Hand-clasping Aldrin Sampear back on Newzroom Afrika after road rage altercation: 'I'm really, really, really sorry'

by Thinus Ferreira

Following a road rage incident in April that saw him get removed from Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405) while the South African TV news channel did an investigation, Aldrin Sampear on Monday returned to Newzroom Afrika and its AM Report strand, saying he's "really, really, really sorry".

Newzroom Afrika didn't release the findings of its investigation into Aldrin Sampear's road rage altercation.

The belligerent Aldrin Sampear was caught on video camera footage on 17 April in Randburg, Johannesburg, with the video footage of his road rage interaction with a 20-year-old Laricia Augusto which was widely shared on social media.

Laricia Augusto laid charges of assault against Aldrin Sampear, with Randburg police investigating the incident.

Five years ago, Aldrin Sampear admitted that he had assaulted women before when he was provoked.

"On 17 April I was involved in a traffic incident which resulted in a confrontation between myself as well as another driver," Aldrin Sampear told DStv subscribers on Monday morning.

"Having made time to reflect on these events, I want to take full responsibility for my actions. Although I did not assault the other driver, I believe that I should have been more composed and found a way to deescalate the situation and I fell short of the standards I hold myself to," Aldrin Sampear said while clasping his hands.

"For that I want to express my regret and sincere apologies to our viewers, my colleagues here at Newzroom Afrika and the management."

"I've worked really hard to make sense of this experience, and of course, my response, and I hope that through my actions from now on, to rebuild the trust and confidence placed in me as I continue on this journey."

"And to the babies out there as well, I want to say 'Uncle Aldrin is really, really, really sorry'. I'm really sorry. And I hope that you'll be able to forgive me," he said.

ALSO READ: Newzroom Afrika removes Aldrin Sampear after alleged road rage assault

2nd Khuma Film Festival to promote North West province film biz, will honour Moditle 'Boikie' Pholo and open with Sew the Winter into My Skin

by Thinus Ferreira

The Khuma Film Festival of South Africa's North West province will take place for a second time from 28 to 30 May in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district municipality, as it tries to establish a film industry in the province and grow a film appreciation community.

Actor, director and producer Neo Ntlatleng is the Khuma Film Festival director.

Naomi Mokhele, Khuma Film Festival founder, says "We have curated brilliant films that will not only resonate with our audiences, but will also inspire young people to tell their own stories in a unique way".

"As the festival aims to establish a film industry in the area and create a film appreciative community, we hope that the foundation we have built, will ultimately result in reaching these goals."

The 2nd Khuma Film Festival will take place at the Phillemon Masinga Sports Complex Hall and honour the 5-decades of work of actor Moditle "Boikie" Pholo.

According to Naomi Mokhele, the 2nd Khuma Film Festival will include film screenings, workshops and discussions that bring together film enthusiasts and industry professionals. 

"We have curated brilliant films that will not only resonate with our audiences, but will also inspire young people to tell their own stories in a unique way."

The 2nd Khuma Film Festival will open with a premiere of the 2018 film Sew The Winter into My Skin, with a story in South Africa's rural Great-Karoo region in the 1950s.

Written and directed by filmmaker Jahmil X.T. Qubeka and starring Ezra Mabengeza, Peter Kurth and Kandyse McClure, the film tells a true story of John Kepe (Ezra Mabengeza) whose journey as an outlaw explores the inherent desire and need in humanity to seek out heroes.

The film festival will wrap with a screening of the late Menzi Ngubane documentary, The Life and Times of Menzi Ngubane.

Creative talent attending include Vincent Moloi, Neo Ntlatleng, Robert Mpisi, Israel Matseke-Zulu, Thembile Botman and Didintle Khonou.

The Khuma Film Festival is supported by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) through the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme.

MultiChoice Zimbabwe increasing DStv fees from June 2025

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice Zimbabwe is increasing monthly DStv subscription fees from 1 June 2025, although the price of DStv Premium will remain unchanged at $75.

From June DStv Compact Plus is increasing from $45 to $46, DStv Compact is increasing from $30 to $32, and DStv Family is getting an increase from $20 to $21.

The DStv Access package is increased from $15 to $16.

The monthly fees for DStv Lite at $9, the Indian add-on package for DStv Premium at $39, the Indian add-on package for $25, the Portuguese add-on package at $45, and the HD PVR service fee of $13 all remain unchanged. 

How Netflix warmed to the Joburg Film Festival and affirmed city's 'vital role' in growing South Africa's film biz

by Thinus Ferreira

Netflix South Africa has finally warmed to the Joburg Film Festival with the 7th edition that took place in Sandton and that included a panel discussion session, as well as a swanky rooftop Friday night event where Netflix and festival organisers promised even greater collaboration next year and into the future.

