e.tv dumps The Morning Show after 7 years as it backs out of original production for the timeslot and replaces it with simulcast of eNCA's The South African Morning

by Thinus Ferreira

e.tv has dumped its low-rated breakfast show The Morning Show after seven years and is replacing it from today with eNCA's The South African Morning between 06:00 and 08:30 to save money.

eMedia cancelled its long-running Sunrise in mid-2018 and replaced it with The Morning Show - not to be confused with the American drama series The Morning Show on Apple TV+ set behind-the-scenes of a breakfast show.

The Morning Show, produced for e.tv by Cheeky Media, went through several iterations and multiple on-air changes over the past seven years

It's viewership struggled against SABC2's Morning Live, SABC3's Expresso, and several other cheaply done live morning shows across several of MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV channels.

The Morning Show was cancelled with Lee-Roy Wright, Carla McKenzie, Kgosi Rankhumise, Bolele Polisa and Brighton Mhlongo as the last set of presenters.

Neither e.tv nor eNCA have issued any press release to the media about either the cancellation of The Morning Show on e.tv or the simulcast of The South African Morning on e.tv from September. 

Two years ago eNCA (DStv 403) and e.tv courted controversy when it decided to drop producing an original morning show for its pay-TV news channel and to simulcast The Morning Show on both e.tv and eNCA.

It meant that DStv pay-TV audiences who pay for television and by implication a better product, suddenly got free-to-air content on a pay-TV channel, that they already got access to anyway.

eNCA and e.tv dropped the bad plan and returned The South African Morning to the eNCA schedule after just four days and kept The Morning Show on e.tv.

Now eMedia is doing the reverse and will be using an eNCA programming strand to fill a timeslot on e.tv's schedule that it no longer wants to do original content for. 

It will now work the other way around: Content that DStv subscribers are paying for to see, will now be made available for two and a half hours for free-to-air viewers on e.tv - in other words, original TV content produced for a pay-TV audience will be shown for free on a terrestrial free-to-air TV channel.

The South African Morning that also constantly goes through presenter line-up changes now has Dan Moyane and Masego Rahlaga as the anchors. eNCA hasn't said or explained anything to the media about the latest simulcast plan.

eMedia Holdings in its integrated report for 2025 alluded to the coming change when Khalik Sheriff, CEO, said about eNCA that "In the near future, The South African Morning, the vibrant show aired on eNCA every morning at 06:00, will also be simulcast on e.tv".

eNCA drops simulcast of e.tv's The Morning Show and switches back to own-produced The South African Morning after 4 days of viewer outrage.

by Thinus Ferreira

Following a serious miscalculation of what pay-TV viewers want to watch in the mornings, as well as days of unrelenting viewer outrage, eNCA (DStv 403) on Friday morning brought back The South African Morning without any explanation after four days of simulcastin e.tv's low-rated The Morning Show.

On Monday eMedia's eNCA TV news channel - as part of yet another on-air and logo rebrand, dropped its The South African Morning time-block, replacing it with e.tv's The Morning Show between 06:00 and 09:00, produced by Cheeky Media with Yusuf Stevens as executive producer.

The Morning Show also added Faith Mangope to the softer lifestyle-slanted show which does sponsored inserts with a lesser emphasis on news and that bears more liking to SABC3's Expresso.

The drastic change prompted unrelenting viewer scorn the past four days with the drastic eNCA schedule change which was met with a barrage of DStv subscribers slamming the channel for replacing the much more newsy strand, co-anchored by the well-liked Gareth Edwards and Tumelo Mothotoane, with the lower production values of The Morning Show.

Viewers were fuming over The Morning Show - which bears no relation to the Apple TV+ drama series of the same name - with presenters who were berated for doing book segments at 6:15am and frivolous lifestyle segment discussions as they stumbled over words, sound and video problems, eating KFC on air, and the softer show's lack of news.

An avalanche of viewers were very vocal over the fact that they have access to e.tv and The Morning Show as a channel on DStv and would watch that if they wanted to.

