The advertiser-funded production (AFP) Tropika Island of Treasure will return for an 11th season to SABC3, again produced by Cardova productions, with the Clover-branded competition reality show that will film the upcoming season in Zanzibar.
The South African celebrities who will be paired with people who enter are Hungani Ndlovu (actor), Karl Kugelmann (model), Omuhle Gela (actor), Bobby van Jaarsveld (singer), Chad Jones (TikTok influencer), Nqobile Khwezi (model), and Ndavi Nokeri (model).
Zanele Potelwa will be the host of this season of Tropika Island of Treasure which will air around September on SABC3 for 13 episodes.
Last month the Zebra Square PR company that communicates on behalf of Tropika Island of Treasure held a pre-season announcement lunch at Gigi Restaurant in WaterFall Corner in Johannesburg to which only some media were invited to and the rest not told about.
Media who were included and attended the pre-season announcement lunch were told Zanele Potelwa will be the presenter for the new season, that the 11th season will be taking place in Zanzibar, as well as who the celebrity participants for this season will be.
The scandal-scarred TV presenter Katlego Maboe (34) is now suing the activist against gender-based violence (GBV), Sabrina Walters, who is the founder of Women for Change, for alleged defamation.
IOL reports that the former TV star and a presenter of Expresso on SABC3 produced by Cardova Productions, has lodged a crimen injuria complaint with the South African police against Sabrina Walters of Women for Change.
Katlego Maboe admitted in a video to his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child, Monique Muller, that he cheated on her and had sex with another woman, after which he lost work and disappeared from television when he became embroiled in domestic violence allegations following his infidelity scandal.
Monique Muller alleged that Katlego Maboe gave her a sexually-transmitted disease (STD) and "damaged her womb", affecting the chances of her having another child.
In another video Monique said that Katlego Maboe allegedly physically abused her as well, saying that "When the first physical attack happened I got a protection order against him".
In a statement, Katlego Maboe said that "I was unfaithful to my partner during a very important time of our lives - an act I regret to this day. We are currently undergoing an unfortunate and painful separation which is being resolved through legal proceedings".
Katlego Maboe also lost his nomination in April 2021 in the Best TV Presenter category of the National Film and Video Foundation's 15th South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs).
Earlier this month the disgraced TV presenter in new letters of demand from his lawyer, demanded R4 million from four people after saying he suffered psychological damage and damage to his reputation from the scandal that engulfed him and that led to the implosion of his career.
Katlego Maboe demanded that Monique Muller; her brother Seth; Sabrina Walter, the founder of Women for Change; as well as Dr Janet van Eeden, chairperson of the judges for the NFVF's SAFTAs each pay him R1 million in damages. They were given 3 weeks to respond.
"These charges were laid based on my legal advice. I support any initiatives that seek to address inequality. However in this instance it appears to me that vile untruthful accusations were made not only with the intention to have Katlego Maboe removed as a nominee for a SAFTA but also to tarnish his image with Expresso and Cardova."
Colonel Andrè Traut, police spokesperson, confirmed that a case of crimen injuria was reported at the Muizenberg police station on Monday.
The National Film and Video Foundation has dumped Katlego Maboe as a nominee from the 15th South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) in the Best TV presenter category following allegations of a cheating scandal.
The NFVF announced late on Friday afternoon that Katlego Maboe has been removed as a nominee from the Best TV presenter category at the 2021 SAFTAs where the winner is determined by public voting.
"After careful deliberation of concerns raised regarding the nomination of Katlego Maboe in the Best TV presenter public vote category announced on Thursday 29 April, the SAFTAs jury has decided to rescind his nomination," the NFVF said in a statement.
"The rescission is effective immediately and voting code 5 has been removed from the voting USSD line," the NFVF said.
Katlego Maboe was nominated as TV presenter for Tropika Island of Treasure Curacao, produced by Cardova Productions.
Katlego Maboe has been removed from S3's morning show Expresso, also produced by Cardova, after shocking allegations came to light, made by his estranged wife, who said that he allegedly damaged her womb after giving her a sexually transmitted disease.
The estranged couple is currently embroiled in a protracted legal battle in court.
The virtual 15th SAFTAs ceremony will be shown on Saturday 22 May on the SABC's S3 channel and MultiChoice and M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel as a simulcast broadcast. It will start with a half-hour of red carpet coverage from 18:30, followed by the main awards show from 19:00.
