FULL WINNERS LIST. Cisa wins big, Zee Nxumalo shut out at 2026's 20th Metro FM Music Awards

by Thinus Ferreira

The 24-year-old Isaka-hitmaker Cisa (Nkululeko Ncisa) won Artist of the year as well as Best male artist at Saturday night's live 20th Metro FM Music Awards (MMAs) broadcast on SABC1 and SABC+, while chart-topping Zee Nxumalo got shut out and won none of her seven nominations.

The 2026 MMAs were co-hosted by Lawrence Maleka and Lerato Kganyago with the live broadcast from the Durban International Convention Centre that featured on-stage performances by DJ Tira, Nomfundo Hlope, Shandesh and Nkosazana Daughter.

Veteran broadcaster Wilson B Nkosi was honoured with a special long-service award for his decades-long career. 

The Maskandi legend, Bheki Ngobo (Ihashi Elimphlophe) who started his music journey when he was 8 with a makeshift guitar with three strings, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award. 

"I feel blessed by God, blessed by my supporters, who have been supporting me since day one and will continue to support me through this journey," Cisa said on stage.

"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. My dad has also been a great supporter and a guide and he's helped me navigate the industry cautiously."

"I remember the gents and I were sitting in a studio in the East Rand and I told them, 'We need to make a song that's going to change the sound of South African music and Isaka became that," he said when he accepted his award.

"This song has made amazing things for us and I'm grateful to Thukuthela and Jazzworld."

Thukuthela and Jazzworld won 3 awards: Best produced album, Best dance, and Best duo or group.

The Lekompo Queens sparkled, with Shandesh winning Best female artist and Kharishma winning Best new artist.

Kharishma was absent, recovering after a serious car accident in 2025 with her brother accepting the award and noting how much her fans' continued appreciation and support is helping keep her emotionally and psychologically.

Zee Nxumalo left the awards with nothing, although she was tied with producer Sam Deep as the 2026 MMAs' most-nominated artist. On social media she vented: "God, you're confusing me. I just lost 7 awards but my new EP is doing well. What must happen?"

The full list of 2026's 20th Metro FM Music Awards winners:

Best jazz album

Paras “Sibalukhulu” Dlamini – Ingoma Busuku

Best gospel album

Musa Yende - Sustained by Grace

Best-produced album

Jazzworld & Thukuthela - Most Wanted

Best collaboration song

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Nduduzo Makhathini & Mbuso Khoza - You Make Me Happy

Best viral challenge

Goon Flavour, Master KG & EeMoh – Ngishutheni

Best female artist

Shandesh

Best styled artist

Musa Keys

Best R&B song

Una Rams – Priceless Possession

Best Maskandi

Khuzani - Umanikinikana

Best Male Artist

Ciza

Best Hip Hop

Stogie T, Nasty C, Maggz & A-Reece - Four Horsemen

Best dance

Jazzworld, Mawhoo & Thukuthela, Gl_Ceejay - Uzizwa Kanjani

Best music video

Sam Deep, Nia Pearl, Boohle & Mano – Shela

Best Lekompo

Kharishma, DJ Angelo, Buddy Sax & DJ Janisto - Wa Inama

Best Amapiano

Sam Deep, Nia Pearl, Boohle & Mano – Shela

Best Kwaito / Gqom

DJ Tira, Pcee, Campmasters & General C’Mamane – Awungazi

Best African pop

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Nduduzo Makhathini & Mbuso Khoza - You Make Me Happy

Best new artist

Kharishma

Artist of the Year

Ciza

Best duo or group

Thukuthela & Jazzworld

Global icon

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Lifetime Achievement

Ihashi Elimhlophe

Long service award

Wilson B Nkosi

Song of the Year

Umafikizolo - Uyoncengwa Unyoko

ALSO READ: 2026's 20th Metro FM Music Awards on 25 April in Durban to honour icons in music excellence, adds Maskandi and Lekompo categories

Nomzamo Mbatha and Bovi Ugboma to co-host 2026's 12th Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards in Nigeria on 9 May

by Thinus Ferreira

South African actress and producer Nomzamo Mbatha and Nigerian comedian and actor Bovi Ugboma will be the co-presenters of 2026's 12th Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards (AMVCAs) in Lagos, Nigeria, on 9 May.

