Lockdown (South African TV series)
| Lockdown | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Mandla Ngcongwane |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Mandla Ngcongwane |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | South Africa |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 62 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30:00 (incl. commercials) |
| Original release | |
| Network | Mzansi Magic |
| Release | 9 January 2017 – 1 January 2018 |
| Network | 1Magic |
| Release | 7 July 2018 – 29 June 2019 |
| Network | Showmax (streaming) |
Lockdown is a South African crime drama television series created and directed by Mandla Ngcongwane that premiered on 9 January 2017 on Mzansi Magic (televised) and Showmax (streaming) then later moved to 1Magic.[1]
The series aired its first season and second season on Mzansi Magic, moved to 1Magic for its third and fourth seasons and later moved back to Mzansi to air the fifth and final season.
Production
Filming
Principal filming for the series took place in Constitution Hill in Johannesburg.[2][3]
Music
The original score was produced by Mandla N, Jamela Vuma and Kurt Slabbert, under BlackBrain Music.[4] Vocals were done by Nelisiwe Sibiya, Bongo Riot, Ikati Esengxoweni, Zola Nombona, Max-Hoba, Slindile Nodangala, Carol Babalwa Djieutcheu, Dawn Thandeka King and Phindile Thango.[5][6][7][8] The album was officially released to music streaming platforms in 2018, after a private screening of the season 3 finale, alongside a music video for the lead single, Mama Ka Bafana.[9][10][11]
Reception
Awards and nominations
| List of Accolades | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award / Film Festival | Year | Recipient | Nomination | Result | Ref. |
| South African Film and Television Awards | 2018 | Babalwa Mtshiselwa | Best Achievement in Make-up and Hairstyling - TV Drama | Won | |
| Amanda Van Wyngaardt | Best Achievement in Art / Design Production - TV Drama | Nominated | [12] | ||
| Lockdown | Best Achievement in Cinematography (TV Drama) | Nominated | [12] | ||
| Reabetswe Moeti | Best Achievement in Scriptwriting - TV Drama | Won | [13] | ||
| 2019 | DramaGisellah Gay McLeod | Best Achievement in Costume Design - TV | Won | ||
| Babalwa Mtshiselwa | Best Achievement in Make-up and Hairstyling - TV Drama | Won | |||
|
Best Achievement in Directing - TV Drama | Nominated | |||
| Reabetswe Moeti | Best Achievement in Scriptwriting - TV Drama | Nominated | |||
| Pamela Nomvete | Best Supporting Actress - TV Drama | Nominated | [14] | ||
| Zola Nombona | Best Actress - TV Drama | Nominated | [14] | ||
| Lockdown | Best TV Drama | Won | [15] | ||
| Lorcia Cooper | Best Supporting Actress - TV Drama | Won | [15] | ||
| Dawn Thandeka King | Best Actress - TV Drama | Won | [15] | ||
| 2020 | Gaopie Kabe | Best Achievement in Cinematography - TV Drama | Nominated | [16] | |
| Gisellah Gay McLeod | Best Achievement in Costume Design - TV Drama | Nominated | [16] | ||
| Lockdown | Best Achievement in Art / Design Production - TV Drama | Nominated | [16] | ||
|
Best Achievement in Original Score - TV Drama | Nominated | [16] | ||
|
Best Achievement in Scriptwriting - TV Drama | Nominated | [16] | ||
| Mandla N. | Best Achievement in Directing - TV Drama | Nominated | [16] | ||
| Pamela Nomvete | Best Supporting Actress - TV Drama | Nominated | [16] | ||
| Lorcia Cooper | Best Supporting Actress - TV Drama | Nominated | [17] | ||
| Zola Nombona | Best Actress - TV Drama | Nominated | [16] | ||
| Dawn Thandeka King | Best Actress - TV Drama | Nominated | [17] | ||
| Lockdown | Best TV Drama | Nominated | [17] | ||
| 2021 | Babalwa Mtshiselwa | Best Achievement in Make-up and Hairstyling - TV Drama | Nominated | [18] | |
|
Best Achievement in Original Score - TV Drama | Won | [4] | ||
| Kurt Slabbert | Best Achievement in Sound Design - TV Drama | Nominated | [18] | ||
| Mandla N. | Best Achievement in Directing - TV Drama | Nominated | [18] | ||
| Zola Nombona | Best Supporting Actress - TV Drama | Nominated | [18] | ||
| Lockdown | Best TV Drama | Nominated | [18] | ||
Series overview
| Series | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | |||