Leigh-Anne Williams has quietly gone from Expresso on SABC3 after 9 years as the next longrunning presenter who exited after she had to audition and announce her replacements on-air in a TV presenter search at the end of October.
Neither SABC3 nor Cardova Productions, that produces Expresso, responded with answers to media enquiries made the past few weeks about Leigh-Anne Williams' exit and Williams didn't reply to email.
The exit of Leigh-Anne Williams without any on-air farewell and who's name has quietly been removed from the end-credits roll of Expresso leaves Katlego Maboe as the last remaining original Expresso presenter on the 9-year old show after Ewan Strydom left in April for Bravo! on kykNET (DStv 144).
Zoë Brown, who was not an original presenter, left Expresso in July after 4 years without an on-air farewell or explanation.
Expressoadded Jamie-Lee Domburg from Plumstead and Kuhle Adams as the show's two new presenters after they won the Presenter Search on 3: The Expresso Edition at the end of October and which made use of Leigh-Anne Williams as the presenter of that prime time reality search programme.
It's much further away that the picturesque highrise the show had been done from for almost nine years before the move. According to insiders both Zoë Brown and Leigh-Anne Williams had issues with the move with the longer daily travel distance that was problematic and contributed to their decisions to leave.
SABC3 and Expresso have ignored questions from viewers asking about Leigh-Anne Williams' absence and exit.
Tears unashamedly streamed down his face on Tuesday morning as Ewan Strydom bid goodbye as a TV presenter of SABC3's morning show Expresso 8 and a half years after he joined the Cape Town based lifestyle show, as his co-hosts shared moving messages in a highly-emotional on-air farewell.
Tuesday was announced as his last day on air with Ewan Strydom who teared up when his co-presenters shared final goodbye messages during this morning's broadcast, along with a tribute lookback including clips that were played.
The various goodbye on-air messages on Tuesday on SABC3's Expresso made for extremely compelling and moving morning television.
The energetic and friendly Ewan Strydom is one of the remaining original presenters together with Katlego Maboe and Leigh-Anne Williams who are both still with the show, when it made its debut, done from The Equinox Building in Sea Point since 4 October 2010 as a new live breakfast show on SABC3.
Before joining Expresso, Ewan Strydom was part of M-Net's All Access weekly magazine show produced from Cape Town before it got cancelled.
During his time with the programme he also became a dad of two.
No reason for Ewan Strydom's departure from Expresso was given on Tuesday but Cardova responsible for the show issued a statement through SABC3 to TVwithThinus later in response to a media enquiry, saying "Expresso bids farewell to Ewan Strydom and wishes him all the best with his future ventures".
"After almost 9 years on the Safta award-winning Expresso, Ewan Strydom is leaving the programme to pursue other business ventures."
The show said "Ewan was one of the first of a line of presenters who have been crafted into quality live and field reporters on the popular breakfast programme, including those who won their places on the show through the rigorous audition process of Presenter Search on 3, which introduced the likes of Zoe Brown, Thabiso Makhubela and Mosa Kaiser to Expresso viewers".
"Cardova Productions and the Expresso morning show recognise the hard work Ewan has invested in helping the show grow to where it is today, and appreciate the positive feel-good attitude that Ewan has always displayed, on and off camera. We wish him all the best with his future endeavours".
"I don't know how we're going to do Expresso without you. I feel Expresso is you. But you have been the best part of our mornings," said Leigh-Anne Williams who described Tuesday as "a bitter-sweet day".
"You are one of the most incredible people we will ever know in this lifetime. You are as real off-screen as you are on-screen," said Leigh-Anne Williams.
Katlego Maboe mentioned how he was "On this journey with you since day one when this studio was nothing but rubble and cement bags and kruiwaens".
"In such a massive way over the years you have been my support in so many of the life challenges that I've gone through." Katlego Maboe said "there's no way that I could ever have done this without you. Thank you for your friendship. From my heart, thank you."
Graeme Richards said "I can't tell you how much you mean to me; how much you mean to everyone here. Everyone is a little bit broken because you are just honestly one of the most authentic, genuine guys." He said "this bond, and this connection - nothing will ever affect that".
"You guys are family man, you guys are my family," said Ewan Strydom.
