by Thinus Ferreira
MultiChoice that decided to boast about its 2020 14th SAFTAs wins revealed how badly it knows its own content by taking the list of winners and indiscriminately taking a hacksaw and deleting all e.tv wins but in the shoddy process culling content and category winners that are actually on DStv and Showmax ranging from eNCA to Ultimate Braai Master and films like Buddha in Africa.
MultiChoice proceeded to take undue credit for the win of Entle Bizana for Best TV presenter - a win that actually belongs to the SABC - as a win for MultiChoice. Entle Bizana is a presenter on Hectic on 3, a youth strand on the SABC3 channel of South Africa's public broadcaster.
This was done in order to do an email blast to the press with drop-in quotes from Nkateko Mabaso, M-Net CEO.
MultiChoice hacked through the 2020 SAFTAs winners list like a third-year accounting student deleting budget line-items on an Excel spreadsheet to remove any traces of e.tv content.
Wrongly deleted in the process was the win for Best current affairs programme going to Checkpoint on eNCA (DStv 403). While eNCA is a TV channel from eMedia Investments, the eNCA TV news channel is exclusively and specifically made and packaged for MultiChoice to be carried on DStv.
With multiple film category wins MultiChoice couldn't bother to research and was clueless that the film Buddha in Africa, that is carried and available on its video streaming platform Showmax right now, should remain in the list.
On Showmax the film is still highlighted as a "2020 SAFTAs nominee".
None of Buddha in Africa's wins feature in MultiChoice's lobotomised winners' list although the outstanding film saw Nicole Schafer win for Best achievement in directing for a film, while the Thinking Strings Media production company also won for Best documentary feature.
The same goes for the short film The Letter Reader that's also on Showmax that won for Best short film.
Ditto for film winner The Fun's Not Over: The James Phillips Story.
MultiChoice saw the win of Ultimate Braai Master produced by Okuhle Media as a category winner as just a e.tv show, although it's not actually commissioned by e.tv but is an advertiser-funded production.
Ultimate Braai Master was scrapped from being included and mentioned in MultiChoice's list under Best reality programme because nobody at MultiChoice knew outright or did a Google search.
Ultimate Braai Master is on The Travel Channel (DStv 179) ... and The Travel Channel is carried exclusively on DStv.
In its list MultiChoice bizarrely proceeded to tack on the non-channel, non-broadcaster aligned awards like Lifetime achiever award, Youth achiever award and others.
After going to painstaking lengths to remove any mention of the SABC or e.tv, MultiChoice included - wrongly - a mention of Entle Bizana, the presenter of Hectic on 3 on SABC3 as Best TV presenter category winner.
In a provided, prepared statement to go with the MultiChoice mistake-filled list, Nkateko Mabaso says "MultiChoice has made substantial investment in locally-produced content, aiming to share our incredible African stories with the world. It's an incredibly proud moment to see these award-winning stories being recognised at the 14th SAFTAs".
"Our 152 nominations are testament to the fact that Africa’s most-loved storyteller continues to deliver the best in local content. Beyond entertainment, it’s just as rewarding to see how our investments in infrastructure, technology and development initiatives are empowering a supply chain which supports local businesses and communities."
"These awards are not only a great reflection of the broad local content offering available for our customers across our large selection of channels but is also compelling evidence that our investment in local content both works and matters. This is the magic that has made us Africa’s most-loved storyteller," Nkatemo Mabaso.
Nkatemo Mabaso, M-Net, MultiChoice and Showmax execs and their PR people, as well as MultiChoice's corporate PR company Aprio were all asked by TVwithThinus on Thursday night about its issued winners' list and the mistakes and omissions.
MultiChoice responded and said that it is investigating the broader issue regarding the information it receives from the NFVF and will be relooking the list.
With an updated list, MultiChoice will actually have even more 14th SAFTAs wins to boast about.
Below is the list as MultiChoice, through M-Net and Aprio, issued it to the media with several wins not included and odd inclusions at the end.