Viewers said that they were now tuning out eNCA and switching to rival Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405) and SABC2's Morning Live which remains the perennial frontrunner in the South African morning breakfast show TV ratings race.

On Friday morning, The South African Morning was suddenly back without explanation, with Gareth Edwards once again anchoring the early morning time-block but this time solo. Tumelo Mothotoane anchored the NewsLink block solo from 9:00 to 12:00.

eMedia, in response to a media query about eNCA's morning fracas and the switchback, told TVwithThinus on Friday afternoon that "Due to popular demand, The South African Morning returns to eNCA with Gareth Edwards from 6:00 to 9:00. Tumelo will be on-air from 9:00 to 12:00. We have reunited viewers with the news and entertainment they are used to".

eNCA initially decided to cancel The South African Morning and simulcast e.tv's The Morning Show to rather stretch its production of live news hours from 22:00 until midnight, in response to competition from Newzroom Afrika. 

Although placing The South African Morning back on its schedule as an own in-house production, eNCA will continue to now stay in live news programming until midnight. 

Also returning to eNCA is anchor Shahan Ramkissoon who left a year ago, who is now anchoring The Last Word on Thursday snd Friday nights at 20:00.

ALSO READ: 'Useless rubbish' and 'a huge disaster': Shocked and angry DStv subscribers slam eNCA saying they're switching to Newzroom Afrika and SABC's Morning Live over decision to simulcast e.tv's 'totally poor and amateurish' The Morning Show.

ALSO READ: Latest rebrand 'a new era for eNCA,' says managing director as TV news channel want viewers to question more and 'create hope with our new positioning'.

ALSO READ: Faith Mangope joins e.tv's revamped The Morning Show added to eNCA as simulcast programming.

ALSO READ: eNCA in May revamp with yet another new logo and schedule changes, Shahan Ramkissoon makes anchor return as channel dumps own show to simulcast e.tv's The Morning Show, will stay live until midnight.

Latest rebrand 'a new era for eNCA,' says managing director as TV news channel want viewers to question more and 'create hope with our new positioning'.

by Thinus Ferreira

Work on the latest eNCA rebranding unveiled today on 1 May started in August 2022 with the latest schedule and programming changes introduced from today which have all been timed for the South African TV news channel's 15th anniversary happening in June.

eNCA launched on MultiChoice's DStv in June 2008 as the eNews Channel with the Hyde Park headquartered channel that has gone through a myriad of anchor, schedule, programming, logo and on-air looks over the past decade and a half. 

On Monday eNCA once again adapted its logo and on-air look, while introducing another schedule shake-up like cancelling its The South African Morning programming block in favour of simulcasting free-to-air sister channel e.tv's The Morning Show.

About the simulcast of The Morning Show, produced by Cheeky Media with Yusuf Stevens as executive producer, John Bailey, eNCA managing editor, on Monday said "that while eNCA will remain true to its business of news and content creation, what we are offering our viewers is really looking at how we can enlighten our viewers, especially in the morning".

"That's why we are bringing our hard-hitting news that we have become known for over all these past years, but also just give you a different sense of let's talk about spirituality that The Morning Show has become so famous for - but also issues around lifestyle".

eNCA logo revamped again

Norman Munzhelele, eNCA managing director, said the planning for yet another eNCA logo revamp started in August 2022.

The latest eNCA logo remains red and blue but delineates the blue "e" from the red and also inverts and flips the blue and white lettering colour and background colour from what they were before.

"We looked at some of the best brands in the world. On 1 June eNCA will be 15 years in existence and we thought we need to find a way of how does the eNCA brand grow organically?"

"eNCA was known for 'No fear, no favour'. We have to question a lot of things. We want to get our audience to do something about what we provide them. We're in the business of content creation which happens to be news. That brand must live amongst us. It's a call to action as to what we should be doing as a company."

He said that the "new positioning is a new era for eNCA, a new era for the viewers of eNCA".

