by Thinus Ferreira
After the SABC with great fanfare announced to advertisers and the media that it acquired the rights to a local version of the format and would do a South African version of Raid the Cage, the TV game show set to start on 27 May on SABC2, has quietly been postponed indefinitely.
In late March the SABC at a programming upfront in Johannesburg rolled out podcasters Sol Phenduka and Mac G on stage before stakeholders and announced them as the co-presenters of Raid the Cage South Africa that the public broadcaster said would start on 27 May on SABC2.
According to insiders, the SABC made the announcement about Raid the Cage and other shows without various contracts having been signed yet.
Raid the Cage SA for SABC2 is another one of the shows acquired by Primedia Studios and done for the SABC and is one of the new crop of localised format shows produced by Anele Mdoda and Frankie du Toit's Rose and Oaks Media like The Masked Singer SA and Ready, Steady, Cook for SABC3.
Raid the Cage SA, which will have 260 episodes similar to Ready, Steady Cook and Primedia Studios' Deal or No Deal SA, is now suddenly off the SABC2 schedule since an unexplained schedule change affected last week and the show will now no longer start on 27 May after it was suddenly removed and postponed.
Raid the Cage is an Israeli television series format that has also been adapted with an American version on CBS.
SABC publicity specialist Caroline Phalakashela confirmed that Raid the Cage SA has been removed from the SABC2 schedule.
Asked on Tuesday why Primedia Studios and Rose and Oaks Media will no longer do the show from 27 May on SABC2 as was announced and what the new envisioned starting date is, she said she would find out. On Wednesday she was asked again but didn't respond with the reason. It will be added here if received.
In the American version of Raid the Cage with co-presenters Damon Wayans Jr and Jeannie Mai, contestants compete in pairs to answer as many trivia questions correctly as possible in order to retrieve prizes locked in a special cage.
