After two exciting seasons, Mzansi Magic’s much loved drama series eHostela is back.

The popular TV show is returning with a major twist as it is now an anthology series, featuring a new cast led by Siyabonga Thwala.

According to Mzansi Magic, the new plot twist to the already established TV show is part of the channel’s exciting new wave which features a wider adoption of the globally popular anthology series genre – where each new season of an existing show features different faces and new stories within the same universe.

They also assured that while the cast and characters are different, the genre, tone and mood of the show remain unchanged, as already seen in season 3 of the romcom drama Unmarried.

The producers of the show further revealed to Nounouche that the show that was previously set in the KwaZulu-Natal township of KwaMashu, in the new season it will now be set in Bergville, and it stars the award-winning, multidisciplinary actor Siyabonga Thwala going toe-to-toe with the celebrated Gcina Nkosi, who plays his arch-nemesis.

In a statement, director of Local Entertainment Channels at M-Net, Shirley Adonisi told Nounouche that this will see growth of the anthology genre on Mzansi Magic.

“As a channel, we pride ourselves in not only keeping up with global trends but in ensuring our impeccable storytelling is done in ways which entice and appeal to our loyal viewers.

Taking on the anthology genre with some of our shows is informed by a combination of creative treatment mixed with trend analysis and research, as viewers are always looking for something new and fresh. With the amount of local content available on various platforms, it’s important to remain dynamic and relevant,” she concludes.

EHostela season 3 premieres on Mzansi Magic (DStv Channel 161) on Sunday 3 July at 20h00.