John Bailey said eNCA's new brand positioning is "let's take it to our viewers - let's empower our viewers, also with the type of content we're going to put on-air on eNCA, we are going to give you the questioning part, we want you to think about what we put on air".

"If you have to question those in power - and we are talking a wide range of when we talk about those in power - it's not only politics. It's also to do with the private sector, it's where you live. And even question yourself. And you empower yourself to see how do I make a change and how do I better my own community and myself. So it's a call to action," he said.

"It's to get people to think differently about how they approach life. It cannot just be left to certain industry or certain individuals to make a change. You as an individual, you have to start thinking about how do we start taking South Africa to where we want the country to be. We want to create hope with our new positioning."

ALSO READ: eNCA in May revamp with yet another new logo and schedule changes, Shahan Ramkissoon makes anchor return as channel dumps own show to simulcast e.tv's The Morning Show, will stay live until midnight.

ALSO READ: Faith Mangope joins e.tv's revamped The Morning Show added to eNCA as simulcast programming.

Faith Mangope joins e.tv's revamped The Morning Show added to eNCA as simulcast programming.

by Thinus Ferreira

e.tv once again relaunched The Morning Show on Monday 1 May - which will now be simulcast on eNCA (DStv 403) and that dropped producing its own The South African Morning - adding Faith Mangope as a presenter and Brighton Mhlongo as a sports presenter.

Pay-TV subscribers will now get to see The Morning Show, with Yusuf Stevens as executive producer, on DStv at the same time as the breakfast show is seen on e.tv. 

An additional half-hour of the Cheeky Media produced show is produced for eNCA between 08:30 and 9:00, s part of the South African TV news channel's latest on-air look and scheduling revamp.

e.tv issued no press release about The Morning Show, which launched five years ago in May 2018, undergoing yet another on-air revamp and presenter team change. 

The show coincidentally shares a name with the Apple TV+ drama series set behind the scenes of an American breakfast TV show and which just got renewed for a fourth season.

eNCA cancelled the production of its own The South African Morning which had a bigger focus on news and current affairs, to now substitute it with the more edutainment-centric The Morning Show doing sponsored segments, as it tries to compete with frontrunner Morning Live on SABC2 also simulcast on SABC News (DStv 404), SABC3's Expresso, as well as Newzroom Afrika's (DStv 405) A.M. Report.

Faith Magope and Brighton Mhlongo join the current set of The Morning Show presenters Nelisiwe Mmape, Kgosi Rankhumise, Bolele Polisa and Obakeng Obakeng "OB Knows" Ngobeni.

"It's a bigger and better Morning Show," presenter Kgosi Rankhumise said on Monday morning.

On joining the show Faith Mangope, who woke up at 2:45 this morning, said it's "about working with a team that wants to help you out, want to make you feel welcome - that's what it is. It's about us being a family but a family mindful that it's not about us. It's not about Faith, it's not about Faith's glory, it's about the people - it's about South Africans who really want good quality content." 

About now doing a simulcast with The Morning Show shown free on e.tv and to pay-TV viewers on DStv, Norman Munzhelele, eNCA managing director, on Monday morning said "It's important because we have to serve both worlds".

"We do have our own audience - loyal audience as eNCA - but we are driven by the fact that we have to service the whole audience as a person in terms of giving you diversity and plurality of voices in the morning."

John Bailey, eNCA managing editor, on Monday said "that while eNCA will remain true to its business of news and content creation, what we are offering our viewers is really looking at how we can enlighten our viewers, especially in the morning".

"That's why we are bringing our hard-hitting news that we have become known for over all these past years, but also just give you a different sense of let's talk about spirituality that The Morning Show has become so famous for - but also issues around lifestyle".

ALSO READ: eNCA in May revamp with yet another new logo and schedule changes, Shahan Ramkissoon makes anchor return as channel dumps own show to simulcast e.tv's The Morning Show, will stay live until midnight.

ALSO READ: Latest rebrand 'a new era for eNCA,' says managing director as TV news channel want viewers to question more and 'create hope with our new positioning'.