Over the past few years, Netflix SA has been reticent to have a full-show presence at the Joburg Film Festival since MultiChoice is the main sponsor and has its own streaming service Showmax which is a rival to Netflix, and while some Netflix Originals have featured in the screening line-up previously, filmmakers have until now been reluctant to tout their projects during it.

One South African filmmaker told TVwithThinus last year during the 6th festival that she couldn't really talk about her upcoming Netflix film, to adhere to what she was told by Netflix, noting that the streamer "doesn't want to appear MultiChoice-adjacent during the festival". 

Now there's clearly been a thaw of sorts, with MultiChoice, Netflix and the Joburg Film Festival all coming to a realisation that greater cooperation is needed from all - even fierce rivals - if South Africa's struggling film biz is to be moved forward, and which filmmakers described as being "in a dire situation".   

On the festival's Friday afternoon, Netflix headlined its first-ever panel session at the film festival.

The all-female panel at the JBX Talks discussion circuit, which ran concurrently with the film festival, was called "Redefining roles for women" with Connie Ferguson, Gail Mabalane, Dawn Thandeka King and Nina Swart on stage.

The foursome talked about woman empowerment before and behind the camera and shared personal anecdotes from their career climbs in the industry over the past few decades.

This was followed that Friday evening by a glitzy, invitation-only "Netflix in Gold" VIP party as another Netflix SA first for the 7th Joburg Film Festival.

Here, on the Artistry-rooftop, bathed in red and gold, Netflix execs, some of the country's most high-profile showrunners and producers, directors, agents, actors, writers, industry reps and festival guests all mingled, sipped champagne and did shop-talk.

Timothy Mangwedi, Joburg Film Festival founder and executive director, said "we've been trying to build this festival brand, and the content as an important platform for filmmakers".

He thanked Netflix for coming onboard in a bigger way at the 7th JFF and said the festival is looking forward to even bigger inclusion and collaboration with the streamer from next year.

"We're a premier film festival, so the relationship is how do we work together and add and showcase new directors, new actors, actresses, new producers, but also importantly how do we bring technology into this wonderful industry."

Ben Amadasun, Netflix vice-president of content for the Middle East and Africa, called his local content execs to stage, which included Kaye-Ann Williams who made her public debut as a Netflix exec following her appointment since February.

As director of scripted content for Netflix Africa, Kaye-Ann Williams will now oversee the video streaming service's scripted films and series in sub-Saharan Africa.

"This is our first participation at the Joburg Film Festival as Team Netflix so we're happy that you could make it to this great event and I'm sure we'll be here for many more versions of this in the future," Ben Amadasun said.

"Johannesburg plays a vital role in the growth of our industry, so it makes sense for Netflix to be part of this festival going forward," he said.

He noted the various Jozi-set scripted series and films already on the streamer like Number, Number: Jozi Gold, Soweto Love Story, Seriously Single and Kings of Jo'Burg that helped bring Johannesburg and Gauteng to a global Netflix audience.

There is also the school-athlete drama GO! from Ten30 Films and produced by Kutlwano Ditsele and Thuli Zuma also set in Johannesburg and starring Thandolwethu Zondi, Wonder Ndlovu, Dawn Thandeka King and Vusi Kunene.

"We've seen first-hand the power of African stories - not just on the continent but across the world. The global audience is very hungry for authentic, bold, fresh stories from Africa."

"Our approach is very simple as Netflix - we want to make sure that we collaborate with the most amazing local creators and continue to expand the frontier of what's possible in storytelling". 

Ben Amadasun noted that Tuiskoms, produced by Infinity Films with Louis Pretorius and Albert Snyman as Netflix's second Afrikaans drama series, "is one of many more I hope - this title is really delivering for us. We're very excited about how our audiences are receiving Tuiskoms".

'Final farewell' planned for SABC2's cancelled Muvhango after failed one-year reprieve

by Thinus Ferreira

A "final farewell" is planned for the South African public broadcaster's cancelled Muvhango, which the SABC hasn't renewed after it gave the show a reprieve last year as part of a last-ditch new one-year contract.

The SABC effectively cancelled Muvhango in 2024, after production on the long-running Word of Mouth Pictures-produced series from creator Duma Ndlovu stopped after the existing contract for a much shorter half-season only, finally ran out.

The long-running show, responsible for propping up what remains of SABC2's original programming line-up was cancelled after it shuttered production on 25 June last year after completing a shortened 130-episode season.

The SABC then restarted negotiations with Word of Mouth Pictures and signed a deal for another one-year contract but done cheaper and with creative changes ordered and agreed. 

These included story and character changes, including adding Xitsonga-speaking actors. 

