Although it didn’t have the highest viewership at the SABC, Isidingo remains one of the most loved South African soap operas.
Distinguished by its dialogue, which was multilingual, the show premiered on SABC 3 in July 1998 and was broadcast on SABC 3 in the evenings from Monday to Friday at 19:00.
One of the show’s earliest stars was the recently deceased Darlington Micheals, real name Teboho Ndarana, who got the part of Georgie ‘Papa G” Zamdela after auditioning for the role five times.
He played Papa G for 16 years and won the hearts of his co-stars and the South African audience during that time.
The beloved actor died on Friday, 13 September, at the age of 78, following a brief illness, according to a statement issued by his family.
After news of his death made headlines, former Isidingo stars posted kind words on social media and spoke to media outlets about the man beneath the flamboyant silk shirts, fedoras, and chunky gold jewellery.
“Papa G, I love you #RIPDarlingtonMichaels,” posted his on-screen daughter, Khabonina Qubeka, who played Nina Zamdela on Isidingo for a number of years. Qubeka could not be reached for further comment.
“Papa G! I used to get into so much trouble doing scenes with Darlington in the ‘Shebeen’. He would make me laugh so much I couldn’t get through a scene. I’m talking non-stop belly laughs! He was such a kind, funny and gentle man. Rest in peace,” wrote Jay Anstey on Instagram.
Although Anstey had film roles before joining the soapie’s cast in 2011, playing Charlie Holmes was her first TV gig.
Speaking to SABC News, Kgomotso Christopher, who played Katlego Sibeko on the soapie, said: “Bra Darlington was a living legend that us up-and-coming artists had the privilege to work with. I knew him as my beloved colleague on Isidingo for many years. I shared the set with him, and I travelled with him on work road trips, so I knew the professional side of him on set. I also knew Bra Darlington, who was just a laid-back, chilled guy.”
“What people don’t know about Bra Darlington is that he was very soft-spoken. Soft-spoken, gentleman. Very sweet, a man of very few words,” she said, reflecting on how great a talent he was to have brought the character of Papa G to life so vividly that people believed that was who he was.
“I think that’s always going to be his legacy and the lesson he will leave to all of us as artists. No matter how challenging things are, especially in our careers, we never forget the why and we never forget the passion and the importance of sending the lift down for those that are coming after us.”
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