The men's lifestyle magazine show The Man Cave from Cheeky Media switches to M-Net for a new season, adds Jonathan Boyton-Lee as presenter: 'The cool thing is that it's a lot freer than other shows'.

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African lifestyle magazine show The Man Cave is making a return to television and is shifting from SABC3 to M-Net (DStv 101) on Saturdays at 21:30, starting tonight on 20 February and adding Jonathan Boynton-Lee as one of the presenters.

The lifestyle magazine show catering to a male South African audience, although women can watch too, has an initial 10-episode order. The show is still produced, like before, by Cheeky Media but this time for M-Net.

The presenters are Siv Ngesi, comedian Jason Goliath and the radio jock and petrol-head Warrick Stock who have all been involved with The Man Cave before, with the former Top Billing presenter, Jonathan Boynton-Lee who has also made inroads as a producer and actor the past few years, joining The Man Cave from this season as one of the presenters.

M-Net says that The Man Cave will entertain "with its action-packed line-up of competitive challenges, adventures, casual conversations, engagements with local heroes and sporting stars, bucket-list adventures, supercars and classic rides".

In the new season, The Man Cave presenters will also look at specific societal issues, explore South Africa and its people, discover "the mythical bond" between man and machine, and also host casual, non-scripted conversations with top South African personalities.

Speaking about how his involvement with the new season of The Man Cave came about, Jonathan Boynton-Lee tells TVwithThinus that "with a lot of the presenters on the show I do a lot of shooting with - Siv Ngesi is one of them - we do a lot of content creation together, and we've done a lot of shows together".

"The executive producer Yusuf Stevens is also a partner of mine in production, so we've been trying to put it together for quite a while, and I've been a guest on the show before. This season they've approached me and asked me to be part of the show".

Being back on-screen and presenting within the television magazine format, Jonathan Boynton-Lee says that "every show is different - even magazine shows - they've all got different kinds of styles. Even reality TV we know is scripted a little bit where you can play a bit of a character but you can also be yourself".

"I think that the cool thing about The Man Cave is that it's a lot freer than other shows."

"What you see is what you get. We're all having a good jol on TV and we're just enjoying ourselves and being ourselves as well. I find with The Man Cave it's much less scripted. There's pretty much no script and we just go with it - which I love. The immediacy of it is really, really cool and makes for good television".

As to who gets to do what inserts, who tackles which topics or who does certain profile interviews, Jonathan Boynton-Lee says that "obviously it's a lot to do with availability because a lot of us are busy with several other projects, so availability is a big thing".

"It's also always nice to co-present because you work off of the energy of other presenters and we all got such different energies that all work together, so it's lovely to always present with someone else."

"It's normally got to do with availability and also the suitability of the insert. Jason Goliath is really good with interviews and he does all of the celebrity interviews in The Man Cave."

"Siv and I are very competitive, so all the sporting stuff and competing against each other and adventure stuff we do that, and Warras also has got his own strengths - we all got our own strengths that we pair with the different inserts."

"Obviously we also do a lot of things together, like tonight's debut episode of The Man Cave on M-Net will be all of us together competing on a Survivor type challenge with Survivor SA host Nico Panagio."

Besides his on-screen presenting and acting work in TV and film, Jonathan Boynton-Lee is also a producer and has likewise been impacted by the continuing Covid-19 global pandemic that has caused havoc in South Africa's TV and film industry.

"The impact has been massive. All the big productions came to a grinding halt in the beginning. I've been on a lot of sets that have been shut down because someone came had come into contact with someone who was Covid-positive and then the whole production has to shut down."

"Also obviously the whole way we shoot things now is very different, with masks and social distancing and other protocols."

"It's a very difficult adjustment but it's something you have to get used to. I'm not a fan of the online space but I appreciate the online space - Zoom and all of that stuff - but nothing beats the collaborative effort of filmmaking and doing it with crews and casts in the flesh."

