Amaza, meaning waves, is a South African coming of age youth drama series produced by Community Media Trust (CMT) for SABC 1. The series is set in a street in Muizenberg, Cape Town which runs from the mountain, across the railway tracks, to the famous Surfer's Corner and the promenade, where a diverse group of students must come to terms with the cultural and historical legacies that mould each of them.
The four main characters are in their early twenties and have some growing up to do. Amaza follows them as they have to make life changing decisions and face the challenges that life throws at them daily.
The story was first developed in 2006 by Jack Lewis and Lucilla Blankenberg and it deals with universal themes of growing up, family responsibility, dreams and facing reality.
Lucilla, co-director of Amaza with Tim Spring and Laddie Bosch, says that after living in Muizenberg for 12 years and being involved in the creation of this story, it was a true privilege and awesome experience to have worked on the project from its inception through to completion.
Amaza was greatly supported and guided by SABC Commissioning Editor, Khulile Nxumalo and an amazing cast and crew made it happen on set with lots of laughter and a real feeling of camaraderie says Lucilla.
Lucilla and Laddie Bosch have both been in the industry for years, but they were novice drama directors on Amaza, under the watchful eye of veteran Tim Spring. This was the most unusual assignment; being asked to mentor two film-proficient people, highly experienced in their own field, and introduce them to narrative filmmaking. We had six sessions, which could at times be hilarious, and we bonded in a way I have never experienced before. I can't repeat the experience because they now know as much as I do laughs Tim.
Lucilla returned the compliment and said that Tim is a great mentor and has taught her an immense amount in a relatively short time. She says, We learned and laughed every day and Tim was generous with his knowledge and experience. He was invaluable to the project.
The four main characters are Bongani Mapanga, portrayed by Siyabonga Mayola, Ayesha Ibrahim by Shamilla Miller, Thembi Kamva by Zikhona Mda and Jaco du Toit by Sean-Marco Vorster.
Having played Zoliswa Yili in Montana, Zikhona Mda is not a new face to SABC 1. Mda said that all three directors were open to input and that she finds this to be important in a working environment. To be able to communicate with ease, to be able to discuss ideas, thoughts and concerns I'm happy to say we had that on set with all three the directors. She says, Thembi Kamva is a go-getter and doesn't let anyone stand in her way. Mda believes that her character will inspire people.
Of her character Shamilla Miller says, Ayesha is essentially the underdog which I think resonates with people. The family issues she has to deal with are also something audiences will understand.
Siyabonga Mayola says that it's been a pleasure and joy working with everyone on this project. All the actors I have had the pleasure to share the screen with have been great to work with and fun as each person brings their own style or uniqueness to the table and it's great! says Siya.
Sean-Marco, who plays Amaza's surfer Jaco du Toit, says I think it's a uniquely written narrative, with strong binaries and relevant themes. The writers did a great job by interlinking so many different cultures under one narrative umbrella. The story bids something new in every episode, with characters and exciting events, and I can only hope that the viewers find it as entertaining as I did.
Amaza was a development project in many ways, with people being trained and learning on the job and scholars and students visiting the set regularly. The writing team were all first time drama writers led by Gavin Sher. The series was written in record time and the writing team put in a lot of effort and many meetings and workshops for each scene and episode .
Lucilla, also the director of CMT, says that she feels confident that CMT has proven its capacity and competence with larger scope productions and has already been thinking about plots for series two of Amaza. Fingers crossed that we get the audience numbers.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Amaza, meaning waves, is a South African coming of age youth drama series produced by Community Media Trust (CMT) for SABC 1. The series is set in a street in Muizenberg, Cape Town which runs from the mountain, across the railway tracks, to the famous Surfer's Corner and the promenade, where a diverse group of students must come to terms with the cultural and historical legacies that mould each of them.
