The Queen has proven to be a household name in Mzansi television over the years. This year, it brought us shocking twists and major additions to its ensemble cast.
We stroll down memory lane with some of hit telenovela’s stand-out moments from 2020.
Gracious’s untimely death
When we said goodbye to one of the show’s most loved characters, Gracious Mabuza aka TGom, we could barely process the loss.
We should have predicted Gracious’s death when she gave Dollar an ultimatum – either he had to divorce Nomzamo or he’d lose Gracious for good. Dollar eventually chose Gracious over Nomzamo, but Nomzamo wasn’t going to let go so easily. The next thing we knew, TGom lay dead on the floor in a pool of blood.
This was a shocking and unexpected death as TGom was undoubtedly one of the most loved characters on the show.
Gcina West Nkabinde came to shake things up
This year we were also introduced to Gcina West Nkabinde, Dollar’s sister. We will never forget the day she tortured Schumacher, thinking he was the one who framed her brother, unaware that it was down to Nomzamo’s devious doings.
She went on the war path against Harriet and caused havoc for the Khoza family. Viewers were ecstatic that Harriet had finally met her match!
Skhali and Gigi’s relationship goals
Their relationship started when Gigi lied about having a boyfriend, and everyone, including Vuyiswa, wanted to know who the mystery man was. She brought Skhali to dinner at the Maake house but Vuyiswa and Jerry were taken aback by Gigi’s choice of man.
Skhali took this opportunity to make an official move on Gigi. Yep, Skhali didn’t want to pretend anymore and became Gigi’s boyfriend for real! Together they were Tembisa’s favourite couple.
From being a loan shark to a fake boyfriend and eventually becoming the leader of the boyfriend club, Skhali showed every man in South Africa how a woman should be treated. And what a great job he did!
The death of Jerry “Robocop” Maake
We never thought we would lose our national treasure and the most respected character on TV, Jerry Maake. He took a bow while saving Harriet during a shootout at a golf course.
The fall and the rise of Shaka
It’s no doubt that The Queen’s fans found it difficult to come to terms with Shaka’s death. In a twist of events, he took a page out of Stefano DiMera’s book and rose from the dead.

It was also no surprise that his death had a huge impact, as he’s one of The Queen’s favourite characters, famously known for his tagline “Balance me real quick.”
The whole of Mzansi anticipated his return and he came back with nothing but vengeance towards Kagiso and Dingane, who were behind his attempted murder. Can you imagine your brother and cousin killing you and then hiding your body for weeks on end? Disgusting!
Brutus and Noma’s entanglement
At first, Brutus couldn’t stand the sight of Noma, because of the R10 million she owed them. All he wanted was for her to pay back the money.
A one-night stand led to another until Brutus got tired of lying and hiding his feelings for Noma. He then came out with the truth and told the whole family that he had the hots for her.
Vuyiswa’s unfortunate incident
We applaud the writers for exploration of trauma and its ripple effects by introducing Vuyiswa’s traumatic storyline. Her sexual assault incident touched many viewers who related to her incident.
Vuyiswa dealt with the situation the best way she could by exploring all possibilities to catch her rapist. Georgina became Vuyiswa’s pillar of strength throughout as they both worked tirelessly to find the man.
Re-live all the great moments of The Queen S5 on Showmax and DStv online.