‘Uzalo’ still number one show in Mzansi, despite audience numbers

Mzansi’s number soapie Uzalo has maintained its grip on the title of most watched show in the country, as it topped TV ratings once again for July. 

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Uzalo on SABC 1 has consistently been the most watched for several years. 

The latest report by the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRCSA) showed in July that over 5.9 million people viewed the soapie. 

Coming in the second position was Generations: The Legacy with 4.7 million viewers and Skeem Saam with 4.5 million viewers. 

Despite the impressive numbers, this is a drastic decrease in the last two years. In May 2020, Uzalo had about 11 million viewers.

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At that time the soapie was breaking records, even outperforming the 2010 FIFA World Cup opening match record between South Africa and Mexico. The game was watched by 10.14 million viewers. 

The downward trend can be attributed to the changing habits of watching television, with more streaming platforms becoming available, and more people leaving traditional mediums for more digital content. 

Last year, fans of Uzalo aired their grievances and complaints about the direction of season seven. They said the show was too cluttered and disjointed. 

The Zulu soapie has made famous actors, praised for its dramatic storyline and won multiple awards. Among the most famous faces to come out of Uzalo include Dawn Thandeka King, Gugu Gumede, Thabo Mnguni and Nay Maps.

When Uzalo started it was a story of two families in the township of KwaMashu, KwaZulu-Natal. The Mdletshe family are power players in the KwaMashu Kingdom Church and the Xulu family run a car theft syndicate.

The families are connected because their eldest sons were switched at birth during the dawn of democracy.