Insiders say that the broadcaster - which has had a frosty relationship with the Saftas for years - has ''huge concerns'' about the judging process and mechanics and is going to yank all of its nominees for all of its shows, including its soaps Scandal! and Rhythm City.[e.tv just confirmed it to me with a statement]. This will also remove both soaps from the already incomplete and contentious Best Soap category which already lacks any credibility.
E.tv has long been at loggerheads with the Saftas for years but the broadcaster is hardly alone in having problems with the awards ceremony handing out Golden Horn awards to the local film and TV industry.
M-Net didn't enter the Saftas for years, also unofficially citing concerns. Previously SABC1's Generations and super producer Mfundi Vundla criticised the Saftas with Vundla and the soaps cast and crew who boycotted the show. 7de Laan snubbed the Saftas last year. The Saftas also failed to secure a broadcaster for the awards last year. Critics constantly blast the awards spectacle as unorganised. In addition previous winners and nominees within the industry are the judges which critics say is a conflict of interest.
All three actors up for best actor in a drama series this year are from SABC1's Intersexions to the exclusion of everyone else. There's no nominees for the category for best actress in a film. Interestingly Shona Ferguson is one of the nominees in the category for best actor in a soap but for e.tv's Scandal! Shona Ferguson left Scandal! longer than a year ago and has been seen since the beginning of 2011 in M-Net's soap The Wild. Critics point to these and other examples as part of what is wrong with the farcical Saftas.
Meanwhile the SABC is still in shock after SABC3 initially agreed to broadcast the ceremony this year only for the public broadcaster to discover that one of its biggest soaps was suddenly not ''allowed'' to compete in the Best Soap category.
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) which organises the Saftas said 7de Laan isn't eligible to be included in the Best Soap category - the winner which is decided by public voting and which soaps can't actively enter. Soaps can't enter the Best Soap category, but the NFVF isn't allowing 7de Laan as a nominee because it didn't enter any of the other categories. The Saftas didn't tell either the production company or the broadcaster that it would happen. ''We were not aware that such a category – based on the fact that it's a public voter's choice, required a formal submission for other categories first,'' said Zandile Nkonyeni, SABC2's publicity manager.
Now e.tv which is in talks with the NFVF has decided to pull its shows from the 6th Saftas taking place on Friday and Saturday at Gallagher Estate in Midrand. I understand from sources that e.tv and the Saftas have been involved in a heated to-and-fro about the awards.
In a statement earlier the NFVF said the juding panel made up out of only previous winners and nominees is ''a move aimed at creating a stronger peer recognition adjudication process''.
E.tv which is withdrawing all its programming and presenter participation from the 2012 Saftas, says ''it's unfortunate that we have had to withdraw our programming from the Saftas but we feel that it is necessary to do so in order to achieve greater organisationa cohesion''.
Monde Twala the group head of e.tv channels refused to give specific reasons for e.tv's decision.
E.tv which is withdrawing all its programming and presenter participation from the 2012 Saftas, says ''it's unfortunate that we have had to withdraw our programming from the Saftas but we feel that it is necessary to do so in order to achieve greater organisationa cohesion''.
Monde Twala the group head of e.tv channels refused to give specific reasons for e.tv's decision.
