TV REVIEW. Wrong envelope syndrome and mistakes remain but 18th SAFTAs finally looked smoother

by Thinus Ferreira

As a new first-time-done production after a new producer took over the TV broadcast of the 18th South African Film and Television Awards, the 3-hour showcase on Saturday night was smoother sailing than in previous years, although mistakes - like another wrong envelope opened - persisted.

The live 18th SAFTAs main awards show, done from Hall 3 at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, Johannesburg on Saturday night was far from the error-riddled, cringeworthy and painful watching experience it has perpetually been in previous years.

Produced by Relebogile Mabotja and Bruce Townsend's Black Swan Media, the 18th SAFTAs telecast shown on SABC2 and Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) became probably the first-ever SAFTAs award show to achieve a passing grade, with a lot fewer of the obvious mistakes that marred previous years.

Viewers however still had to watch through 23 minutes for the first award to be handed out in what is an awards show. At 20:23 viewers finally got their first winner. 

Throughout the night several very amateurish-looking presenters announced nominees and winners in categories, with several blatantly struggling to pronounce show titles and the names of winners. 

Clearly, nobody was prepped by floor managers or through voicenotes in the week on how to pronounce the few nominees correctly which they would have to articulate on stage. Leave it to a reality TV star to literally say: "Oh, I'm not going to pronounce this correctly".

Sound problems, sound level issues and background music playing during speeches persisted all night.

Where winners in categories were no-shows it became obvious that the majority were from outside of Johannesburg and not flown by the NFVF to the SAFTAs. 

Once again this year viewers had to hear a "No sorry. Correction. They gave me the wrong one ..." on Saturday night after a wrong envelope was opened prematurely and viewers discovered Natasha Sutherland was going to win as Best supporting actress in a TV drama before it was that category. 

The In Memoriam segment was the most complete one at the SAFTAs ever (great).

It had a funeral sponsor (good), although wrong camerawork and angles coupled with wrong control room decisions for certain shots made several names completely invisible and unseen (bad). 

The singer also stood in front of and was camera-framed in front of dearly departed names in several shots, also making some names illegible (bad) to viewers at home.

Great was the addition for the first time in SAFTAs history of a sign language interpreter block in the bottom right corner, as well as the very first deaf presenter to introduce a category, who spoke with the help of an interpreter.

Also great were the SAFTAs stage design and stage lighting (especially the LED strip lights as trim on the steps).

The addition of a righthand side block on stage depicting television watching and the making through different eras all the way to today's ring-light home studios set-up was a very nice touch.

Also well done were pre-filmed mini-reunions like the cast of Surburban Bliss reflecting on the show during its time, issues like racism and the evolution of South Africa's TV biz.

Another very good improvement: The SAFTAs producers who stopped showing and lovingly panning across empty seats. 

Very few empty seats were visible, along with very few people seen walking and milling about. It made the awards show appear much more elegant and orderly.

The rolling film interstitial that framed slightly hazy clips of nominees looked and worked very good as an audio-visual element.  

The NFVF's SAFTAs showed boobs (Shaka iLembe) for the first time ever, although just a second.

The SAFTAs also for the very first time ever included the uncensored "F-word" - twice - in a pre-packaged clip and without any language warning on SABC2 or Mzansi Magic. Keep in mind this is supposedly family-viewing as variety programming.

The speech of Kagiso Modupe, who won as Best supporting actor in a TV comedy for Netflix's Yoh! Christmas, was extremely cringe-worthy to watch as he claimed that he was the only person to ever have paid actors royalties.

His highly ironic utterances came as the very upset cast and crew of his Pound 4 Pound series for Paramount Africa's BET channel have still not been paid. 

Best acceptance speech of the 18th SAFTAs probably goes to Zikhona Sodlaka who won as Best actress in a telenovela for Mzansi Magic's cancelled Gqeberha - The Empire.

She said: "Who knew that a time like this would come when the world would be ready for performers from Africa? When the world would be ready for our stories? And told exactly as who we are. If you are watching from home, you are enough."

REVEALED. Here are the 6 women who will all feature in the new M-Net's dating reality series The Single Wives SA from September.

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net (DStv 101) is revealing the 6 women who have been selected to feature in its dating reality series The Single Wives South Africa that will start on Thursday 3 September at 19:00.

In October 2019 M-Net announced that it is doing a first season of the Australian format reality show, The Single Wives SA, produced by Black Swan Media, in which divorced and widowed women will get a possible second chance at finding love.

M-Net said that in The Single Wives SA the 6 women would live together over a 6-week period during which they would undergo a course on dealing with harsh truths about themselves, their past heartaches, and the ins and outs of the dating world and possibly finding new love.



The experts who will appear in The Single Wives SA to provide advice and guidance are the life coach Justin Cohen and the author and TV talk show host Mapaseka Mokwele.

"It's not about competing for an object of affection nor finding that Mr Right; it’s about women who are willing to be vulnerable and the process that they will go through to get to a point where they’re ready for a potentially long-lasting relationship again," says Justin Cohen.