It spells the end of longtime host IK Osakioduwa after more than a decade, with the pan-African awards show which will again be broadcast live on all of M-Net's Africa Magic TV channels on DStv and GOtv.

The 12th AMVCAs has 32 categories, with 18 jury-decided and 11 done through public voting. While the "Viewers' Choice" remains in the name, the AMVCAs isn't really, with multiple categories now decided by a professional jury.

The leading nominees include Gingerrr and The Herd with both films that have 9 nominations each, followed by To Kill A Monkey that has 8 nominations. My Father's Shadow has 7 nominations.

In a rare technical feat, cinematographer Emmanuel Igbekele received three nominations for Best cinematography in a single year for his work on The Herd, The Serpent's Gift and Gingerrr.

The legendary actress Joke Silva has taken over as AMVCA head judge from Femi Odugbemi. Her influence is credited with a stronger focus on craftsmanship and technical excellence.

For the first time, the awards have introduced specific categories for North Africa and Central Africa (Best Indigenous Language Film). This means that regions like Egypt, Morocco, Cameroon, and the DRC are now directly represented.

In addition, all films nominated for Best Movie this year had theatrical runs, signalling a shift where traditional cinema is currently outperforming global streaming platforms in the top category.

StudioCanal to film biopic The Road Home about Paul Simon, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba in Cape Town with Cynthia Erivo, Thabo Rametsi and Guy Pearce

by Thinus Ferreira

Canal+'s StudioCanal will start filming on The Road Home in June in Cape Town with Cynthia Erivo as Miriam Makeba, Thabo Rametsi as Hugh Masekela and Guy Pearce as Archbishop Trevor Huddleston.

Bill Condon is the director, with the screenplay by Michael Bronner and Zakes Mda and The Road Home's budget is roughly R300 million.

"This is a powerful story about art intersecting with activism, a friction that’s only become more complex with time. I'm honoured to be a part of this extraordinary team," says Bill Condon.

Michael Bronner was approached to write the screenplay by the Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation and he did research for the script as well as in-depth interviews with Paul Simon. 

StudioCanal will distribute The Road Home in South Africa, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand. 

"We are honoured to bring this South African story to the screen: a story of friendship and resistance, carried by the extraordinary journeys of Hugh Masekela and Trevor Huddleston, Miriam Makeba and Paul Simon,' says Anna Marsh, CEO of StudioCanal and chief content officer of Canal+.

"Our constant goal is to bring local stories to a global audience – rooted in South Africa’s identity, this story speaks far beyond its borders, showing how music can become a force for identity and change. That is also why it was essential to tell this story from within South Africa, working closely with the voices and talent that shaped it.”

Nomsa Philiso, the director of content for general entertainment, English and Portuguese-speaking at Canal+ Africa, says "MultiChoice Group has long had a strong and successful local content platform rooted in African storytelling".

"Our combination with Canal+ builds on this foundation, strengthening our scale and reach and enabling the production of ambitious films such as The Road Home."

"Through StudioCanal, we are further enhancing our ability to invest in premium content and take high‑quality African stories to global audiences, showcasing the best of the continent on the world stage."

The Road Home is set against the backdrop of Paul Simon’s 1986 album Graceland and principal photography starts in Cape Town in June.

Following exile from his native South Africa, trumpeter Hugh Masekela (Thabo Rametsi) is pulled between two worlds when the anti-Apartheid movement, led by his mentor Archbishop Trevor Huddleston (Guy Pearce), launches a boycott against Paul Simon, over his groundbreaking township music-inspired album Graceland, accusing Simon of violating the United Nation’s Cultural Boycott.  

Splitting from his mentor, Hugh Masekela – who sees their music as a powerful weapon in the struggle – joins forces with Simon and Hugh’s lifelong collaborator, Miriam ‘Mama Africa’ Makeba (Cynthia Erivo), to create the Graceland band - a super group designed to bring South Africa’s voice to the world.

The veteran music producer Hilton Rosenthal, who was instrumental in supporting Paul Simon during the making of the Graceland album, will serve as co-producer on the project with Sony Music also involved.

