One of the great things about working in the entertainment industry is the many perks that one receives. Not only do you receive free items from brands, head to the most exclusive and most significant events in the entertainment calendar but, you also receive invites to attend on-site visits of your favourite television shows.

Recently, ZAlebs was invited to visit the set of Dstv’s 1 Magic telenovela - The River which is filmed at a secluded location outside of Johannesburg.

During the visit, ZAlebs was offered a tour outside and inside the Dikana mansion.

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During our tour, there were a few interesting facts about the house that we came to learn.

For instance, the mansion, as well as the shacks that the poorer characters live in, are also filmed in the same plot.

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Yep, the Mokoena's shack, Flora's shack and even the tavern are all in one plot opposite and next to the Dikana's mansion.

Most of the time, all scenes are filmed in this one plot, however, if there are scenes that need to be filmed in the fictional township of Refilwe, the cast and crew then travel to the locations for those specific scenes.

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While touring the inside of the Dikana mansion, we also had the pleasure of viewing Lindiwe & Zweli's master bedroom, and if you're an avid viewer of the telenovela, you will know that many dramatic episodes have occurred within that bedroom.

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As we enjoyed the tour around the bedroom, actresses, Sindi Dlathu (Lindiwe) and Larona Moagi (Tumi) came through to greet the media. Although the actresses were busy preparing for their next scenes, it was a pleasure to witness the passion they have for their craft and the hard work they put into making this riveting and entertaining telenovela.

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Another thing about the set of The River that we appreciate is the amazing hard work done by the set designers in their efforts to make this fictional world a realistic one when it appears on television.

The attention to detail with regards to every shack that has been built from scratch is quite impressive.

When stepping into the shacks on set, it really does give you a feel of being inside a real shack. For a moment, while inside, you begin to believe that you're in a shack in the hood, but as you immediately step out of the shed, you are quickly reminded that you're actually in the burbs and on an actual set.

We also had the pleasure of talking to one of its actors - Warren Masemola, who plays the character of Oupa in the telenovela.

During our brief interview, we asked Warren his thoughts on what he thinks The River has done for local television content since its inception, and this is what he had to say:

"I believe what The River has done different, compared to what other productions have done in the past, is that it has introduced something fresh. The language on its own and the geography on its own is in the capital city - Pretoria. We've hardly seen that in the Southern hemisphere or South Africa to be specific, and it brings about a fresh language, which is really a dialect and not a language that is only spoken in Pretoria.

So culturally, I believe that this telenovela has done great in exporting and exposing the culture and the dialect that is in Pretoria. Either than that The River is a fresh telenovela that has already won Best Telenovela at the SAFTAS and mind you, they're only in the second season of the show."

If there's one thing we've come to appreciate about such set visits; it's the hard work and dedication given by every individual who works on these productions. Every person's role, whether big or small, makes a difference, as much as we appreciate the people in front of the camera, it is also high time we give recognition to those who work behind the camera as well.

Make sure to watch 1 Magic's The River from Monday to Friday on channel 103 at 20:00 pm.

You can also catch up on missed episodes which you can stream on Showmax as well. New episodes of the telenovela are uploaded on Showmax daily.

Main Image Credit: Supplied