“This was my love letter to the Mpondo people,” co-executive producer Chumisa Cosa told The Mail and Guardian’s Rolland Simpi Motaung In an interview published on 5 December 2025.
She was explaining the motivation behind Mpondoland, her visually flamboyant TV series which is the first South African drama shot in the illicit cannabis fields and rural landscape of Mpondoland.
Set in a fictional village called KwaKhonjwayo, Mpondoland follows the story of Mkhondwana, portrayed by Thembekile Komani, who must choose between pursuing his personal ambition and following tradition. This comes against the backdrop of the appearance of a ruthless outsider, ‘Big Pharma’ villain, Pele Pele, played by Tina Jaxa (pictured here) who threatens to disrupt the tribe’s peace and economic activities.
Cosa said she was inspired to use the dispute over cannabis as the plot in light of how cannabis reform had put Mpondoland small-scale farmers in a precarious position.
Referred to by different names such as umthunzi wez’nkukhu, meaning chicken shade, or dagga or marijuana, cannabis farming is how many farmers have made a living for generations. The irony is that they are now under threat because of the way the legalization process is being handled.
“The Mpondo community live on some of the most breathtaking landscapes in South Africa, which is a source of ongoing contention. With the decriminalisation of marijuana, I envisioned that the Mpondo people would finally begin to reap the financial benefits from their farming,” Cosa said.
As the cannabis community knows all too well, this has not been the case, and the hardships of the Eastern Cape’s cannabis farmers are explored in the 13 part series which began airing on DSTV on 7 December 2025.
Motaung writes: In essence Mpondoland is a celebration of African spirituality, heritage, and the power of community in fighting the threat of capitalism robbing people of their natural resources. The show certainly adds to the tapestry of African storytelling. It highlights a bigger effort to put a spotlight on South Africa’s forgotten tribes such as the Khoisan, Koranna, Lemba, Balobedu and Nama.
Cosa admitted that it was not easy sourcing and shooting scenes involving cannabis plantations.
She said that after the show’s production designer got the necessary permits, they had to transport the plants a long distance to set.
“Our plants wouldn’t stay fresh for long because none of the people on set were farmers or knew how to handle marijuana, so our plants kept dying. We racked up quite a bill on the plants,” she added sheepishly.
Mpondoland is on DSTV Channel 161 every Sunday at 8 pm – the first episode began on 7 December 2025.
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