MultiChoice said that it is "The full list of awards for shows and films which have a home on the MultiChoice platform":
· Best Achievement in Directing – Telenovela: The River (Ferry Jele, Catharine Cooke, Zolani Phakade & Johnny Barbuzano)
· Best Achievement in Scriptwriting – Telenovela: The River (Gwydion Beynon, Phathutshedzo Makwarela, Christa Biyela, Lebogang Mogashoa & Mamello Lebona)
· Best Achievement in Scriptwriting – TV Soap: Getroud met Rugby (Writing team)
· Best Achievement In Original Music/Score – Telenovela: Isibaya (Philip Miller)
· Best Achievement in Editing – Telenovela: The River (Bongi Malefo, Matodzi Nemungadi & Ula Oelsen)
· Best Achievement in Sound - TV Soap/Telenovela: The River (Ben Oelsen, Juli Vanden Berg & Tladi Steven Mabuya)
· Best Achievement in Cinematography – Telenovela: The River (Alice Mataboge)
· Best Achievement in Make-Up and Hairstyling- TV Soap/Telenovela: The River (Bongi Mlotshwa)
· Best Achievement in Art Direction - TV Soap/Telenovela: Arendsvlei (Beatrix van Zyl)
· Best Actress -Telenovela: Sindi Dlathu (The River)
· Best Actor -Telenovela: Roberto Kyle (Arendsvlei)
· Best Supporting Actress – Telenovela: Mary-Anne Barlow (The River)
· Best Supporting Actor – Telenovela: Loyiso MacDonald (The Queen)
· Best Actress -TV Soap: Denise Newman (Suidooster)
· Best Telenovela: The River (Tshedza Pictures)
· Best Achievement in Directing - TV Drama: The Republic (Johnny Barbuzano & Rea Rangaka)
· Best Achievement in Scriptwriting - TV Drama: The Republic (Phathutshedzo Makwarela & Gwydion Beynon)
· Best Achievement in Editing - TV Drama: Spreeus (Leon Visser)
· Best Achievement in Sound - TV Drama: The Republic (Ben Oelsen & Juli Vanden Berg)
· Best Achievement in Original Music/Score - TV Drama: Spreeus (Pierre-Henri Wicomb)
· Best Achievement in Wardrobe - TV Drama: Ifalakhe (Heidi Riss, Monique Lamprecht & Nerine Pienaar)
· Best Achievement in Make-Up and Hairstyling - TV Drama: Ifalakhe (Ronwyn Jarrett)
· Best Achievement in Cinematography - TV Drama: The Republic (Ntobeko Dlamini)
· Best Actress - TV Drama: Florence Masebe (The Republic)
· Best Actor - TV Drama: Wiseman Mncube ( eHostela)
· Best Supporting Actress - TV Drama: Brenda Ngxoli ( iThemba)
· Best Supporting Actor - TV Drama: Seputla Sebogodi (The Republic)
· Best TV Drama: The Republic (Tshedza Pictures)
· Best Natural History and Environmental Programme: STROOP - journey into the rhino horn war (Scott & de Bod Films)
· Best Structured or Docu-reality Show: Living The Dream With Somizi Season 4 (Barleader TV)
· International Format Show: Celebrity Game Night S1 (Rapid Blue)
· Best Factual & Educational Programme: Op Seer Se Spoor (Gambit Films)
· Best Variety Show: Mooi (Afrokaans Film & Television)
· Best Youth Programme: MTV Shuga Down South 2 (Quizzical Pictures)
· Best Entertainment Programme: Emo: 30 Jaar In Musiek (All Star Productions)
· Best Lifestyle Programme: Elders: Japan (Bonanza Films)
· Best Made for TV Movie: Droomman (Deon Opperman Produksies)
· Best Achievement in Directing - Feature Film: Knuckle City (Jahmil XT Qubeka)
· Best Achievement in Scriptwriting - Feature Film: Fiela se Kind (Brett Michael Innes)
· Best Achievement in Cinematography - Feature Film: Die Verhaal van Racheltjie de Beer ( Willie Nel)
· Best Achievement in Sound Design - Feature Film: Die Verhaal van Racheltjie de Beer (Jim Petrak)
· Best Achievement in Original Music/Score - Feature Film: Die Verhaal van Racheltjie de Beer (Chris Letcher)
· Best Achievement in Editing – Feature Film: Knuckle City (Layla Swart)
· Best Achievement in Production Design – Feature Film: Knuckle City (TK Khampepe & Justice Nhlapo)
· Best Achievement in Costume Design – Feature Film: Back of the Moon (Trudi Mantzios)
· Best Achievement in Make-Up and Hairstyling - Feature Film: Knuckle City (Carol Babalwa Mtshiselwa)
· Best Actress - Feature Film: Clementine Mosimane (Poppie Nongena)
· Best Actor – Feature Film: Bongile Mantsai (Knuckle City)
· Best Supporting Actress - Feature Film: Anna-Mart van der Merwe (Poppie Nongena)
· Best Supporting Actor - Feature Film: Patrick Ndlovu (Knuckle City)
· Best Feature Film: Fiela se Kind (The Film Factory and Nostalgia Productions)
· Lifetime Achiever Award: Thembi Mtshali-Jones
· Youth Achiever Award: Thabo Welcome
· Outstanding Person with Disability Contributor Award: Boitshoko Keabetswe, Malebo Matlhage
· Outstanding Provincial Contributor Award: Luzuko Dilima
· Emerging Filmmaker Award: Vusi Africa Sindane
· Best TV Presenter: Entle Bizana (Hectic on 3)
ALSO READ: 2020 SAFTAs 'unable to deliver a show to the standards we had hoped for': Inside the delayed and badly done virtual fiasco of 2020's 14th South African Film and Television Awards that started 6 hours late from inside Dineo Ranaka's living room.