As Tuesday's end credits rolled and his voice wavering, Ewan Strydom said "It's incredibly difficult to say goodbye. I will miss you all dearly. You are my family. You've become my world. I don't know how to do this. I'm not a crier. But it's been a journey that I will never forget."
"It's been an incredible past couple of years. I treasure so much you guys who became the closest people in my life. And the thought of having to say goodbye and not spending the mornings with you is heartbreaking for me. It really is."
"To you at home as well, thank you for allowing me into your homes every single morning."
After the revamped and much improved 7th season of Tropika Island of Treasure: Seychelles in 2017, things are not looking good so far - judged by the perplexing marketing strategy and inexplicably bad pre-publicity - for the upcoming 8th season on SABC3 of Clover's advertiser-funded production (AFP) that is set in the Maldives.
Tropika Island of Treasure: Seychelles - in look, narrative and production values, as well as in the communication to the press around the show - for the first time felt like a "real" show and not commercial content packaged around an ad-wrapper TV shell.
After several seasons of Tropika Island of Treasure with horrifically bad publicity and done by people who seemed clueless as to what they're supposed to do and even how to do it - the AFP showed drastic improvements last year and was (the first!) good season.
Clover switched to Cardova Productions that made the show much more watchable, more "real"-looking and Survivor like.
Instead of using idiot publicist and PR firms who are clueless, Capacity Relations was roped in as a PR company in 2017 to liase with the Press Covering Television and the media.
To say it in other words, in 2017 Tropika Island of Treasure was elevated from the "trash TV" it was in the past, to basically very close to "normal".
The TV show was fine. I personally watched every episode and nothing felt gratingly crass commercialistic or like a hard-sell where sponsorship dominated over "story".
It was borderline-wonderful that something that's basically a half hour TV commercial changed so much (and for the better!) in that it had interesting narratives, funny contestants, actual watchable content, and PR people who were responsive, clever, who reached out, had proper publicity photos, communicated with the press, knew what to do and what the media's needs were, and actually responded to it.
Cue 2018 and it's back to trash (sigh) with South African television that will be delivering two island set shows: Tropika Island of Treasure: Maldives on SABC3, and Survivor South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) with the Tropika one up first and already a big disappointment.
The difference between the two from the outset, just in the basic media approach and how press are handled, couldn't be more starkly different.
What is certain is that the back to a more trash approach in terms of communicating and doing PR about Tropika Island of Treasure Maldives is going to result in trashier, and less, exposure in the media that matter.
The marketing and publicity problems around Tropika Island of Treasure Maldives (and the show hasn't even started yet) are too many to mention but here's a few.
Let's look at the bad publicity photos that appear "non fixed" - meaning not properly airbrushed and with smudges and black tape marker. It was actually sent out to the press. To use. To publish.
Who does that?
That comes after the mindboggling decision not to gives out the basic contestant information to all media at the same time, but to make integral, basic information about the show that should be released to all media at the same time, somehow "exclusives" - severely diminishing the traction and exposure that general media would give it.
Whose old-school Women's Knitwear Monthly circa 1966 idea was this?
Then on Wednesday Clover and Tropika held a media event briefing for Tropika Island of Treasure Maldives but couldn't bother to invite or alert all relevant press and TV critics.
A smattering of press did attend (and lets see how many actual stories appear from their keyboards).
It's clearly solidly back to the trashier yesteryear modus operandi of the show - one that doesn't help it with the press oxygen it needs to breathe.
After the media press briefing held at Sun City (a step up from the benches at some bar from one of the previous seasons's media launch if I remember correctly) there was no press dump of press releases, no transcripts of who said what, or images of the day, or quotes from the contestants who answered questions; and nothing from the producers talking about the show.
There was nothing emailed outfor the press who either attended - or the media that didn't - that they could use about the media briefing. (Keep in mind that Clover, Tropika and the show presumably want exposure for the show.)
This.Is.Bad.
On Wednesday afternoon I asked Miantha Padayachee, Tropika brand group manager, as well as the publicists at the PR company getting paid to work on the show, in an emailed media enquiry what is going on. There's been no response but if there is, it will be added here.
Clover's Tropika Island of Treasure: Maldives starting next month on SABC3 might again be good like the previous season (hopefully!) but at this point, with the flotsam already washing up on the pre-TV shore, I'm really not holding my breath.
