FILM producer Mfundi Vundla is at it again. I count myself among the many unhappy viewers who are getting bored with the soapie Generations.

Every time we start to bond with actors in the soapie, we hear rumours that they are on their way out. Take the now-unemployed Dumisani Mbebe. This is the character whom most women viewers had fallen in love with, thanks to his Saul-Paul moment.

How many men do you know who are willing to seek professional help for their bad tempers, stick it out and emerge winners who now have the decency to say; “I am sorry.” Men often wallow in the disease of entitlement and think they can do as they please.

Rumour now has it that Generations diehard fans are about to lose the ever popular and brilliant actor Seputla Sebogodi. Can you imagine Generations without the ever infuriating Kenneth Mashaba. That man adds spice to an otherwise average soapie.

One thing that set Generations apart was the stability of the soapie, something that has helped the actors. Most of them started out awkwardly, but blossomed into their roles. All the better if the role grows with them.

Besides delivering a classy soapie, it’s about investing and developing local talent. It makes you feel great when you hear comments about how classy a local soapie, drama or film is. This is thanks to the brilliance of the acting.

We’ve watched other soapies or dramas battle to keep great actors and now that they are finally getting it right, our pioneering brother is losing it.

Rumour also has it that Connie Ferguson (Karabo) is coming back to the soapie. It will be good for the soapie because we need the anchor families on which the soapie is based.

It’s good to have protagonists and antagonists like the Johnny come lately in the Mashabas and the Dlomos. But let us not only think of the power we wield. We must invest the returns we enjoy by polishing the gems in our hands.

We must remember that this is a first generation of actors who enjoy a lot of disposable income. Understandably, it goes to their heads and the many stories about Hollywood actors that hit our shores do not help either. Actors find themselves trapped in the mega-star syndrome, doing things that will attract the media’s attention.

New money combined with fame is a potent combination. Let us invest in our people by continuously training them. This can be done by having guest foreign actors to play as their role models. And I believe that will go beyond redemption because all the people the actors meet in their careers or any showbiz journey – such as producers, directors, executives and mentors – have failed to touch them in a profound manner, or kanjani ...