It’s with great excitement that the Jakes Gerwel Foundation and M-Net Channels announce their chosen candidates for the Longhope TV Writing residency!
This programme offers talented, emerging screenwriters the opportunity to hone their writing skills and learn from experienced and productive writers in the television and film industry.
Longhope, which refers to one of the districts near KwaNojoli, indeed offers hope. Not only do emerging writers learn from the country’s leading experts, but successful candidates are given the opportunity to gain practical experience at M-Net Channels’ production houses after completing the mentorship programme. Several previous participants have been offered permanent positions following the three-month internship.
The participants this year are Lindo Mthimkhulu, Dale Raad, Dennis Ngango, Katlego Morobi and Tamia Thompson.
Congratulations to our candidates! May the time you spend at our house of stories be a time of growth and inspiration. We look forward to following your TV writing projects closely.
Dit is met groot opgewondenheid dat die Jakes Gerwel Stigting en M-Net Kanale hul gekose kandidate vir die Longhope TV-skryf residensie aankondig.
Die program bied aan talentvolle, opkomende draaiboekskrywers die geleentheid om hul skryfvaardighede te slyp en te leer by ervare en produktiewe skrywers in die televisie- en filmbedryf.
Longhope, wat verwys na een van die distrikte naby KwaNojoli, bied inderdaad hoop. Nie net leer opkomende skrywers by die land se voorste kundiges nie, maar word die suksesvolle kandidate die geleentheid gebied om, na afloop van die mentorskapsprogram, by M-Net Kanale se vervaardigingshuise praktiese ervaring op te doen. Verskeie van die vorige deelnemers is ná die drie maande internskap permanente werke aangebied.
Vanjaar se deelnemers is Lindo Mthimkhulu, Dale Raad, Dennis Ngango, Katlego Morobi en Tamia Thompson.
Baie geluk aan ons kandidate! Mag die tyd wat julle deurbring by ons huis van stories ’n tyd van groei en inspirasie wees. Ons sien daarna uit om julle TV-skryfprojekte te volg.
Tamia Thompson is a theatre director, performer and applied theatre practitioner hailing from Mitchells Plain, Cape Town. She holds a BA in drama studies and an honours degree in applied theatre, both obtained from Stellenbosch University. In 2024, she won the KKNK KANNA award for Best Comedy for Su’Walla Kassam, a highly acclaimed theatre production that she co-created. A proud comedy writer and lover of laughter, her work centres on Cape Flats stories that are humorous, grounded in reality and unapologetically stereotypical. She is currently pursuing a career in film and television. To quote Tamia, “The best way to learn is to laugh.”
Born and bred in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, Katlego Morobi is an aspiring writer who has a passion for authentic screenwriting and storytelling. He holds a postgraduate diploma (with honours) in performing arts, specialising in scriptwriting, from Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). He is currently studying towards a BA Honours in film and television studies. Having studied acting before, he developed a love for storytelling after writing Lesiba for DStv’s Mzansi Magic during his first year at university. Katlego brings creative and innovative ways of telling South African stories, dedicating his craft to celebrating the unique stories that the country and the world at large are yet to hear.
Lindo Mthimkhulu is a 29-year-old emerging writer and filmmaker from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. She holds a cum laude degree in BA Motion Picture in Directing and Writing from AFDA film school. Her graduating film, Warm, has won several awards and been showcased at various international film festivals. She has also done independent poetic writing for dance films such as Simunye, which won a JOMBA! award. Lindo is passionate about creating engaging and impactful stories that centre on issues or topics that marginalised communities in African society face while simultaneously exploring experimental approaches to storytelling. She hopes to branch out into genres such as African fantasy and folklore, magical realism, psychological thrillers and animation.
Dennis Ngango is a South African filmmaker, creative producer and founder of DEFINING, one of the country’s most engaged youth-driven storytelling platforms, with over 600 000 followers and more than 40 million views. His work spans branded documentaries, social-first series, and talk-driven formats for clients including Netflix, Cadbury and FNB, blending creative vision with audience strategy. Dennis holds a master’s in film producing (with distinction) from Goldsmiths, University of London, where he honed his skills in filmmaking and international co-production. He was selected as a ‘Filmmaker to Watch’ by the Bloo Grape Showcase 2025, chosen for the Durban Film Mart Institute’s Business Lab for African Producers, and recognised by CNN Africa as a trailblazing digital entrepreneur shaping the future of African storytelling.
Dale Raad is a South African filmmaker and writer based in Cape Town who graduated from AFDA in 2012, where his graduation film The Amazingly Ordinary Story won the best screenplay award. Since then, he has worked in creative agencies as an editor, director and producer, and as a freelance videographer on various projects. In 2017, Dale moved to Asia for seven years, primarily living in Vietnam, where he continued writing, directing and producing his own short films while experiencing a whole new culture. In 2025, he returned home with the goal of telling South African stories. “I believe South Africa has a rich tapestry of people, places and cultures and a plethora of stories that need to be told.”