Hilton Rosenthal was also involved in script development and secured music rights to Paul Simon, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba's work.

The Road Home will include new recordings from Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba’s catalogues of songs for the film’s soundtrack.

The Road Home will be produced by Laura Bickford for Laura Bickford Productions, Bronner for Smashing Dandelions, Greg Yolen for 1000 Eyes, as well as Anant Singh of VideoVision Entertainment.

"Hugh Masekela, Trevor Huddleston and Miriam Makeba were remarkable people," says Anant Singh.

"Hugh’s journey with Archbishop Huddleston was legendary, and it is thrilling to bring The Road Home to the big screen together with StudioCanal. We also wish to congratulate Canal+ on The Road Home being their first major production since the MultiChoice merger in South Africa."

Mzansi Magic adds 10 new mini-series from May to DStv local slate produced by youth-led South African production companies

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) will be rolling out 10 new mini-series starting from May, several of which are helmed by youth-led South African production companies.

The plan is to strip these new mini-series from Mondays to Wednesdays, over a 10-week period, from 11 May and into July, three nights a week.

"We are excited to be sharing stories made by exciting, talented teams who really have their finger on the pulse," says  Shirley Adonisi, director for local entertainment channels.

"The mini-series format is a really important part of how we support industry development and create opportunities for creatives. It gives producers who've built their experience in film the chance to step into series storytelling by developing a three-part mini-series."

"The shift isn't just about format - it's about growing new skills in writing, directing and production. Through this process, we're helping creatives expand their craft while opening up more opportunities for directors, writers and production teams."

"At the end of the day, it's about creating a pathway, one that helps talent move from film into drama, and ultimately supports more jobs and long-term growth in the industry," adds Shirley Adonisi.

Included in the first six mini-series titles coming to Mzansi Magic are Love At Second Sight, produced by Ngomoya Films and starring Amanda Seome, Nduduzo Zuma, Aluve Mjali and Nimrod Nkosi.

It will air on Mzansi Magic from 11 May at 19:00. The mini-series' logline reads: "When her long-lost first love returns as her stable fiancé’s best friend, a successful woman must choose between the secure, prestige-filled life her family expects and the soulful connection she never truly outgrew."

Kuningi is from Weldun Media, the producers of Mzansi Magic films such as Entabani and Choose May’khethela, with the series centred on a single mother who lands the biggest opportunity of her career, only for it to reintroduce her to ghosts from the past, unearthing unresolved issues.

Kuningi will start on 18 May at 19:00, starring Samkelo Ndlovu, Kay Sibiya, Simphiwe Ngema, Andy Mnguni and Ratanang Mogotsi.

Amanzi Endlini is another Ngomoya Films production, set in the world of a traditionally married couple exploring the option of surrogacy. 

Their decision brings complications and distrust into their relationship. "Will they secure their legacy, or have they invited in a force that could destroy them both?" reads the logline. Amanzi Endlini will start on 25 May at 19:00 on Mzansi Magic and the cast will be announced soon.

Ke Nyala Jwang?  is produced by Pula Bakgaga Media, the production house behind Isithembu sika Msongelwa.

According to the logline, it is a story "that explores the complexities of marriage in modern South Africa, navigating cultural expectations and family tensions" and it will start on 1 June at 19:00.

Lobola lama 2000's logline reads "Love is simple, lobola is not. After running into issues with his uncles, a Gen Z accountant is left with no choice but to send his friends to represent him in his lobola negotiations"

This mini-series will start on 8 June at 19:00 and is produced by Behind the Best. It stars Khensani Chauke, Nolwazi Tsebesha, Ntando Mazibuko, Khaya Dumakude, Edward Nkhumishe and Sonny Khwesa.

Mamfundisi Bae is scheduled to start on Mzansi Magic on 15 June at 19:00. 

"A young pastor from a modern charismatic church stirs things up in a traditional congregation when she plans a bold send-off for the outgoing bishop - who’s also her father-in-law. However, with this move, she ends up clashing with the head of the women’s forum."

The cast of Mamfundisi Bae must still be announced with the series that is produced by Mthakathi Entertainment.

