Zolisa Xaluva exits Smoke & Mirrors stage left this April, and Hlomla Dandala enters to the right.
Hlomla’s agent Mari Rothmann from FigJam Agency has confirmed to TVSA that Hlomla will be playing Caesar from Season 2, which premieres on Monday 15 April.
This after Zolisa’s exit from the production late last year which has been shrouded in secrecy and speculation with no clarity as to why.
The only thing that e.tv and production house The Final Chapter have had to say about it is as follows:
At the onset of the new season of Smoke & Mirrors, the Producers of the Final Chapter Productions have come to a resolution to amicably part ways with Zolisa Xaluva.
Zolisa has been an asset to the show in his role as Caesar Ngonyama, and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavours.
Where one door closes, another opens, and Zolisa will soon be seen in Mzansi Magic’s new crime drama series Code 13 where he stars as detective Bheki Ndlovu.
Ironically it premieres the Sunday before Hlomla debuts as Caesar in his fourth starring role on a daily show.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Hlomla is a primetime heavyweight who’s spent uncountable nights in our homes when you tally up Isidingo, Scandal! and five seasons of The River.
Hlomla made his TV debut in 1998 as mine manager Derek Nyathi on Isidingo, a role which garnered him national attention when Derek and his lurve interest Pippa de Villiers (Bianca Amato) shared the country’s first interracial TV kiss and went on to marry.
Hlomla left Isidingo in 2001 and subsequently returned to direct on it. He also directed on Backstage, Scandal!, Generations and the SABC3 drama series Hard Copy.
He joined Scandal! as Kingsley Langa in 2016 and starred as lead character Lindiwe’s husband Zweli on five seasons of The River, up until February last year.
His other TV credits include starring roles on SABC1’s political thriller End Game, the SABC2 drama series Land of Thirst and the Netflix thriller Justice Served, where he played freedom fighter with an agenda Azania Maqoma.
What will he make of Caesar?
While we wait, here’s a juicy throwback Celeb Q & A we did with him in 2008 during Jacob’s Cross:
