An exclusive look inside Netflix’s local young adult series Miseducation

Lunga Shabalala, Mpho Sebeng and Ebenhaezer Dibakwane are bringing the spring serve on the cover of the latest digital cover of SMag.

The heartthrob trio are going back to school in Netflix’s new show Miseducation. Led by breakout star Buntu Petse, renowned for her role as Nontle in Generations: The Legacy, the young adult series premieres tomorrow on the streaming service. Petse portrays Mbali Hadebe, an It girl who moves to a small town varsity campus after she’s cancelled on social media – the result of her mother’s assets being seized following shady political dealings. 

The supporting cast includes Shabalala, Dibakwane, Sebeng, Prev Reddy, Sechaba Ramphele, Micaela Tucker, Baby Cele, and Mandisa Nduna. The show is produced by the creators of the hit series How to Ruin Christmas – siblings Katleho, Rethabile, and Tshepo Ramaphakela. Some of the cast give an exclusive look into what to expect from the show. 

Shabalala on playing popular campus hottie Sivu Levine:   

Varsity, for me, was many years ago, so playing the role of a 22-yearold in 2023 was rather eye-opening. Having to be in the mind of a tertiary student living in today’s society was an exciting transition because I had to immerse myself into the world of pop culture, where the TikToks of this world and other social media platforms rule the internet. 

Shabalala on preparing for the role:

I had to put myself in the mind of a guy who was loved by everyone at school, especially the girls, which was an easy task. I had to be physically fit as well. I remember we had a scene where we had to row, bear in mind, I have never rowed a day in my life before. We had about three weeks of rowing, just to kind of be comfortable doing that... it was challenging but I enjoyed it. However, to top it all off, going back in time was probably the most challenging thing to do, just kind of putting myself in the mindset of a 22-yearold.

Sebeng on what challenged him about playing Caesar, long-standing SRC president:

The fact that I took him home with me. I believed in his storyline so much and I was always trying to find different nuances or layers to add onto him. After we shot the series, I somehow just couldn’t let him go. I remember when we did our script reading, there was a particular scene [in the first episode] that I didn’t necessarily know how it was going to play out, which made me a bit nervous but I’m glad it turned out way better than I had imagined it. 

Reddy on slipping into character as Mbali’s misfit friend Jay:

With our characters being significantly younger than us, we were able to see and learn how much they take their body image seriously in a positive way. Such positivity about how you look doesn’t come easy. It has been 25 years in the making to get where I am to feel extremely comfortable in my skin but with Jay, I mean, he’s rocking crop tops with his belly hanging out something I didn’t do back in varsity. I love how Jay is not afraid to express how he feels or express love for the people around him. Jay’s confidence level definitely made me rise to the occasion. Yes, I love expressing myself through clothes but there are times when I would second guess myself because I’m so self-conscious about the way I look but Jay is the polar opposite of that.

Dibakwane on what drew him to the show:

It’s been a while since I was in varsity, playing an age this young was so beautiful. I was able to be in a space and energy where my passion for acting shined. I got to discover myself again and deliver my lines with conviction – the theatrics of my character was the cherry on top. 

Ramphele on going nude on screen:

From the early stages of reading the audition brief for this project, the character of Junior immediately came to me and my initial reaction was “this is not gonna be difficult for me to embody”. At the beginning of the shooting process, I got thrown into it. My very first scene was a nude scene – it was daunting but something that I’ve been open to for a long time.