Storage Wars star Darrell Sheets dead at 67

by Thinus Ferreira

Darrell Sheets, the American star of the reality series Storage Wars has died after he killed himself with a shot in the head. He was 67.

According to reports, Darrell Sheets died from a "self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head" on Wednesday. 

The Lake Havasu Police in Arizona responded to a call and found Darrell Sheets dead inside his house in Lake Havasu City, where he was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a press release, the police said "On 22 April 2026, at approximately 0200 hours, officers with the Lake Havasu City Police Department were dispatched to a residence in the 1500 block of Chandler Drive in reference to a reported deceased individual".

"Upon arrival, officers located a male subject who suffered from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The male was pronounced deceased on scene and the Lake Havasu City Police Department's Criminal Investigations Unit was notified and responded to the scene to assume the investigation."

The popular Darrell Sheets was a star of the hugely successful Storage Wars seen on History (DStv 186) in South Africa and across the African continent. He left the show in 2023 and opened and operated his own antique shop called Havasu Show Me Your Junk.

Darrell Sheets appeared in 163 episodes across the first 15 seasons of Storage Wars, often with his son Brandon, and was known for his catchphrase "This is the 'wow' factor!". He suffered a heart attack in March 2019.

A&E in a statement says, "We are saddened by the passing of a beloved member of our Storage Wars family, Darrell 'The Gambler' Sheets. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time".

Another part of M-Net just died - another chunk gone forever as perhaps a sign of what's to come

by Thinus Ferreira

Goodbye M-Net. Well, at least @mnet.co.za, with the m-net.co.za email domain dumped in the IT-trashbin and now changed to @canal-plus.com following Canal+'s takeover of MultiChoice and M-Net.

In what is M-Net's 40 anniversary year - M-Net is set to turn 40 years old in October - the Canal+ IT bosses have decided to chip away another part of M-Net, with all of MultiChoice and M-Net email addresses that have been switched and changed to @canal-plus.com.

Adding injury to insult - either deliberately, or because it's impossible, or as an oversight - Canal+ couldn't, wouldn't or hasn't been able to apparently add email forwarding or email redirects from the "old" M-Net email addresses to the new canal-plus.com email addresses.

Add to that the unnecessary additional corporate complexity and bigger potential for mistakes: A hyphen to separate "canal" from "plus" because of ... well, just because.

The disappointing and badly done Die Kantoor from the shuttered Showmax was also on kykNET, but this email hashtrash corporate exercise of lets-meddle-where-none-is-necessary-and-mess-it-up feels like an example of real-life MultiChoice-Canal+ The Office.

Forthwith, sending an email to somebody with a @mnet.co.za email address just goes into a void. 

The receiver won't know they've been sent an email, and neither does the sender know their email went undelivered and wasn't received. This goes for anybody working at the actual M-Net channel, kykNET or Mzansi Magic channels, Africa Magic or any of these TV brands that all had basic mnet.co.za email addresses.

M-Net's email addresses - when the Randburg-based pay-TV operator rolled out staff-enabled email and addresses in the late 1990s - had the @mnet.co.za email domain right from the start. It's legacy.

People getting an email from M-Net, or sending an email to M-Net, knew who, and what the brand was they were communicating with.

Now M-Net, at least on email - as well as MultiChoice - has been folded into the larger Canal+ corporate email domain architecture. 

Goodbye to another piece of legacy M-Net, chipped away and gone forever.

31 workers in customer call service of Canal+'s MultiChoice fired without notice - report

by Thinus Ferreira

Around 31 workers who worked inside MultiChoice with MultiChoice identification and on behalf of the pay-TV operator in outgoing call service have been fired without notice at Canal+'s MultiChoice operations in Nigeria.

According to Sahara Reporters, the 31 MultiChoice workers were fired from the so-called customer value management (CVM) unit, in Abuja, Nigeria, where they, through outsourcing firm ZetaWeb Nigeria, called DStv and GOtv subscribers, called potential new subscribers, encouraged DStv subscription renewals and helped with DStv service-related concerns.

A condition of Canal+'s takeover of MultiChoice was that no workers would be retrenched for a period of three years, but already several people across Africa, including South Africa, have lost jobs who did service-related work for MultiChoice at companies outside MultiChoice.