Muvhango, that turned 28 years old on 7 April with a crew and cast of around 175 people, got an full-season order of 260 episodes for a 26th season.

The show lurched back into production but a hastily-arranged media launch event failed to translate into traction, a promised new starting date got pushed out, a promised new opening sequence and show logo failed to materialise immediately, and Muvhango's SABC2 ratings also failed to improve.

A few months later, Muvhango production once again had to shut down over non-payment to writers, cast and crew - something that had afflicted Muvhango numerous times over the past two decades - and Muvhango background actors are also demanding payment they haven't received yet from Nonkululeko Ndlovu's  Turning Heads Casting Agency.

Now the SABC plans to replace Muvhango in the 21:30 weekday timeslot on SABC2 with something called Pimville Queens produced by Bakwena Productions, notorious for payment problems to cast and crew of Paramount Africa's Pound 4 Pound drama series that was on BET (DStv 129).

Instead of keeping ratings steady as SABC2's most-watched show, the relaunched Muvhango slid further in viewership and by the end of 2024 had lost close to 60% of its entire audience which it had started the year with, despite the reset and introduced on-screen changes.

Muvhango, far off from the over 4 million viewers it lured in its heyday to prime time, fell in 2024 from a high of 1.6 million viewers to under 923 000 by the end of last year. 

When it returned in August, it only kept bleeding viewers, sliding from 1.32 million in July to just 1.084 million later in August when it returned for a new season, and continuing its viewer erosion to under a million viewers nightly in the months after that.

Lala Tuku, the SABC's head of video entertainment, last year noted that the SABC had reservations and "challenges" around its decision to bring back Muvhango.

She said that the Muvhango contract ran out in what essentially became the show's de facto cancellation.

Money and dwindling ratings for what the SABC pays and gets in return was the big issue that caused "a tussle" in the negotiations around bringing Muvhango back in 2024. The SABC remains technically insolvent.

According to Lala Tuku, expensive shows - including Muvhango - need to perform ratings-wise to bring in advertising revenue or risk being replaced, which is what happened with SABC2's cancelled 7de Laan.

"The reality is that the SABC derives its revenue from advertising. We require audiences to choose to watch our content. The reality is we have brilliant content on our platform and we need our audiences to select it and come in," she said in July last year about Muvhango.

Yeshica Naidoo, series producer, now reportedly said Word of Mouth Pictures are still waiting to hear from the SABC on whether it will be commissioned for a further season.

"We are waiting for confirmation from the SABC about a way forward, so at this moment we just wait and see what is going to happen to the show."

In April, when the SABC was asked about Muvhango finally getting axed and replaced with Pimville Queens, Mmoni Ngubane, SABC spokesperson, said "The SABC can confirm that only one season of Muvhango is currently contracted, and the current contract is set to end on 31 July".

"The SABC cannot comment on the future of the programming at this stage".

Muvhango was the South African public broadcaster's first Tshivenda language drama, which started in April 1997 with one episode per week, after which Muvhango over time expanded to become a 5-day-per-week soap.

Also negatively impacting the soap's possible continuation is tax evasion charges totalling R25 million hanging over Muvhango creator and producer Duma Ndlovu who appeared in court in October 2024.

Besides Muvhango, he also produced Queen Modjadji through his Rhythm World Productions banner for MultiChoice and M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel on DStv, as well as the now-cancelled Umkhokha, also for Mzansi Magic where the cast and crew also struggled to get paid.

The Umkhokha cast and crew who were not paid at the end of October last year and just told there was "a cash-flow problem". They only got paid after MultiChoice then intervened.

Answers sought over SABC CEO Nomsa Chabeli's R15 million office budget for 'innovation' and research projects

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African parliament's standing committee on public accounts (SCOPA) wants answers from the struggling South African public broadcaster on what its SABC CEO Nomsa Chabeli wants to do with R15 million earmarked for innovation and research "initiatives" from the CEO's office.

The SABC's top executives and SABC board appeared before SCOPA, where it came to light that the technically insolvent SABC has budgeted R15 million for the SABC CEO's office to be used for "strategic initiatives".

Nomsa Chabeli told SCOPA that the R15 million is to be allocated to innovation and research projects but didn't provide any details about the specifics of what type of "innovation" and what research this would entail, or by whom.

"It is not at the CEO's discretion and goes through governance processes. In fact, I am the last person to sign off," is all Nomsa Chabeli said about the R15 million allocation to the SABC CEO's office.

Khathutshelo Ramukumba, SABC chairperson, also failed to explain what exactly the R15 million for the SABC CEO's office would be used for.

"What I can say is that the spending of any budgets across the SABC, including the CEO's office, is subject to the SABC's policies and the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). The board exercises oversight over all expenditures."

