A Ndebele television drama that has been running on Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) television for four weeks, Yeyeni Bantu aims to teach viewers about human trafficking, script writer of the production has said.
Nonhlalo Dube told NewsDay that the idea to write the drama came about after she realised that a few years ago there was panic in the society when cases of ritual killings plummeted. The killings were suspected to be carried out by people who would sell human body parts in South Africa for ritual purposes.
“Human trafficking in Zimbabwe still exists,” said the script writer, a product of Amakhosi Creative Arts School where she specialised in film making. In the drama, people who are wealthy are the ones portrayed as being behind the trafficking and subsequent murders.
“We also wanted to underscore the point that it is actually respected members of the community who have resources who actually hire the poor to carry out the dirty work,” said Dube.
Styx Mhlanga who directed the play, said it was a good thing that the play was showcased on national television, but said only a few people would get to watch it.
“Unfortunately, most people have switched on to satellite dishes where they watch a lot of foreign content as they feel that what is locally produced does not capture their immediate environment,” he said. “The response from those who watch ZBCTV has been good because they call to say that they enjoy the educative production.”
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The drama was shot in New Lobengula, and Montrose suburbs as well as surrounding farms in Bulawayo.