Production companies who did projects and other companies that provided services for MultiChoice and M-Net have had this terminated. 

There are also people and companies still waiting to get paid by M-Net and MultiChoice, several months after they were abruptly ordered to cut purchase orders by 20% and given no answers by M-Net as to when they are going to get their money for work already done.

In South Africa, the Competition Commission has contacted multiple of these companies and people as part of an investigation to get to the bottom of what M-Net and MultiChoice under Canal+ has allegedly done to them, and what M-Net and MultiChoice have allegedly still not done - like paying invoices.

According to the report, the 31 workers were called to a meeting in Abuja and fired, with several who have done the work for between 4 and 10 years for MultiChoice. According to sources, they were not given a notice period and just told their "services were no longer needed".

Interestingly, Maxime Saada, Canal+ CEO, told investors a month ago during Canal+'s financial results presentation that the French company was going to hire at least 1 000 people more on a contract basis to sell and upsell DStv to try and lift DStv subscriber numbers across the African continent.

According to the report, the fired staff asked MultiChoice to please reconsider and to reinstate them, with a source noting that "We are appealing to the management to look into our case. If it is about performance targets, we are willing to improve. We just want an opportunity to continue working".

The workers have now hired a lawyer.

"We were asked to vacate the premises within 10 minutes, as if we were criminals," said one of the workers. "It was humiliating and unfair."

"We have taken steps to pursue justice. Our lawyer is reviewing all the details and will proceed with the necessary court actions. We are determined to ensure that our voices are heard and that due process is followed."

"Some employees are primary breadwinners, single parents and widows whose livelihoods depend entirely on this job."

Emmanuel Mitoto, Zeta-Web Nigeria human resources executive, said that the fired workers have been properly informed that they're losing their jobs.

Former M-Net finance boss Steve Pacak dead at 71 after cancer battle

by Thinus Ferreira

Steve Pacak, former group financial manager at M-Net and later a non-executive director and chairperson of Naspers' audit and risk committees, died on Monday after a cancer battle. He was 71.

Naspers announced Steve Pacak's death on Tuesday on the JSE's Stock Exchange News Service (Sens).

Steve Pacak joined M-Net in 1988 as its group financial manager, two years after M-Net was launched in 1986 as South Africa's first pay-TV channel and over time held various executive positions within the group as a qualified chartered accountant.

Overseeing M-Net's rapid expansion as a pay-TV operator, he was instrumental in its financial operations during its transformative late 1980s and mid-1990s period that gave rise to the creation and growth of MultiChoice and MIH holdings.

He became an executive director of Naspers in 1998 and was the group's financial director until his retirement in 2014. 

After his retirement, he continued to serve as a non-executive director on the boards of Naspers and Prosus where he was the chairman of the audit and risk committees.

Steve Pacak was also a director of Media24, MIH B.V, MIH (Mauritius) Limited, MIH Holdings, and MultiChoice South Africa Holdings.

Naspers chairman Koos Bekker says, "Over almost four decades, Steve was a key mover in the development of our Naspers group. His financial and business acumen, deep knowledge of our business and work ethic were invaluable."

"Beyond professional achievements, Steve was one of the most honest and decent human beings I ever met."

Steve Pacak suffered from health complications after treatment for cancer in 2025. He is survived by his wife Sheila and two children Stephanie and Gerard who both live in London.

Zozibini Tunzi joins as Top Billing presenter

by Thinus Ferreira

It's more than fitting: TVwithThinus can reveal that the former Miss South Africa and former Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi is joining as a new Top Billing presenter when the magazine show returns from 30 April to SABC3.

Top Billing, produced by Cardova Productions, will return on Thursday 30 April to SABC3 at 19:00 with new weekly episodes, with a repeat on SABC3 on Sundays at 19:00, and another repeat on SABC1 on Tuesdays at 21:30.

The SABC ended Top Billing in October 2019 after 27 years on air but the show has thankfully, finally, been revived after a six-year absence.

Besides a group of former Top Billing presenters who are back on screen as part of the aspirational TV series - including Basetsana Kumalo, Michael Mol, Jonathan Boynton-Lee, Ryle DeMorny, Fezile Mkhize and others - a few new presenters will also join, including Zozibini Tunzi.