Tsholofelo Katlego Bodlani, a member of parliament (MP) of the Democratic Alliance (DA) political party, asked Nomsa Chabeli about the R15 million earmarked for the SABC CEO's office.

"There is also R15-million that is going to be allocated for strategic initiatives in the CEO's office. I want to know what sort of initiatives these are. What has been the benefit of similar allocations in the past? What oversight is in place to ensure there is significant value from that lump sum sitting in the CEO's office," Tsholofelo Bodlani asked.

"What oversight is in place to ensure there is significant value from that lump sum sitting in the CEO's office? The SABC remains technically insolvent. We should be doing everything we can to support the SABC so that it can meet its mandate."

According to Colleen Makhubele, an MP from the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) political party, "There is no budget to begin with" and "In fact, the Auditor-General's report should be the starting point. It highlighted serious concerns".

"The question we ought to be asking is: Can the SABC survive on its own and fulfil its mandate? The answer is no, and the Auditor-General  (AG) has made that clear. This is despite the beautiful plans you've presented".

"If you don't have enough money to cover your expenses, your liquidity and solvency are at risk. The SABC should be telling us how it plans to cover the R1.9 billion shortfall that is glaringly obvious."

MultiChoice cleaner in Eswatini stabbed by fellow staffer in brutal knife attack

by Thinus Ferreira

Nothando Nxumalo, a cleaner at MultiChoice Eswatini's branch in Manzini, Eswatini was stabbed in a brutal knife attack by a colleague last Monday and is now in hospital with serious injuries.

According to the Eswatini Observer, a 27-year-old staffer from MultiChoice Manzini allegedly attacked Nothando Nxumalo this past Monday inside the building.

Nothando Nxumalo asked Tebenguni Nxumalo why the woman hadn't cleaned up a mess that she had made a few minutes earlier which angered Tebenguni.

An enraged Tebenguni Nxumalo then allegedly grabbed a knife and attacked Nothando Nxumalo who was brutally stabbed several times and then taken to hospital where she is currently in a stable condition but with serious injuries.

MultiChoice staffers in Manzini have been severely traumatised.

Tebenguni Nxumalo was arrested and appeared in court this past Wednesday, and was granted bail. Tebenguni Nxumalo has to appear in court again on 21 May.

MultiChoice busts import of 5 000 fake 'Dtv' chargers and power supply units at Durban harbour

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice, together with the South African Police and customs authorities, seized 5 000 fake "Dtv" chargers and power supply units that Uni Li Cell tried to import to South Africa through the Durban harbour.

On 3 June the police intercepted a shipment of 5 000 counterfeit chargers and power supply units falsely branded as "Dtv" to make them look compatible with DStv decoders.

According to MultiChoice, Uni Li Cell has "signed a formal undertaking in settlement of the civil case, agreeing to the delivery of all the infringing goods" and "a cost contribution of R40 000 has also been paid as part of the settlement".

The fake goods were destroyed and crushed manually with hammers to extract recyclable components.

MultiChoice says cables were stripped to recover copper wiring, and all cardboard packaging was collected for recycling by authorised agents. The process was carefully documented and overseen to ensure compliance with legal and environmental standards.

"This case is part of a broader enforcement effort that recently saw border police detain a further 30 600 counterfeit universal chargers bearing marks identical or confusingly similar to DStv trademarks."

According to the pay-TV operator, "In alignment with new procedures adopted by police, the Commercial Crime Unit (CCU), and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), all such detentions are now submitted for criminal prosecution, reflecting a stronger national stance against counterfeit trade".

Frikkie Jonker, Irdeto director of broadcast and cybersecurity, says "This is a significant victory in our ongoing efforts to combat the trade in counterfeit goods".

"We commend the border police, Commercial Crime Unit, and our legal partners for their collaboration and dedication in protecting South African consumers and our brand."

Former MultiChoice Nigeria general manager Chris Anaelechi Obasi abducted in traditional kingship fight

by Thinus Ferreira

Nigerian news media reports that Chris Anaelechi Obasi, a former MultiChoice Nigeria general manager, has been abducted from his home on an ongoing kingship fight in the West African country.

Chris Anaelechi Obasi, now the managing director of Zeta-Web, is a former general manager of information technology and facilities at MultiChoice Nigeria.

He was reportedly abducted on Wednesday night, 14 May, from his home in the Graceland Estate in Ajah, Lagos, by unidentified men linked to the Tiger Base unit in Owerri in the Imo State.

His abduction took place two days before a court hearing over a traditional kingship fight in the Eziama Ikeduru Autonomous Community, where Obasi is seen as the "rightful heir".

After the death of his father, Obasi as the only son, is seen as the legitimate successor but rival factions want someone else as ruler.