‘This is a real-life mission’: Thembisa Mdoda-Nxumalo on helping families bury loved ones in a new show

TV presenter Thembisa Mdoda-Nxumalo is set to host a new show, Icebo Labantu, which helps families bury their loved ones.

The reality series will premiere on SABC1 on Sunday, 6 July at 5.30pm.

Produced in partnership with the Icebolethu Group, the show offers a lifeline to families who are unable to afford funerals for their loved ones.

The show’s creator, Legend Manqele, said Icebo Labantu – which loosely translates to “the people’s plan” -aims to restore hope to those left in limbo by loss.

“There are people in this country who still haven’t buried their loved ones, some since as far back as the Covid-19 pandemic.
 

“When I realised people couldn’t even afford to bury their own, I was saddened. I stopped. Then I created,” he said.

Thembisa Mdoda-Nxumalo: ‘This is a real-life mission’

Thembisa said hosting the show has been a deeply transformative experience for her.

“Shooting the show is an eye-opener for me because it started off about laying people’s loved ones in their final resting place with dignity. But it has become about hope, it has become about family, it’s become about so much more than that.

“So we have another episode in the bag that I can’t wait for you guys to watch. This show is changing lives, and me as well.”

The first episode tells the harrowing story of Xoli Mpanza, a young mother whose body was found abandoned in a sugarcane field in Dokodweni.

“This is a real-life mission. We are creating a space where dignity, empathy, and humanity come first,” Thembisa added.

https://www.instagram.com/icebolabantu/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=1dc97f71-7609-417d-8565-a973732a9c16

Issued on The Citizen (South Africa) by Lineo Lesemane | https://www.citizen.co.za/entertainment/tv/thembisa-mdoda-nxumalo-helps-families-bury-their-loved-ones-sabc/