PresenterMinnie Dlaminihas
turned Tropika's TV paradise into living hell for the producers with her
alleged diva demands and fighting in front of the contestants.
The advertiser-funded show's
upcoming season on SABC3 started filming last week in the Seychelles.
Minnie Dlaminiabruptly resigned as the co-presenter on SABC1'sSoccerZonetwo
weeks ago after jetting off to the Seychelles to present Clover's revivedTropika Island of Treasure.
The show is filming its 7th season and will jump from SABC1 to
SABC3 when it is broadcast in March 2017, courting a more upmarket and
sophisticated consumer audience.
Sunday
Worldreports that the embattled Tropika Island of Treasureproducers went as far as eventually
reaching out to the SABC to try and salvage the situation whenMinnie Dlaminiallegedly
refused to come to an agreement over production issues that threatened to
shipwreck the show running on a very tight production schedule.
Sponsor
Clover, running the revived TV show under its Tropika brand, and the producers
allegedly became fed up withMinnie Dlamini's diva demands.
Already
on a tight production budget, the show's producers bristled whenMinnie Dlaminidemanded
that her entourage accompany her to the Seychelles a day before she was
supposed to fly from South Africa to the island paradise. She wanted her own
stylist and social media team to go with her as well.
Minnie Dlamini allegedly went ballistic in the Seychelles when she found out that
theTropika Island of Treasureproducers
had decided to tweak the show format and add a co-presenter.
The
production earlier this year announced thatJonathan Boynton-Lee, a presenter on
SABC3'sTop Billingwill be brought in in the new role of
Games Master on the 7th season ofTropika Island of Treasurewho will encourage and talk the
various teams through the challenges that will include physical and mental
puzzles.
Minnie Dlaminihad no problem with that.
She
was however angered when she discovered, after arriving in the Seychelles, that
Cardova Productions wanted to add a full co-presenter with whom she would have
to share the spotlight.
Conflict
erupted sinceMinnie Dlaminiwho co-hosted onSoccerZone, doesn't want a co-presenter.
In
a statementMinnie Dlaminisays "Cardova and Tropika offered
me the sole hosting position of the upcoming season which I signed on for. I specifically
asked not to be considered if they were looking for two presenters."
"The
last minute they wanted to introduce a co-host which I refused as per the
initial agreement. There was conflict on the island as a result," saysMinnie Dlamini.
According
to the producersMinnie Dlaminigot her way to take her own hair
stylist along to the Seychelles but the request for a social media team was
axed since the show already organised social media people to document the
activities.
Glamour entertainment magazine show Top Billing is adding Christopher Jaftha, known as just Chris to its roster of presenters.
Chris Jaftha, who had won several best looking man awards, has been added to possibly follow in the testosterone filled footsteps of former longtime presenters Michael Mol and Janez Vermeiren.
Chris Jaftha landed a spot in the Top 11 during the reality show Presenter Search on 3 earlier this year on SABC3.
He made it to a place as one of the Top 5 in the competition which saw Jade Hubner win the prize to become the latest Top Billing presenter, with Danilo Acquisto who joined the SABC3 afternoon variety and talk show programme, Afternoon Express.
SABC3 and production company Tswelopele Productions gave no reason as to why Chris Jaftha has suddenly also been added.
The second season of Win a Home on SABC3 which just started on Friday evenings also added two Presenter Search on 3 contestants - Khanya Siyengo and Mishka Patel - although Mishka Patel was unexplicably dumped and removed from all marketing material just before the first episode was broadcast last month.
Chris Jaftha's first insert for Top Billing will be to cover the Durban Fashion Fair this week in the episode of 10 September.
Chris Jaftha lives in Johannesburg and has studied Fine Art at the National School of Arts. He's appeared in several pantomimes and musicals and can currently also be seen in SABC3's musical drama Roer Jou Voete.
Chris Jaftha appeared on Afternoon Express, produced by Cardova, on SABC3 on Monday afternoon so that Bonang Matheba could interview him in a cross-promotion, and asked him what people can expect and how it was filming his first insert.
"It's never as easy as it looks but I've been in the industry a long time now, and I know you need to work hard. With Top Billing and my first insert at the Durban Fashion Fair it was really cool. I worked with a really lovely team. It was so much fun," said Chris Jaftha.
