Moshidi Motshegwa, who played Malefu on The River, departed from the series in 2019, after she claimed that the producers had informed her that there was no storyline for her character.
Moshidi Motshegwa took on the character of Malefu on 1Magic’s The River and appeared in the series for the first season. The role saw the actress returning to television after a brief hiatus, as she was part of the premiere of The River. Malefu’s exit came in February 2019, when her brother had returned to town with bad news about their sister. He informed family members that whilst she was out of the city receiving treatment, she had succumbed to her illness.
The surprise departure of the character led fans to question why she was not given a proper send off, which ultimately sparked rumours about her relationship with production house, Tshedza Pictures. Setting the record straight, Moshidi spoke with local media in February 2019 and claimed that she was let go after a disagreement with the executive producers. According to her, the disagreement resulted in them informing her that her character would have no storyline in season two.
She stated, “I had had a disagreement with one of the executive producers. He reprimanded me and told me that I was being ‘cruel’ and I needed to stop. One of the younger actresses had complained that she can’t act (with me) because I am being cruel to her. I proceeded to ask what I had done and he couldn’t say, so I left the meeting and went home.”