A new generation of Soul City
At the heart of Soul City: Let's Rise is a fresh generation of young South African talent, with five new female leads stepping into the Soul City universe and carrying its storytelling legacy forward. The new cast features Pule Buys as Samke, Lufuno Mdau as Rhulani, Bohlokoa Nkalai as Neo, Asibonge Ntuli as Thando, and Neo Malaka as Siza.
Through these five young women, audiences will encounter different but interconnected experiences of growing up, finding one's identity and negotiating power in contemporary South Africa. Their stories explore ambition, sisterhood, family, love, education, social media, mental health and emotional wellbeing and the pressures placed on girls and young women; while confronting the realities of intimate partner violence, coercive control, grooming, unequal relationships, social and generational expectations, faith, culture and the importance of community action.
Samke is ambitious, charismatic and determined to turn her growing social-media influence into opportunity. Rhulani's journey brings mental health and emotional wellbeing into focus, exploring the consequences of trauma and the importance of seeking support. Neo adds another perspective to the experiences of young women navigating relationships, identity and belonging. Thando is determined to pursue her education and choose her own future, even as family, cultural and religious expectations threaten to determine it for her. And Siza emerges as a force for collective action, creating spaces where young women can support one another and challenge the conditions that make violence possible.
Together, they represent what Let's Rise is ultimately about: "young women refusing to be defined only by what happens to them but discovering the power to determine what happens next". For Soul City, introducing five new faces is also symbolic of the series return after 12 years. A new generation of talent is being entrusted with telling stories to a new generation of viewers, while carrying forward Soul City's longstanding commitment to edutainment that can inspire social change.
At the heart of the series is a simple but urgent question: What becomes possible when young women are supported to recognise their own power and rise together?
Speaking at the launch, Phinah Kodisang, Chief Executive Officer of Soul City Institute, said the return of Soul City television represents both a homecoming and the beginning of a new chapter. "After 12 years, Soul City is returning to television at a time when South Africa urgently needs courageous conversations about the realities facing young people, particularly girls and young women, around violence, grooming, vulnerability. Let's Rise carries forward Soul City's tradition of telling stories that entertain, educate, challenge and inspire audiences, while giving a new generation the opportunity to see themselves, their dreams and their struggles reflected on screen."
The CEO added: "This is not simply the return of a television series. It is an invitation to South Africans to become part of a movement that believes change is possible when ordinary people choose to act. We want audiences to watch these young women rise and then ask themselves what it means for all of us to rise together against violence, silence and injustice."
Genre Manager for SABC Education & Children Jacqui Hlongwane reflected on the 30 year partnership with Soul City and said "The return of the Soul City franchise is a particularly significant moment for SABC Education. For 30 years, the SABC and the Soul City Institute have shared an amazing partnership grounded in a belief in the power of storytelling to educate, engage and contribute to social change. As we mark 30 years of SABC Education this year, it is fitting that Soul City: Let's Rise returns to our screens, continuing a legacy of socially relevant storytelling while speaking directly to the lived realities of young South Africans. Through the journeys of five young women, the drama tackles urgent issues of gender, power, violence and equality, while highlighting resilience, agency and the power to make different choices. We deeply value our partnership with the Soul City Institute and look forward to continuing to collaborate on stories that not only reflect our society but challenge us to imagine and build a better one for current and future generations. This is at the heart of public-service broadcasting."
Entertainment with purpose
For decades, Soul City has pioneered the use of mass media and popular culture to stimulate conversations about some of South Africa's most pressing social and health challenges. Soul City: Let's Rise carries that philosophy into a new era.
The series does not approach social issues as lessons delivered to audiences. Instead, they emerge through relationships, difficult choices, consequences and emotionally engaging stories that allow viewers to recognise aspects of their own lives, families and communities. The drama explores how gender-based violence can be preceded by seemingly small acts of control, manipulation and coercion; how economic vulnerability and unequal power can be exploited; how religious and cultural authority can be misused; and how silence within families and communities can allow harm to continue.
But Let's Rise is equally interested in what changes when people act. Young women find their voices. Families are challenged to listen differently. Friends learn to recognise warning signs. Communities begin questioning behaviours they once accepted as normal. And individuals discover that asking for help can itself be an act of courage.
From television to a movement
The return of Soul City television will extend beyond the screen through the growing Soul Citizens Movement, which invites South Africans who believe in the values and work of Soul City to become part of a community committed to positive social change. Through Soul Citizens, audiences will be able to remain connected to the world of Let's Rise, access updates and opportunities to participate in Soul City initiatives, engage with campaigns and community activities, and join a growing network of people who believe that building a more equal and just society is a collective responsibility.
The television series therefore becomes more than a weekly viewing experience. It becomes an invitation: Watch. Engage. Act. Rise.
A story made for this moment
Produced by Mindset Concept, Soul City: Let's Rise combines a fresh young cast with the socially purposeful storytelling that has defined the Soul City brand. The series arrives at a time when South Africa continues to confront gender-based violence, inequality and the complex pressures facing young people both offline and online.
Rather than offering simple answers, Let's Rise places viewers inside the lives of its characters and asks audiences to consider how everyday choices, relationships, families and communities can either reinforce harmful norms or become part of changing them. After twelve years away from television screens, Soul City returns with a new generation, a new story and the same conviction that has always driven the brand: Stories can change conversations. Conversations can change communities. And when communities rise together, change becomes possible.
Soul City: Let's Rise premieres Sunday, 30 August 2026 at 19:30 on SABC1.
ENDS
About Soul City: Let's Rise
Soul City: Let's Rise is a 13-part South African television drama following five young women navigating ambition, relationships, family expectations, identity, power and the challenges of growing up in contemporary South Africa. Set in Katlehong, the series combines compelling drama with entertainment-education storytelling to explore intimate partner violence, gender equality, violence prevention, mental health, young women's agency and community action.
About Soul City Institute
We are an intersectional feminist organisation, working to ensure that girls, young women and gender minorities enjoy substantive equality, with access to resources and opportunities that enable them to live fulfilling lives. Soul City Institute operates according to the principles and values of human rights, using an intersectional approach to ensure that nobody is left behind and ensuring equity for all.
Funding acknowledgement
Soul City: Let's Rise was made possible with funding and support from What Works and UK INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
Media enquiries
Name: Akona Zibonti
Soul City Institute
Email: akona@soulcity.org.za
Contact Details: 0727374631
