Abstract
This study argues that, despite post-apartheid transformations and increased Black creative control in South African television, Black-produced serials like Uzalo and The Wife continue to reproduce and reshape entrenched Black stereotypes. Core caricatures—Mammy, Coon, Black Buck, and Jezebel—persist within these narratives yet are reframed alongside emerging stereotypes that reflect contemporary anxieties around wealth, crime, and gendered power. Through a comparative analysis rooted in Stuart Hall’s Representation Theory and Richard Dyer’s work on stereotyping, this research shows how Black identity is actively constructed, circulated, and contested on screen. Using a case study design, qualitative content analysis of 20 purposively sampled episodes reveals a complex dialectic in which old and new stereotypes coexist, reflecting ongoing negotiations of representation and ideology in South African television. This study makes a key contribution to debates about representation, identity, and transformation in post-apartheid media by highlighting the dual process of reinforcing and subverting Black stereotypes. It calls for more dignified and nuanced portrayals of Black South African life, arguing that television both mirrors and shapes social consciousness. By framing its critique as a creative intervention, the study speaks directly to scholars, creators, and audiences invested in television's representational power.