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This week, Uzalo fans were shocked when their new favourite character, Bentley, played by seasoned actor Vuyo Dabula, was killed off – less than a month after appearing in the series.
Questions were asked about this, with many expressing disappointment.
An insider has alleged that Dabula, who played Gadaffi in Generations: The Legacy, left the show because of contractual disagreements with Stained Glass Productions, which produces the show.
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According to the source, Dabula was expected to uproot his life in Johannesburg in order to be on set every day in Durban during filming. He therefore wanted extra money as compensation for his move to KwaZulu-Natal.
The individual said:
The source added that neither Dabula nor Gugu Zuma-Ncube and Kobedi “Pepsi” Pokane, who co-own Stained Glass, were willing to compromise.
“Gugu and Pepsi weren’t willing to increase his salary. They didn’t give in to his demands, which is why his character was killed off so quickly. He’d been brought in to help raise the show’s ratings,” he said.
There was excitement last month after Uzalo posted Dabula on its Instagram page, announcing that he had joined the show. However, eyebrows were raised when the post was deleted shortly thereafter.
Even Dabula took to his Instagram page to voice his shock, with a “note to self” caption.
He wrote:
However, he then posted again, to clear up the misunderstanding.
“We’re here. I had an amicable conversation with Uzalo about the removal of the new character post. The fact that they called me to assure me there was no issue and offering an explanation says a lot about the spirit of this production. I’m forever grateful that is a family move. [They] felt my pain and responded, even in [their] position of power. That’s not very common,” he wrote.
Dabula told City Press that the Uzalo team had been good to him, adding that he preferred not to be interviewed.
Uzalo publicist Nomfundo Zondi did not answer directly to questions sent to her about Dabula’s exit, other than to suggest that he had had a deliberately short stint.
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“We’re very excited about the casting of the talented Vuyo Dabula to portray Bentley Majozi, who’ll enter our world briefly, but will leave an impactful mark, as he’s been brought in with the sole purpose of [creating] drama and suspense to shake up KwaMashu and leave the viewers stunned,” read the statement she shared.
However, a source said the initial plan had not been for the actor to appear in the show so briefly.
