Muvhango rubbishes reports that Hlaudi has 'forced' production to move to Limpopo

The creators of popular SABC 2 soapie Muvhango have slammed reports that they have been forced to move to Limpopo by SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

The production company responsible for Muvhango‚ Word of Mouth Productions‚ told Tiso Black Star Group Entertainment on Friday that they were not told by Hlaudi to move‚ and confirmed that they will not be relocating the show to Limpopo.

“We haven’t been asked by the COO of the SABC to move to Limpopo. In fact‚ we have not been told by anyone to move and we will not be moving‚” the production company’s publicist Amanda Ngudle said.

Ngudle’s comments come after confusion over the future of the show following online reports by Channel 24 that the soapie might be forced by the SABC to move its set to the broadcaster’s Limpopo studios.

This follows a push by the SABC to have more of its shows broadcast in provincial studios away from its hub in Johannesburg.

A decision‚ SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago told Tiso Black Star Group Entertainment‚ that the broadcaster is fully committed to.

“We are currently revamping all of our studios across the country‚ including the studios in Thohoyandou (Limpopo) so that any show‚ including Muvhango‚ can be shot from there‚” he told Tiso Black Star Group Entertainment on Friday.

Ngudle acknowledged that the show shoots in Limpopo “at least around four or five times a year” but said that this is always done on location and not in the SABC’s studios in the province.