The former Miss South Africa and Miss Universe 2019 is a perfect fit for the return of the glamorous lifestyle magazine show and is destined to become "the new Bonang", following in the steps of Bonang Matheba who joined as a Top Billing presenter in 2012.

Zozibini Tunzi is perfectly suited and has a custom-made pedigree through experience as well as a sought-after profile for the iconic "walk and talk" Top Billing format - both she and the show will jointly elevate each other with her addition as a Top Billing presenter, representing "the best of the good life".

Zozibini Tunzi's role as a Top Billing presenter will fit Top Billing like a fine white beauty pageant glove, and in turn the show will add to her allure, soft power and influence as a media personality.

With her natural glamour and grace and her history-making reign as Miss Universe 2019 and Miss South Africa 2019, Zozibini Tunzi brings a global level of sophistication and poise that perfectly matches and will add to Top Billing's inspirational and aspirational, high-end aesthetic for South African viewers.

With a Bachelor of Technology in public relations management, she also has the professional foundation for the communication, hosting and interviewing demands of the programme.

She also has a long-standing brand connection already with Top Billing: Her history with the show runs deep with Top Billing that famously toured her luxury Sandton apartment during her Miss SA reign, and she even auditioned for the Top Billing Presenter Search earlier in her career.

Furthermore, Zozibini Tundi as a model and a black model and a black female model is the epitome of empowerment and female empowerment in South Africa. 

Joining as a Top Billing presenter perfectly aligns with Top Billing's "modern evolution" of the show for SABC3, focusing on authenticity and empowerment alongside traditional luxury.

Not only will Zozi interview and hobnob with the rich and famous - she herself is who viewers want to see and "be" with.

Besides covering high-profile people and events, she has zeitgeist cache and public interest power as a current "it-girl", underscored by things like the interest in her personal milestones, like her wedding in March 2025 to Luthando Bolowana, which underscores the exact type of cultural "magic" that she represents and will add to Top Billing.

"We are incredibly excited to bring Top Billing back to South African screens," says Patience Stevens, managing director at Cardova Productions and executive producer of Top Billing.

"This show has always been about celebrating what's possible. Bringing it back now, at a time when inspiring local stories matter more than ever, feels incredibly special. We're honouring the legacy while creating something that feels fresh, relevant and deeply connected to today's audience."

Bradley Van Den Berg, chief operating officer at Cardova Productions and executive producer of Top Billing, says "Top Billing has always stood for excellence, aspiration and storytelling at the highest level".

"This new chapter is about evolving that legacy for a modern audience, keeping the heart of what made the show iconic, while introducing a sharper, more dynamic take on the good life that resonates with South Africans today."

Dichaba Phalatse, SABC video entertainment marketing manager, says "The return of Top Billing marks a defining moment for SABC3 as we continue to position the channel as a home of iconic South African storytelling, reimagined for today's audience".

"This is not just about a comeback - it's a cultural rest where legacy meets a new generation of viewers who are shaping what aspiration looks like now. Top Billing remains a powerful expression of possibility, and we are excited to bring that energy back in a way that feels unapologetically South African."

UPDATE Tuesday 21 April 2026 09:00:

Also joining as new presenters are Bryoni Govender, the Miss South Africa 2023 runner-up, the actor Arno Greeff, as well as Sine Mpulu as this new season's dedicated social media presenter.

"We are incredibly excited to bring Top Billing back with this dynamic mix of returning favourites and fresh new talent," says Patience Stevens, in a statement.

"Each presenter brings their own unique energy and perspective. Together, they will continue Top Billing's proud legacy of celebrating the very best of our country while delivering the aspirational, feel-good content viewers have missed and new audiences are eager to discover."

Bradley Van den Berg says "Bringing together a mix of iconic Top Billing presenters and exciting new talent was a very intentional decision".

"This season is about honouring the legacy that audiences know and love, while evolving the show to reflect the energy, diversity and ambition of modern South Africa. Each presenter brings a unique perspective, and together they create a dynamic storytelling experience that feels both familiar and refreshingly new."