‘A formidable talent’: SA TV industry mourns ‘Isidingo’ executive producer Pumla Hopa

Veteran TV producer Pumla Hopa has died. Former colleagues led tributes to the woman who helped shape 'Isidingo' and other celebrated SA shows. South African television is mourning veteran producer Pumla Hopa, the woman whose name closed out the credits of Isidingo for years and who spent decades behind the scenes of some of the country’s best-loved shows. She was 59. A memorial notice shared on social media lists her date of death as 28 October 2026. The family describes her as a mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, “creative force, mentor and friend”, whose “kindness, warmth, and love touched the lives of many”. Funeral and other arrangements will be announced in due course. No cause of death has been given. ‘Our TV industry has lost a formidable talent’ Among the first industry figures to react was Helga Palmer, managing director at Endemol Shine. In a Facebook post, she said she was “overcome with great sadness” and sent condolences to Hopa’s family, friends and industry colleagues. “Our TV industry has lost a formidable talent,” she wrote, adding that she hoped Hopa’s legacy would “continue to inspire a new generation of industry practitioners”. Palmer signed off with: “Once in a lifetime, one in a million.” Actress Masasa Mbangeni spoke for the viewers who knew Hopa only through her work. On X on Wednesday night, she wrote that she used to remember seeing Hopa’s name at the end of the Isidingo credits. “Thank you for giving us incredible television,” she added. The post drew more than 19 000 views within hours. From assistant director to the top of Isidingo Hopa’s connection to Isidingo went back to day one. She started as an assistant director on the first episode, which aired on 7 July 1998, and worked her way up to executive producer, according to a 2013 IOL profile. She was already in the role by 2008. Hopa was clear about what set the soapie apart. In a 2015 interview, she said the show had “always pushed boundaries from episode one”, pointing to a debut episode that ended with a white miner assaulting a black miner and sparked national conversation. Under her watch, the show tackled issues such as racism, xenophobia, HIV/Aids and mixed marriages, among others. She was also the face of the production in its hardest moments. After actress Ashley Callie died in 2008, Hopa told the media the producers had consulted the family and chose to write the character out rather than recast. At Callie’s memorial, she said there would always be a gap in the Isidingo family. Watching TV as a kid and seeing Pumla Hopa on credits then later working with her was one of my greatest honors. A giant has fallen. Rest in peace sis P ❤️— Zama Sinaye (@Zamancamu_) October 29, 2026 Hopa also took pride in the show as a training ground. In a 2013 interview, she said it had become an institution for the industry, with people who came through it now “feeding the industry”. A mentor to the cast In 2016, Rohan Dickson took over as showrunner, and Hopa moved to new scripted projects at Endemol Shine. When the SABC pulled the plug on Isidingo in late 2019, and it ended in 2020, cast members paid public tribute to her. Simphiwe Ngema, who played Phindi, thanked Hopa for showing her that a woman could lead as well as anyone in a male-dominated industry. Hopa stayed involved in the sector after that. In 2021, she was listed as a workshop facilitator at the Buffalo City Metro’s first film festival and is credited with working on shows such as My Brother’s Keeper (2024), Bogaditsong: Sister Wives (2026) and Stokvel Season (2026). The Citizen will update this story when funeral details are announced.