"So Covid's had a huge impact - especially the performance industry - performers are really struggling," he says.

Earlier this month Jonathan Boynton-Lee and Siv Ngesi headed to KwaZulu-Natal for a 2-day trip hostel by the province's tourism promotion body to show how visitors can travel and enjoy the sights and sounds of the province safely amidst the pandemic.

"That was the first kind of proper - it wasn't so much a holiday because we were actually doing work promoting KZN Tourism - and we're working on a travel show with them which we're going to be doing as well because we love KwaZulu-Natal as a destination," Jonathan says.

"And in regards to travelling during Covid-19 it was almost like being back to normal. You know, people wear their masks, they use sanitiser, wash their hands, and keep their distance."

"We weren't in very crowded places - the beaches are quite empty and the hotels are very, very good with following protocol, so it almost felt as if everything's back to normal, which is very cool".

About his production company Half Man Half Amazing Productions, Jonathan Boynton-Lee says that one of the challenges has been that he and Siv Ngesi have been so busy working on other productions that they haven't had as much time as they would want to have to focus on producing their own content yet.

"You know, we always get swept up in other people's shows! So it's a time thing," he says.

"We've got a movie in the works that we're developing and that's really exciting - a big, 'Tarantino dark comedy'-inspired type of film."

"Then we've got the travel show with KZN Tourism that we're working on, and then another show that revolves around fulfilling people's dreams - their bucket lists - so we have several exciting stuff in the works and we need to pick the right project to launch with," Jonathan says.

A new season of The Man Cave starts on M-Net (DStv 101), Saturday 20 February 2021 at 21:30.

Coronavirus: The Morning Show returns to e.tv for its third iteration now with William Lehong and Nelisiwe Nxumalo fronting the virtual blue screen show as co-anchors after backstage production shake-up.

by Thinus Ferreira

e.tv's The Morning Show returned to the airwaves this morning for its third iteration, a month and a half after the struggling breakfast show shuttered production because of the Covid-19 coronavirus, losing presenters and behind-the-scenes crew, now opting for a virtual set and with William Lehong and Nelisiwe Nxumalo as co-anchors.

The former anchors Tumelo Mothotoane and Clement Manyathela are gone.

On Monday morning neither William Lehong nor Nelisiwe Nxumalo explained the rebrand, the absence of any of the former presenters or any of the behind-the-scenes drama, but did mention the new virtual set and that the show is glad to be back after the easing of Covid-19 lockdown regulations.

The Cheeky Media produced morning show shuttered for a combination of movies and kids morning programming on e.tv over the past 6 weeks.

SABC News and SABC2's breakfast show and the country's most-watched morning show, Morning Live that is produced in-house by the South African public broadcaster, as well as Expresso on SABC3 produced by the external production company Cardova Productions, both remained on-air.

In March after e.tv pulled The Morning Show off the air following the South African government's regulations surrounding the country's Covid-19 national lockdown period, Cheeky Media told the crew of the Johannesburg-based The Morning Show that they were out of jobs and were told to apply for unemployment at the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).

"We're facing trying times, with our key clients having cancelled campaigns and cut down spend as they too are unsure of what the next couple of months will entail," Cheeky Media told staffers in a letter in late-March letting them go.

"We write to you to, our loyal and trusted staff, with the sole objective to provide transparency in these unclear times. Please take note that based on the feedback from e.tv today [26 March 2020], Cheeky Media will, with immediate effect, suspend all business activities until further notice."

"As of today, Cheeky Media will specifically terminate all permanent and fixed-term contracts, as well as services rendered by independent contractors. Any payment due to you will be pro-rated for the month of March, up to and including 26 March. This is a tough decision for us and all businesses alike, to make."

Now The Morning Show has been reconstituted and is once again on-air between 06:00 and 08:00 but once again with noticeable differences in the latest relaunch since it replaced Sunrise two years ago.

