by Thinus Ferreira
Following the SABC's shocking cancellation of 7de Laan on SABC2, viewers have started an online petition, #Red7deLaan/#Save7deLaan, which had close to 25 000 signatures and comments by Thursday morning as desperate fans plead with the SABC, e.tv or kykNET to save the TV show which they call "a beacon of hope".
The final episode of 7de Laan is set to be recorded on 21 October and will air on 26 December.
The SABC gave the crew and cast of the Danie Odendaal Productions show the news that it was cancelled last week Monday morning, with the public broadcaster saying that the show is too expensive to keep on the air given its viewership.
7de Laan had 1.19 million viewers in June, making it the most-watched Afrikaans show on South African television and the second-most-watched show on SABC2 after Muvhango with 1.4 million viewers.
The petition that was started on change.org is the second time a 7de Laan petition was started and quickly went viral on the platform.
The previous time was in January 2021 when news leaked that SABC2 was cutting down 7de Laan from five to just three episodes per week from April 2021 which quickly amassed thousands of signatures and comments from concerned viewers.
At the time, the SABC said that it was aware that a "public petition was circulated, in an attempt to prevent the SABC from diversifying its content on SABC2". The petition worked and six months later 7de Laan returned to five episodes per week on SABC2.
The latest petition on change.org, started by Jermaine Christians, reads: "The SABC decided not to renew 7de Laan for the next season. We as the loyal viewers completely disagree, with no reasons provided why 7de Laan has not been renewed for another season."
"The show has reached so many milestones 23 years on air, 24 seasons and even 5000 episodes. This is not the first time that viewers see the soapie being attacked by the SABC. This is not just an attack on us as loyal fans and viewers but on the Afrikaans community as well. This soapie is known for its large road show campaigns to interact with fans and viewers."
"We would like to urge SABC to reconsider the decision and renew 7de Laan. The success behind the show comes from real-life storylines, multiculturalism and catering for the needs of every South African who could relate."
"We the fans of 7de Laan would like to urge other production houses such as e.tv or even kykNET to buy into the idea of 7de Laan not just saving the jobs of cast members, the crew but also the number 1 Afrikaans soapie in South Africa."
"Just the idea that +- 120 people could be left jobless in a country with an already failing economy is sickening to say the least."
"This is not just about the entertainment but also the beacon of hope this soapie was unto so many when it came to job creation with their yearly internship programme."
"This is not the first time SABC tried calling off the shots when it comes to 7deLaan and therefore we plead with other production houses to make use of this opportunity to try and #Save7deLaan for good this time."
"How do you shut the doors of an award-winning soapie with millions of viewers, this does not make sense and we believe as viewers there's more to the story behind SABC trying once again to shut down one of the most loved soapies."
On Tuesday the SABC was asked for comment about the new 7de Laan petition but didn't respond to the media query.
