Cape Town - After months of anticipation, Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) has finally announced its brand new telenovela, Ring of Lies.
The spectacular new drama series, set to debut on 2 May, follows the story of a bare-knuckle boxing champion who gets scouted by well-known manager, Mandla (Masoja Msiza) on the dusty streets of rural Limpopo.
Neo’s (Mpho Sebeng) parents are disapproving of his dream to become a boxer, so he runs away during the night to follow his dream of becoming a champion in Johannesburg.
He soon meets and falls in love with Mandla’s daughter, the innocent Sli (Dineo Nchabeleng), and then encounters his formidable opponent, Kabelo (Bohang Moeko).
This acts as the catalyst that catapults Neo into a world of secrets, betrayals and lies.
It is soon revealed that Neo’s mother, Naledi (Florence Masebe) has a dark history with Mandla, and there’s more to Mandla’s intentions than what appears on the surface.
Executive Producer, Roberta Durrant, commented on the inspiration behind this unique storyline: "The story is one of triumph over adversity, and these are good stories to tell. As mothers we often carry secrets and fear telling the truth, in order to protect our children, but eventually truth will out, and often, by not being honest we do more harm to the children we are trying to protect."
She added: "Setting the story in the world of boxing gives the series an unusual visual dimension. Fighters are usually quite angry people and this is more often than not, triggered by events in their youth. So this gave us interesting back stories for our two key lead characters, Neo and Kabelo."
The long-awaited series is set in Limpopo, Soweto, Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal, which also offers a variety of locations and languages. Other notable cast members include: Baby Cele in the role of Mandla’s wife Ruth, Tessa Twala as the young temptress Gugu, and Slindile Nodangala as Thando who has her own dark secrets to reveal.
Catch Ring of Lies on Mzansi Magic from Monday to Thursday at 21:00.