Terry Pheto who plays Patrick's mistress, Fikile "My character, Fikile came to South Africa illegally...she met Patrick who promised her the good life and at the end Fikile has to choose between this and what is right. The lesson is that you need to stick to your own values and principles, you need to be respected as a woman. Fikile is a dating a married man, which I personally feel is wrong, she's a liar...but she's a survivor. She's someone who was sidelined and now she doesn't feel that she belongs anywhere...which many people can relate to. Fikile's message is that it doesn't matter where you come from or where you want to get in life, the important thing is not to step on people's toes while getting there. You must be a respectful person with good values and stand up for the truth. You must believe that you are the only person that God created, there can only be one you, and you need to embrace and celebrate this."

Jonathan Pienaar who plays Fred Palmer, Hopeville's hippie barman "Fred Palmer has no ambition in life, he's a happy man – which is a rare thing. He's an ex hippie – peace, love and happiness – which is easy for me to play! I've played lots of villains, and pretended I could do violence, but the truth is I'm a softie. What I love about HEARTLINES' work is that they allow us to talk about social issues, which opens up dialogues between different people."

Hopeville tells the story of Amos, a reformed alcoholic on a mission to forge a relationship with his estranged son Themba. When father and son arrive in the dusty town of HOPEVILLE, they discover a mean little community where apathy, fear and suspicion are the order of the day. When Amos decides to restore the public swimming pool so that the young people of the town can enjoy some recreational activity, and his son can pursue a swimming career, he is met with scepticism and resistance from the town's authorities and its inhabitants. Through patience, determination and above all courage, Amos' selfless act ripples through Hopeville, inspiring others to take action and to do what they know is right. Slowly but surely, good ripples through Hopeville, transforming the town and its inhabitants for good.

Desmond Dube, on playing Patrick, the corrupt mayor of Hopeville, Patrick "I'm known as a comedian, so I smile a lot, especially when I make other people laugh and smile. Patrick is two-faced – while there's a smile on his face, behind his smile he's a mafia boss – who'll take you out without blinking if you're in his way. So when Patrick smiles, it's a fake smile, when Patrick smiles, he's at his most dangerous. Patrick's message to Hopeville viewers is ‘Don't try Patrick at home, and if you spot Patrick dial 10111!"

Jody Abrahams, who plays PJ, the hardened businessman ready to make a fast buck "The HEARTLINES initiative is very dear to me...I believe that morals and values are the glue that keep our society sane. In the chaos we deal with in life, stories exist... and we as artists need to tell these stories to make sense of them, and open the way for a discussion of morals and values. PJ seems to be a ruthless business man, but we see that he has morals...we see as his character develops that these morals lead him to act out of character...at the very moment you expect him to act in a particular way, he doesn't. PJ will surprise Hopeville viewers."

• Desmond Dube (Dube on Mondays, Hotel Rwanda), is PATRICK GUMEDE the Mayor of Hopeville, a corrupt official who is planning to rezone the land where the swimming pool is into a liquor outlet.
• Terry Pheto (Tsotsi, The Stick Fighter), is FIKILE, an illegal immigrant hiding her true identity – she's Patrick's mistress, but has deepening feelings for Amos. Her character develops as the drama unfolds as she too stands by her values and courageously does what is right.
• Themba Ndaba (Generations, Streaks & Teleschool presenter) plays the main character, AMOS MANYONI, a recovering alcoholic who gets custody of his son, Themba following the death of Gloria, Themba's mother. When Amos takes Themba to Hopeville to take up his new job as parks and recreation manager he is faced with numerous challenges that he overcomes with courage and a belief in what is good.
• Leleti Khumalo (Yesterday) plays FLO RAPHOTO, Themba's aunt who protects Themba and his mother, Gloria, from Amos' drinking, and who continually tries to get custody of Themba – to ensure that he has all the opportunities he could have, even if this means losing his father.
• Fana Mokoena (Generations, Yizo Yizo, The Lab) is WINDSOR KHOABANE the corrupt town cop who kowtows to Mayor Patrick, but who learns to take responsibility for his actions as the drama unfolds. Through Khoabane's son, Andile, we realise that Andile's bravado is merely a front as behind closed doors everything is not well at home, where domestic violence is always threatening to boil over. Fana Mokoena was nominated for a SAFTA award for his performance.
• Jody Abrahams (Hard Copy) is PJ DANIELS – the hardened businessman who's happy to get involved in any shady deal for a quick buck.
• Jonathan Pienaar is FRED a local pub owner who is torn between pursuing selfish financial interests and his wife's conscience.
• Mary Twala plays MA DOLLY, Amos' sobriety counsellor, who is the only person in Hopeville looking after the numerous abandoned children in the township of Halala.
• Paul Luckhoff plays FELIX VENTER, who is perceived as the town racist. He lives in the past and has lost touch with his humanity and the thing that is most important: his son. Felix will learn to abandon the fear and anger that has governed his life, and discover that he still has a contribution to make, for good.
• Junior Singo plays THEMBA MANYONI, Amos' son – whose refusal to reconcile with his father and grief for his mother leads him out of the house and into some unwholesome experiences with a local gang. But through Amos' perseveres and the courage of his convictions, Themba's hostility is replaced by a new found respect for his dad. By giving Amos a second chance, Themba wins a father.

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For promos and the Heartlines song, find us on YouTube (Heartlines SA)

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