Mapaseka Mokwele says for the women in The Single Wives SA it will be "a journey filled with entertainment, tears and laughter – one definitely worth taking".

The 6 women are:

Angelique Pather (38)

Advocate and social media influencer, Angel from Centurion, married her Prince Charming at a very young age envisioning a happily-ever-after. 
Instead, she found herself in an unhappy relationship for 12 years. Always believing that there’s light at the end of the tunnel, she married the same man twice and when she realised that it's all a vicious circle she decided to leave him, this time for good.
Five years later, Angel still struggles to commit to a relationship, out of the fear of being hurt and attracting a love interest who will disappoint her.
“I need to deal with the issues that I have suppressed since I left my ex-husband five years ago. I’m hoping to find out what it is that is causing me to behave this way and to be able to move forward with someone who will love me the way I am.”

Chantelle Thrupp-Snow (33)

Chantelle is a corporate account executive from Johannesburg who has always dreamed of a picture-perfect “picket-white-fence” kind of lifestyle – but life hasn’t been kind to her and she found herself at crossroads many times.
Her first two marriages failed, she was diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder, had a baby out of wedlock, and her last relationship ended with a broken engagement.
Chantelle believes that she is way too pushy and forceful when it comes to relationships and marriage due to a fear of abandonment. “I need to learn how to make the right choices,” she says. 

Genevieve Stander (37)

Ambitious and driven Genevieve, a chief operations officer for a training & development company in Nelspruit has been unlucky in love, having been cheated on twice in important past relationships. 
Her ex-husband had an affair and then her first boyfriend since the divorce cheated on her as well.
This made the attractive mother of two lose all hope in true love and trust and led her down a slippery road of substance abuse. 
Since getting her life back on track, Genevieve is ready to re-enter the dating scene.
“I am not ashamed of my past and I have forgiven my ex-husband, but it did leave scars in my heart. I would like to find out if it is something that I am doing wrong.”

Helen Zondo (50)

Strong and independent public transport operator Helen from Fourways in Johannesburg dated her then-boyfriend for what she describes as “10 beautiful years”. 
It was when the couple got married and started living under the same roof that the relationship took a dark turn. 
Scarred and left to face life alone, Helen lost faith in men and remained single for 14 years, focusing all her efforts on her daughter. 
The 50-year-old single mom joined the show to rediscover herself as a woman and find her worth again. “I want to break down the emotional barriers that hinder the process of forgiveness.”

Nikki Nell (42)

Nikki, a marketing manager from Randpark Ridge, admits that she hasn’t had much of dating life.
She walked down the aisle with her second serious boyfriend and their marriage lasted 12 years. After their divorce, however, she continued to date him on and off.
She entered The Singe Wives SA in the hopes of becoming more self-aware and getting back onto the dating scene. “I want to embark on a new chapter in my life, and I am excited about this new chapter,” Nikki says. 

Tori Celliers (47)

Tori’s marriage of 8 and a half years ended after a series of infidelities.
The fitness studio owner from Durban and mother of two says she walked away not because she did not love her ex-husband any more, but because she knew she had to stop hurting herself.
The couple remained apart but continued their friendship and considered reconciling. But then she experienced intense trauma. Before their love could take flight for a second time, her ex was tragically murdered. 
Understandably, it has been difficult for Tori to find closure and move forward. “Will I ever recover from a loss like that?” she asks.

M-Net commissions another local dating reality show, The Single Wives SA, produced by Black Swan Media; will give 6 divorced and widowed women a second chance at finding love.

M-Net (DStv 101) has commissioned and is adding another dating reality show, The Single Wives South Africa, produced by Black Swan Media, in which divorced and widowed women will get a possible second chance at finding love.

Following a second season of The Bachelor SA currently in production, as well as Finding the One, M-Net is also doing The Single Wives SA in which 6 women between the ages of 20 and 50 will be selected who have "suffered the pain of divorce or widowhood" and who "will learn how to let go of their past heartache and, if Cupid’s arrow is on target, find love again".

"We are now looking for these extraordinary South African ladies who are ready to undergo an emotional and romantic transformation," says Lani Lombard, M-Net's head of publicity.

"Based on the original Australian format, The Single Wives SA will be a heart-warming show about hope, healing, learning, sisterhood and the journey of self-discovery, guided by a dating guru and relationship coach."

In this unconventional dating show, the 6 women will live together over a 6-week period during which they will undertake a crash course on dealing with harsh truths about themselves, their past heartaches, and the ins and outs of the dating world.

M-Net says they will "heal their wounds, restore their confidence and prepare them for re-entry into the dating scene. To put their new skills into practice, the 6 single wives will then meet potential suitors on spectacular speed dates, at dinner parties and in confidence-challenging activities".

The Single Wives SA will be filmed between mid-February and the end of March 2020 and will be broadcast on M-Net (DStv 101) later in 2020.