| 1 | 13 | 9 January 2017 | 3 April 2017 | Mzansi Magic | |
| 2 | 13 | 9 October 2017 | 1 January 2018 | ||
| 3 | 13 | 7 July 2018 | 29 September 2018 | 1Magic | |
| 4 | 13 | 6 April 2019 | 29 June 2019 | ||
| 5 | 10 | 6 April 2020 | 8 June 2020 | Mzansi Magic | |
Episodes
Season 1 (2017)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | South Africa viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | – | – | 9 January 2017 | N/A |
| 2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | – | – | 16 January 2017 | N/A |
| 3 | 3 | "Episode 3" | – | – | 23 January 2017 | N/A |
| 4 | 4 | "Episode 4" | – | – | 30 January 2017 | N/A |
| 5 | 5 | "Episode 5" | – | – | 6 February 2017 | N/A |
| 6 | 6 | "Episode 6" | – | – | 13 February 2017 | N/A |
| 7 | 7 | "Episode 7" | – | – | 20 February 2017 | N/A |
| 8 | 8 | "Episode 8" | – | – | 27 February 2017 | N/A |
| 9 | 9 | "Episode 9" | – | – | 6 March 2017 | N/A |
| 10 | 10 | "Episode 10" | – | – | 13 March 2017 | N/A |
| 11 | 11 | "Episode 11" | – | – | 20 March 2017 | N/A |
| 12 | 12 | "Episode 12" | – | – | 27 March 2017 | N/A |
| 13 | 13 | "Episode 13" | – | – | 3 April 2017 | N/A |
Season 5 (2020)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | South Africa viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 1 | "New Prison Threat" | – | – | 6 April 2020 | N/A |
| 54 | 2 | "Peace Offering" | – | – | 13 April 2020 | N/A |
| 55 | 3 | "Battle of the Smarts" | – | – | 20 April 2020 | N/A |
| 56 | 4 | "Who Let the Dogs Out" | – | – | 27 April 2020 | N/A |
| 57 | 5 | "New Love" | – | – | 4 May 2020 | N/A |
| 58 | 6 | "All Hell Breaks Loose" | – | – | 11 May 2020 | N/A |
| 59 | 7 | "Are We Done Yet?" | – | – | 18 May 2020 | N/A |
| 60 | 8 | "It's Israel's House" | – | – | 25 May 2020 | N/A |
| 61 | 9 | "What Have We Done?" | – | – | 1 June 2020 | N/A |
| 62 | 10 | "Happily Ever After?" | – | – | 8 June 2020 | N/A |
References
- ^ Kahla, Cheryl (29 January 2020). "Lockdown: SA's hit prison drama returns for fifth season on Showmax". The South African. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Shoot on the Hill – Constitution Hill". www.constitutionhill.org.za. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ "Local series Lockdown cast ex-convicts as extras". SowetanLIVE. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ a b Africa, Keishia (22 May 2021). "All the 2021 Safta winners". Independent Online. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Ikati Esengxoweni". Music In Africa. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ Notho, Snazo. "NELI RELIVES PAINFUL PAST!". Daily Sun. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ Vomo, Munya (6 October 2017). "#Lockdown - The melancholic magic of its music". IOL. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ Reporter, Staff (2 October 2018). "'Lockdown' arrests emotions with new soundtrack". IOL. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ Tjiya, Emmanuel (4 November 2018). "Nelisiwe drops music videos for her two songs". SowetanLIVE. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ Magazine, Blazon (24 November 2018). "Lockdown Soundtrack - Durban Launch". Blazon Magazine. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ Masemola, Mokgethwa. "LOCKDOWN SOUNDTRACK RELEASED!". Daily Sun. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ a b "2018 SAFTA Nominees". 2018 SAFTA Nominees. Archived from the original on 10 September 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "All the winners at the 2018 Saftas". Life. 24 March 2018. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Here are the top Safta nominees for 2019". Life. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ a b c Ntsabo, Mihlali (2 March 2019). "Here are your 2019 Safta winners!". ewn.co.za. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h yomzansi (17 February 2020). "Here are the 2020 SAFTAs nominees". YOMZANSI. Documenting THE CULTURE. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ a b c "2020 SAFTA nominees". www.dailyvoice.co.za. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Tamlyn (29 April 2021). "2021 SAFTA nominations - see the full list". KAYA 959. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2023.