It's the third iteration of The Morning Show, now using a virtual desk and digitally super-imposed backdrop with William Lehong and Nelisiwe Nxumalo who are back and now the co-anchors of the blue screen show. Cheeky Media plans to make further appointments as the show gears up production again.

"The Morning Show has been a stellar performing production, and we look forward to its return," says Marlon Davids, e.tv managing director, in a prepared statement. "We believe that with the lockdown still in place, our viewers will appreciate the fresh current affairs, lifestyle, and topical discussion content that will be on offer this coming week."

Yusuf Stevens, Cheeky Media managing director, in the statement says "Being home during the lockdown gave us a much-needed refresh and allowed us to strategise remotely as a team - we’ve never had this amount of time for pre-production".

"We naturally still have quite a bit of constraint in terms of producing and what we are allowed to do, but this won’t stop us from shaking things up within the confines of the rules. We cannot wait for you to see the 'new' Morning Show."

ALSO READ: Coronavirus: e.tv’s The Morning Show off-air, crew and presenters of the Cheeky Media produced show all axed over Covid-19 national shutdown.

DEVELOPING. SABC3's Real Talk cancelled, talk show off the schedule from March as the SABC takes a decision to cancel the weekday talker.

TVwithThinus has been told that the SABC has now taken a definite decision to cancel its weekday talk on SABC3, Real Talk with Azania, with Real Talk that will end at the end of February as repeat episodes are burnt off in the timeslot until March.

Real Talk with Azania is currently airing repeats.

The SABC responded to a media enquiry on Monday seeking clarity on whether Real Talk has now indeed been cancelled, with the SABC that said it will only be releasing a media statement on Tuesday.

For now Real Talk has been removed and no longer appears on SABC3's schedule from March.

Unconfirmed rumours somehow suddenly started swirling in September 2018 that Real Talk on SABC3 was cancelled, although the SABC has not taken any decision at that time to do so.

The SABC denied the rumours that the scandal-damaged Real Talk, produced by Cheeky Media, was cancelled and said that the public broadcaster's TV division was currently in its planning cycle and that no ideas around programming had been finalised.

Those plans are now however crystalising with Real Talk that after the end of February won't be continuing for the foreseeable future.

In September 2018 the SABC told parliament that it's working on yet another SABC3 reinvention and brand and demo target shift for the struggling channel and that SABC3 will reposition itself yet again in 2019 with a focus on "strengthening our talk".

Real Talk doesn't form part of that "strengthening our talk" plan.

Things turned sour for Real Talk with massive brand and reputational damage for the show and SABC3 in December 2017 in a "pay-for-play" scandal when the SABC broadcast two episodes on SABC3 in which then-host Anele Mdoda interviewed and fawned over the caustic and controversial former minister of social development, Bathabile Dlamini as well as her publicist Lumka Oliphant.

Unknown to viewers, undeclared to the audience and completely against SABC rules, the department paid and SABC took payment, without disclosing to viewers that they are watching paid for "talkomercials".

Taking payment from politicians for interviews, as well as taking payment for interviews without disclosing it to the public is against the SABC's own editorial policy. The SABC board got involved and met about the serious lapse that damaged the SABC's integrity.

Anele Mdoda abruptly quit Real Talk in June as viewership of the already low-rated show tanked further and later criticised the slow response to respond to it in public, with SABC3 and Cheeky Media that rebranded the show with the credible Azania Mosaka who took over in mid-June 2018 to see out the rest of the current season of Real Talk.

Neither Real Talk, Anele Mdoda or SABC3 ever directly addressed the controversial issue on air although a Real Talk producer said most brands pay to be on the show.


UPDATE Tuesday 29 January 2019 - 17:37:
The SABC now confirms what TVwithThinus reported on Monday, that Real Talk on SABC3 has been cancelled.

The SABC in a statement tells me: "The SABC would like to announce that SABC3's talk show programme Real Talk will not be returning for a 5th season, when the current episodes of Real Talk, which are repeat episodes conclude. The decision was taken following the new direction which the channel will be taking."

