By Rorisang Modiba
- Chicco Twala blocks set access after five months of unpaid rent and electricity.
- The crew was forced to wait outside as Ndlovu scrambled to pay up and keep filming.
Filmmaker Duma Ndlovu’s financial troubles have brought filming on My Brother’s Keeper to a standstill.
Production was disrupted when music producer and long-time friend Sello “Chicco” Twala locked the gates to his Zuurbekom mansion, where the show was being shot.
Twala took the step after Ndlovu failed to pay rent and electricity for five months.
“When we arrived, the security guard told us that Chicco had blocked access until Duma Ndlovu paid what he owed,” a source told Zimoja.
Another crew member said they thought it was a joke at first — until they were stuck outside for hours.
“We later found out that Duma had to ask a friend to transfer money to Chicco so we could continue working,” they said.
Ndlovu has been battling money problems since his arrest last year for allegedly dodging R25 million in taxes. His bank accounts were frozen, and he is out on bail, along with two accountants facing similar charges.
After the arrest, MultiChoice cancelled all his shows, including My Brother’s Keeper, Umkhokha: The Curse and Sibongile & The Dlaminis, which is now airing its final episodes.
Ndlovu and Twala have worked together for years, with Twala producing theme music for Ndlovu’s biggest shows, including Muvhango.
Asked about the shutdown, My Brother’s Keeper producer Phumla Hopa snapped: “I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I’m ending this call now.”
Twala also distanced himself, saying: “This is news to me. There’s an agency that handles these things, so I wouldn’t know.”
Pictured above: Duma Ndlovu.
Image source: @duma.ndlovu7
