Guess who’s back? – ‘Yizo Yizo’ star Mmabatho Mogomotse makes acting return

Mmabatho Mogomotsi, known for her role as Snowey in Yizo Yizo over 20 years ago, will be gracing your screens again after her recent appearance on Season 6 of The River.

She will be part of a new Showmax Original series called Outlaws, starting on 6 September 2023.

Mmabatho has starred in several TV shows, including Muvhango, Rhythm City, The Wild, Jacob’s Cross, and The River. In Outlaws, she will play a character named Moretlo.

Moretlo is the leader of a big group that steals cattle in Lesotho. This causes problems with the Zulu Biyela family, who are cattle farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, just across the border.

Meet the cast of Outlaws

Outlaws is South Africa’s first modern Western TV series. It was produced by Phathu Makwarela and Gwydion Beynon from Tshedza Pictures.

They have won five SAFTAs writing awards in the last four years for popular shows like The Republic and The River. Outlaws is their second series for Showmax, after the success of Adulting in March.

Mmabatho Mogomotsi acts in Outlaws alongside new actors Lehlohonolo Mayeza and Nirvana Nokwe-Mseleku.

The cast also includes Nolwazi Shange, who won a SAFTA for The River and Mzali Wami, and Siyabonga Shibe, who was nominated twice for the SAFTAs.

Mnqobi Kunene, who won the Men’s Health Cover Guy Challenge for How To Manifest a Man, and the popular Thembinkosi Mthembu, known for Adulting, Shaka iLembe, and The River, also feature.

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The Story behind Outlaws

According to a statement from Showmax, Outlaws is a story where two families are at loggerheads over continued cattle theft. Stock-theft wars between communities in Lesotho and KZN are a reality for many who live in those areas.

“For Moretlo, it’s a story of a mother being a mom and mothering her family just to stay afloat. Doing what she needs to do and doing what’s right by her. So it’s a story of survival, in a nutshell,” explained Mogomotsi in the statement.

She is also the matriarch of the Ts’eole family and belongs to the Basotho side of the story. Moretlo is your ordinary woman in the village, but she’s got a twist about her.

“She will fight for her family by all means necessary. She would just put up a different personality and do what she needs to do at the time to survive.

“She would use her gun without thinking twice. So Moretlo is not your ordinary damsel; at war she changes into something very different,” Mogomotsi explained about her character.

A personal connection between Mogomotsi and Moretlo

Mogomotsi’s involvement goes beyond just acting the part in the story, but it hits close to home and reflects the type of mother she is in her own personal life.

“I’m a mom! I’m a mom who is firm with her children. I’m a mom who’s also laid back but draws the line. Moretlo is the same with her son. She reigns him in but let’s go where necessary. So there’s a boundary she exercises. 

“That’s more like me. I’m not my children’s regular friend; I am their mom first. But they can come to me for anything. That’s the kind of mom Leruo has in the story. So that’s the similarity between me and Moretlo,” said Mogomotsi.

Mogomotsi’s stunt experiences

Even though this is the first modern Western show in South Africa, there were certain stunts that took place while making the show.

“We rode horses, we shot guns, we did things I never thought I would do but always wanted to do. Some of them are a bit demanding and because of that, there was an opportunity for body-doubles here and there,” stated Mogomotsi.

Top reasons to watch Outlaws

Filled with immense enthusiasm and anticipation for the upcoming show, Mmabatho Mogomotsi shares her compelling reasons why audiences should watch Outlaws.

“Number one, the name itself draws you in right? Outlaws! It’s like a Western, riveting, full of drama. Most of all I have respect for the talent you see and experience and the talent you don’t see behind the camera.

“It’s the puzzle coming together in the magic that is Outlaws. Both in front of and behind the camera, there’s magic in there. Besides that, the story is in itself excellent, and what the audience will stay glued to,” she concluded.

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