Cobra Moves to the City—Cobrizi’s Fresh Take on an Old Favorite
Fans of The River are about to see a whole new side of Thuso ‘Cobra’ Mokoena. Presley Chweneyagae returns in Cobrizi, a spin-off drama dropping on Mzansi Magic in March 2025. Backed by a strong cast of familiar and new faces, this 13-episode series picks up after Cobra leaves his turbulent past behind—sort of—and tries to make a new life in inner-city Johannesburg.
If you’ve followed Cobra’s journey before, you know he’s a survivor through and through. Steeped in poverty and old habits like hustling and theft, Cobra has always hustled hard to get by. With this move to a tougher, grittier city life, the stakes are higher but so is the possibility for change. Johannesburg challenges him in ways the countryside just couldn’t. Tempers flare, old scars get reopened, and new faces either help or hinder his attempt to turn things around.
Old Habits, New Beginnings, and Fresh Struggles
Let’s talk cast. Thapelo Sebogodi (Kabzela), Winnie Ntshaba, and Thembsie Matu (fans know her as Ous Sheila) all return, bringing their dynamic energy to the series. There’s plenty of new blood too, like Siphiwe Radebe and Xolani Mfeka. These additions help flesh out a story that feels both new and comfortingly familiar.
What sets Cobrizi apart is the raw emotion it brings. This isn’t just a redemption tale—Cobra’s journey is messy. He struggles with pent-up anger and never quite shakes off the feeling that the system failed him. The city becomes a pressure cooker for these emotions, forcing him to own up to past choices, make new alliances, and face his future. Themes of hope, family, and how your background shapes you stay central.
Shirley Adonisi from M-Net really summed it up: audiences connect with Cobra because his story is painfully relatable. Unlike the privileged Dlamini-Dikanas, the Mokoena family’s dirt-under-the-fingernails reality makes viewers root for every small win. This contrast isn’t just dramatic—it’s honest, capturing the constant tug-of-war between ambition, loyalty, poverty, and pride.
If you crave drama with teeth, packed with relatable struggles and the hard-fought victories of everyday life, Cobrizi is set to deliver. Between returning favorites and bold new faces, fans can expect a wild ride through Johannesburg’s backstreets, where hope might just outweigh heartbreak.
