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Johannesburg - If you love the lavish lifestyle and sitting at the table with the glamorous and famous, then Rhythm City's 10-year anniversary celebration was just for you.
The celebration was hosted at Highlands North in Johannesburg with a splash for drinkists – who couldn’t have asked for a better way to start off Wednesday.
Most of the cast of the terrestrial television channel e.tv’s show were already munching fruit when I arrived.
Only Jamie Bartlett, known better as David Genaro, was taking selfies with some of the fans and remained standing until he was *cough* asked to sit down.
Graham Beck Brut Rosé wine was served right at the beginning of the event. In fact, the waiters were keen to see social drinkers downing the wine considering the many bottles already popped.
Then the guests were taken down memory lane when snippets of some of the most riveting and memorable episodes were screened. From the first episode when Suffocate, real name Mduduzi Mabaso, opened his club – Kilowatt – with stolen money, to the time when Stone (Zenzo Ngqobe) shocked his beloved mum (Connie Chiume) when he revealed that he was gay.
The memorable wedding ceremonies were not left behind either.
(From left: Setlhabi Taunyane, Jamie Bartlett, Mduduzi Mabaso and Mpho Molepo receive their certificates of recognition. Photo: Silver Sibiya)
The big moment for a day came when actors who have been with the show since the beginning were honoured with certificates of recognition, including Suffocate, Fats (Mpho Molepo), David Genaro, and Bra Kop (Setlhabi Taunyane).
Rhythm City now commands a sizeable audience of 3.5 million viewers. It perennially remains the second most watched show on e.tv just behind Scandal.
Marlon Davids, e.tv’s managing director, said: “Since we moved from 6.30pm slots, we have grown. We are holding our own and capitalising on our new audiences to grow. We are our quiet comfortable.
“Fans follow shows. The moment we moved from 6.30pm slots, they just followed us. Rhythm City is one of e.tv’s flagship shows, drawing audiences to the channel who are looking for their dose of daily drama,” Davids said.
“We look forward to reaching more milestones together,”
Just before we left, the show’s music and publicity person, Mpumi Phillips, took us to the studio to see behind the scenes; the wardrobe, props and so on.
Although most guests were social drinkers, some left the venue assisted by their friends.
