GENERATIONS: ENTIRE CAST OF SOUTH AFRICAN SOAP FIRED

The cast of popular South African soap opera Generations has been sacked after going on strike in a long-running dispute over pay and contracts.

The show's 16 actors were fired after resisting calls to return to work at studios in Johannesburg.

Executive producer Mfundi Vlunda told a South African radio station that new cast members would be recruited.

"There were other actors before, there will be other actors in the future. Generations will go on, it doesn't mean the demise of the series."

Mr Vlunda branded the actors' pay and contractual demands "unreasonable" and claimed 12 of South Africa's highest paid actors were Generations cast members.

However, the cast have contended they are underpaid and also receive no repeat fees for their work, which is screened in other African countries.

Among the actors losing their jobs is Sophie Ndaba, who has played Queen Moroka since the show's inception.

Lawyer of the cast said they would seek further advice before deciding how to fight the programme makers' decision.

Generations is a South African soap opera which first aired on SABC 1 in 1994. It follows black middle-class characters working in advertising and it is a popular draw with ordinary South Africans, providing a source of aspiration to TV viewers.