The beloved South African television series Scandal! is nearing its end after two decades of engaging storytelling.
Reports indicate that ETV has decided to terminate the highly-praised series after it previously cancelled Smoke & Mirrors earlier this year.
The show made headlines recently with the introduction of actor Charles Phasha, who takes on the role of Lebone, Tlhogi’s uncle.
Entertainment analyst Jabu McDonald confirmed on his X account on Friday, 26 September 2025, that the show will not continue beyond its current season.
“ETV’s long-running soapie Scandal! will not be renewed for another season. The current season will be the final one, ending in June 2026, marking the end of its 20-year run on TV,” said McDonald.
Blogger and social media user @TVwithThinus revealed on his X account on the same day that eMedia had informed investors a month prior about the cancellation of one of its weekday dramas.
Reactions from soap fans on the show’s cancellation
@Morokane1 expressed:
“I blame the current storylines. Especially the Ethembeni setup, Dintle stealing Nhloso from Madlomo, etc 😳😭.”
@ngawoz noted:
“They lost it when they came up with the Ethembeni concept.”
@Mngqusho_ shared:
“Aah man, David Nyathi, Maletsatsi, Donna, Thembeka, Dika, Morongwe, Mangi, Tino, Mthunzi, etc. This was a show. I was hooked from day one. Ethembeni ruined everything.”
@_TumiMS remarked:
“Yeah, for the first time since the days of Bra Eddie, Thembeka and Daniel Nyathi, I removed Scandal from my continue watching list and stopped watching it altogether since they started this Ethembeni nonsense since the fire. Did the writers change or what?”
@ah_yabora_shame commented:
“In the age of smart TVs and TV boxes, who exactly still watches soapies, really. People stream now. This is how it is now, SABC shows and DSTV shows are living on borrowed time, it’s definitely about to be lights off for all of them.”
@Its_Phermy added:
“I guess they were trying to save costs when they demolished the big mansion, only for the Mores to live at Bechafela and Ethembeni. Dintle with millions in her account but lives in a 2-room. Also, that wedding was screaming low budget. Everything nje. Maybe we saw it coming.”
