BREAKING. Takalani Sesame starts production on four new seasons; 6th season to start on SABC on 2 September with a new format.

Takalani Sesame, the preschool educational programme utilising America's Muppets puppets, have started production on four brand-new seasons after 12 years on South African television and will continue in a new format when the new 6th season starts on the SABC on 2 September.

The show broke ground when it introduced Kami, the HIV-positive Muppet, in South Africa.

The new seasons of Takalani Sesame will continue to educate children through television and on radio and to support mother tongue-based education.

Takalani Sesame is produced as a partnership between Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organisation behind Sesame Street; South Africa's department of basic education, Sanlam as sponsor, the SABC and the production partner Kwasukasukela (KWK).

In a format shift, the Takalani Sesame characters will now appear in segments linked to their "personalities": Zikwe loves to travel, Neno has language skills and Kami is interested in science.

The new Takalani Sesame will make use of longer story narratives connected to specific segments to introduce children to a variety of words used throughout an episode.