Honestly, as creatives and as an industry, we deserve better than this,” she wrote.
Her message lands a little more than a month after the SABC confirmed that Pimville would be removed from its programming immediately.
On 25 May, the broadcaster posted an announcement on social media stating that the cancellation followed unresolved contractual and operational issues involving the production company.
How the cancellation was announced
- SABC2 disclosed on 25 May that Pimville would be discontinued effective right away due to unresolved contractual and operational matters with the production company.
- The network also acknowledged the work of the cast, crew, writers and other stakeholders who had contributed to the series.
- From that point, the 21:00 time slot on SABC2 would switch to repeat broadcasts of the new Season 2 of Amalanga Awafani.
- SABC said it would share additional updates about the future of Pimville later, thanking viewers for their continued support and understanding.
The sudden announcement left many viewers disappointed and heightened concerns about the wider fallout for the hundreds of people involved in the production—some of whom reportedly found themselves without work overnight.
