SAFTA and international award-winning film company, Penguin Films, has announced that Juju Mafela – the middle son of the late veteran actor, Joe Mafela – has taken over his father’s shareholding in the company.
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Juju, who will be joining the production team as a creative producer, is looking forward to following in his father’s footsteps, as it has been his lifelong dream to be in a position where he could reinvent how people share creativity and tells stories that inspire audiences. “Penguin Films is a company that does amazing work and it’s my objective, coming in as a partner, to grow the company internationally by any means necessary. That was the conversation I had with my father, and as the company grows so too does his legacy,” Juju Mafela shares.
Acclaimed filmmaker, creative producer and founder of Penguin Films, Roberta Durrant, has welcomed Juju’s interest in filling the void that his father left and says: “It was always Joe Mafela’s wish that his son would one day follow in his footsteps and we are proud to announce that Juju Mafela is now a 30% shareholder in our company. I am delighted to have the succession. I have seen Juju develop over the years. He has worked with us in production many times and now we look forward to his input as creative producer.”
Penguin Films first crossed paths with Joe Mafela while producing the popular 1986 sitcom, Sgudi ‘Snaysi, in which Mafela starred as S’dumo, the lodger to Sis May (played by the late Daphne Hlomuka). Over the course of the show’s 78 episodes, Joe Mafela become a beloved cultural hero.
During his successful career, Joe received a host of industry Lifetime Achievement Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the NFVF, the Comics’ Choice Award, a Duku Duku Black Entertainment Award and a Naledi Theatre Award. The South African film and television industry mourned his untimely death in March 2017.
Due to the popularity of Sgudi ‘Snaysi, Mafela and Penguin Films went on to produce Going Up and the voter education series, Khululeka. Since then, the company has been responsible for various award-winning sitcoms like Madam and Eve, SOS, Fishy Feshuns, Going Up Again, Mazinyo dot Q and Stokvel. Their recent drama series include the award-winning Saints and Sinners and the telenovela Ring of Lies. Penguin Films also produced the acclaimed blockbuster about the historical heroin, Krotoa, starring Crystal-Donna Roberts and Armand Aucamp who has just won Best Actor at the Huisgenoot Tempo Awards for this film.
