Cape Town – South Africa's biggest and most watched TV show says its "gay characters are not going anywhere" and is rubbishing claims that the fired minister of communications Dina Pule ordered the SABC and the influential weekday soap to "tone down" the gay storylines.
Generations says there's no truth to circulating rumours that Pule allegedly "ordered" an end to the antics of the characters of the young gay advertising executives Senzo (Thami Mngqolo) and Jason (Xolisa Xaluva) who are now married, and says that the SABC was not told to tone down the gay storylines.
"Nobody has said anything to us and those characters are definitely not going anywhere. Fans must keep watching and can look forward to very interesting storylines," Generations told Channel24.
"We're still proceeding with their story and telling the story which has originally been there," a well-placed Generations insider source said.
'Story is ongoing and will keep evolving'
"The gay couple is still there. If the rumours were true, what does that say to people who are gay? That they're not supposed to be allowed to exist or have a story? Generations started a story of a gay couple a while back and that story is ongoing and will keep evolving."
Insiders said the soap, which pulls in roughly 8 million viewers per episode on SABC1, is already in September production wise and nothing has changed in relation to the specific characters or their storylines.
The SABC earlier in the week referred media enquiries seeking clarity of whether the minister gave such an order to the SABC board and Generations to the department of communications.
The departmental spokesperson for the department of communications who used to speak on behalf of Pule however didn't respond to e-mails and calls seeking comment.
On Tuesday president Jacob Zuma announced that Pule has been fired and is being replaced by Yunus Carrim as the new minister of communications.
Generations says there's no truth to circulating rumours that Pule allegedly "ordered" an end to the antics of the characters of the young gay advertising executives Senzo (Thami Mngqolo) and Jason (Xolisa Xaluva) who are now married, and says that the SABC was not told to tone down the gay storylines.
"Nobody has said anything to us and those characters are definitely not going anywhere. Fans must keep watching and can look forward to very interesting storylines," Generations told Channel24.
"We're still proceeding with their story and telling the story which has originally been there," a well-placed Generations insider source said.
'Story is ongoing and will keep evolving'
"The gay couple is still there. If the rumours were true, what does that say to people who are gay? That they're not supposed to be allowed to exist or have a story? Generations started a story of a gay couple a while back and that story is ongoing and will keep evolving."
Insiders said the soap, which pulls in roughly 8 million viewers per episode on SABC1, is already in September production wise and nothing has changed in relation to the specific characters or their storylines.
The SABC earlier in the week referred media enquiries seeking clarity of whether the minister gave such an order to the SABC board and Generations to the department of communications.
The departmental spokesperson for the department of communications who used to speak on behalf of Pule however didn't respond to e-mails and calls seeking comment.
On Tuesday president Jacob Zuma announced that Pule has been fired and is being replaced by Yunus Carrim as the new minister of communications.