3 times MaMngadi stole the show on The Herd

10 April 2019

3 times MaMngadi stole the show on The Herd

They say money is the root of all evil. We couldn’t agree more with this statement, especially considering the extreme lengths some people would go to in order to protect their wealth. What we’ve learned from The Herd is that, sometimes, those with money are the greediest and most ruthless people around.

The Mzansi Magic TV series received rave reviews after it first aired (S1 is now streaming on Showmax, with new weekly episodes of S2 coming express from Mzansi Magic), and we believe that it has a lot to do with the high calibre of actors and the great storyline.

You can’t put a legend like Sello Maake Ka Ncube on a production and not expect to get magic. We get why the actor has been on our TV screens for over 20 years – consistency is key.

While he’s very impressive, we must say we were blown away by Winnie Ntshaba’s portrayal of MaMngadi. We can’t say we’ve seen a witch in real life, but we’re convinced that MaMngadi is a good representation. We knew the character was evil from the start, but we were shocked to see her in action.

While there are a number of moments where she left us shocked (and scared), three times stood out for us.

1. Summoning evil spirits

One of the scenes shows the mother of three summoning the spirits of darkness and asking them to give her the ability to control her husband’s mind and thoughts. That was quite a shocker! But hey, what do you expect from a witch?

2. Sacrifices are her thing

Well, we’ve already mentioned that there are people who aren’t afraid to do whatever it takes to protect their wealth. This woman has done some of the worst things you can imagine. It’s rather alarming that she convinced her husband to sacrifice (read: kill) his first wife in order to attain wealth. What he didn’t know, though, is that MaMngadi would ask him to do it again a few years later – this time it would have to be his favourite daughter (from his first marriage).

3. Even her own children aren’t safe

It’s one thing to bewitch and kill people you don’t care about, but it’s something different when your own flesh and blood is not safe. After her son discovered that she was a witch, MaMngadi first told him that she was doing everything for him. But as much as she loves and cares about him, she made it clear that she had enough power to take him out, just like that! Their heated exchange has to be one of our favourite scenes.

In case you’re wondering how Winnie managed to nail this role, she said on Afternoon Express back in September 2018: “I did not do research. The script, for me, was so beautifully written that everything was just there. Mine was just to breathe life into it… Because research meant I would have to go and meet some witches, which for me, I’m a Christian. For me it was going to be tapping into some different, difficult dark world.”

The actress, who got her big acting break on Generations, revealed that she actually spoke to her pastor when she got the role. “I had those reservations of, ‘there are no jokes in the spirit’ you know? ‘I’m gonna be tapping into some forces of darkness.’” She added that her pastor told her that this was her comeback and that they’d pray for her.

There are so many other shocking moments on The Herd, and you don’t want to miss out. Make sure you catch all the action right here on Showmax. The whole of Season 1 is ready to be binge-watched, and new episodes of Season 2 land every week, express from Mzansi Magic.

Start watching now »

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