Fans Reminisce About Old School 'Generations': "Back Then, 8 O'clock Was Thee Hour"

• A fan had many people feeling nostalgic when she took it back to the original SABC 1 soapie, Generations
• A video of the old faces of the soapie went viral, and it included the likes of Connie Ferguson, who played Karabo Moroka, and others
• Peeps said it is better than the current show, which was revamped to Generations: The Legacy, as people said the actors there cannot act

Oh, the good old days! Netizens said the golden oldie, Generations, was one of the best shows in the 90s. A viewer took people down memory lane with their video.

Old faces on Generations spark debate

After people pointed out some of the terrible acting on Generations: The Legacy, one fan decided to save the soapie's reputation by pulling out some old faces, which made the old soapie a success.

An X video posted by user Nose The Capital shows some of the actors from the era, such as Connie Ferguson, who played Karabo Moroka, and her brother Archie Moroka, who was played by Sello Maake Ka Ncube; Sophie Ndaba, who played Queen Moroka, and Xolile Tshabalala, who played Julia Motene, just to name a few.

Fans trolled the current actors like Thuli Phongolo and Denise Zimba, and the newer faces. Some people claimed that the up-and-coming actors may be intimidated from working alongside seasoned actors like Kgomotso Christopher, who plays the role of Keabetswe Moloi and Jack Mabaso.

Watch the video below:

Mzansi argues the old Generations was the best

Mzansi can't get enough of seeing the old actors, saying 8 pm was thee best time back in the day.

@JadePalace1976

"When we had no worries. Life was still ntofo ntofo."

@Msijaman

"Vivianne was the most beautiful woman on TV at that time."

@kheswa_thenjiwe shared:

"Oh, a breath of fresh air, man."

@MzikayiseMagida said:

"Oh there were the good times."

@YayaRSA stated:

"The title sequence song was just pure heat."

@TlotlisoM_ replied:

"Not these fake ones that only show nakedness and witchcraft."

@NoJokesComedy replied:

"Wow, this was back when South Africa belonged to South Africans. I also remember DJsbu making a cameo as a photographer. Wow, those were the days of real television. The show made South Africans to DREAM."

@SistaHandsome stated:

"Everything went south when they changed the theme song."

@KG_Mulelwa asked:

"Can we safely assume that these people were probably in their late 20s to early 30s? Except for Uncle Sammie and Archie."

Thuli P returns to Generations

In other Generations news, South African actress Thulisile Phongolo made her return to Generations: The Legacy on Friday, 25 April 2025. The star returned to the show to reprise her role as Namhla Diale, the daughter of Lucy.

Namhla's return to the show was meant to shake a lot of worlds as she yearns for a bigger life, which Jack Mabaso, her father, can give.

In April 2025, Briefly News reported that SABC1 had officially confirmed that the media personality was making her comeback to the soapie to reprise her character as Namhla Diale, the daughter of Lucy Diale and Jack Mabaso.

In the story, Namhla left home to go live overseas, and now she's returning, eager to be big, while yearning for the soft life.

Speaking to Briefly News, SABC's PR Specialist, Caroline Phalakatshela, gave insight into what viewers can expect from Namhla's return.

She said:

"Namhla is ambitious, intelligent, cunning, slightly aloof, and fiercely independent. Namhla has a complicated relationship with her parents, Lucy Diale and Jack Mabaso. She loves Lucy deeply, but their relationship has always been a tough one to navigate. Jack, on the other hand, wants to groom Namhla so that she can move into his world, which is a world that Namhla is intrigued by."

Popular faces return to Skeem Saam

In a previous report from Briefly News, Skeem Saam fans are excited as Marothi and Rachel are set to make a comeback.

Speaking on her return, Marakalla said she is doing it for her fans and supporters: “It’s not only about me, but also about my supporters who appreciate my craft. They’ve been asking me when I’ll be returning to Skeem Saam, and I’m happy to say they’ll see me back on screen as Rachel very soon,” adds Marakalla.

Source: Briefly News