"The SABC would like to thank Cheeky Media for their hard work and dedication in delivering Real Talk to SABC3 audiences."

SABC denies rumours that scandal-damaged Real Talk on SABC3 is cancelled, says TV division is in a planning cycle and that no ideas around programming have been finalised.

The SABC on Saturday denied rumours that the scandal-riddled weekday talk show Real Talk on SABC3 is cancelled.

The SABC refuted the rumours that started on Friday on the same day that South Africa's broadcasting regulator held a public hearing in a case about the secret "paid-talk" controversy that earlier this year not just derailed and massively damaged the show but also inflicted reputational brand and credibility damage on the show and SABC3.

On Friday the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) held its hearing in a case brought by the SOS Coalition and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) after the SABC and Real Talk, produced by Cheeky Media, did secret and non-disclosed pay-for-play interviews earlier this year.

In December 2017 the SABC and Cheeky Media broadcast two episodes on SABC3 in which host Anele Mdoda interviewed and fawned over the caustic and controversial former minister of social development, Bathabile Dlamini as well as her publicist Lumka Oliphant for which the department paid and SABC took payment, without disclosing to viewers that they are watching paid for "talkomercials".

Taking payment from politicians for interviews, as well as taking payment for interviews without disclosing it to the public are against the SABC's own editorial policy. The SABC board got involved and met about the serious lapse that damaged the SABC's integrity.

Anele Mdoda abruptly quit Real Talk in June as viewership of the already low-rated show tanked further, with SABC3 and Cheeky Media that rebranded the show with the credible Azania Mosaka who took over in mid-June to see out the rest of the current season of Real Talk.

Neither Real Talk, Anele Mdoda or SABC3 ever directly addressed the controversial issue on air although a Real Talk producer said most brands pay to be on the show.

After the SABC admitted its mistake, the SOS Coalition and MMA lodged a complaint with the Complaints and Compliance Committee, in terms of section 17C of the Icasa Act of 2000, against the SABC as a violation of sponsorship regulations.

The public hearing on Friday gave rise to rumours later during the day on social media that Real Talk is cancelled.

Earlier in the week, in parliament Nomsa Philiso, the SABC's group executive for television, said that the struggling SABC3 channel will reposition itself yet again and will focus on "strengthening our talk".

Asked if Real Talk on SABC3 is cancelled, SABC spokesperson Neo Momodu in response to a media enquiry from TVwithThinus denied that Real Talk has been dumped and said that nothing about future programming on SABC3 or the SABC's other TV channels has been finalised.

"The SABC TV division is currently in its annual strategic review and planning cycle," said Neo Momodu.

"Whilst there may be a myriad of ideas and proposals on the table for all programming based on their current and future expected performance, to date nothing has been finalised. The strategies are currently undergoing internal approval processes".

Meanwhile SABC insiders and industry insiders - all with direct knowledge of how the SABC3 channel works - told TVwithThinus they have heard nothing and know nothing about a Real Talk cancellation.

Azania Mosaka taking over SABC3's weekday talk show, Real Talk, from Anele Mdoda; first guest will be Bonang Matheba.

Azania Mosaka is taking over as new presenter of SABC3's weekday talk show, Real Talk, replacing Anele Mdoda from Monday 18 June.

Anele Mdoda abruptly bailed on the talk show, produced by Cheeky Media, after her return to the show following a break earlier this year, during which Azania Mosaka was the sit-in replacement.

Cheeky Media has a contract until October with SABC3, with Anele Mdoda's exit that left producers scrambling to find a replacement.

Monday's first guest with Azania Mosaka as the new talk show host will be Bonang Matheba.

There's no explanation yet for why Anele Mdoda abruptly decided to jump ship after less than two years as SABC3 talk show host. Following a sudden break in April with Azania Mosaka who filled in, Anele Mdoda says Real Talk is no longer part of her "career ambitions".

The show's ratings however tanked following huge damage to both Real Talk and Anele Mdoda's credibility, trust and brands after January's scandal in which it was revealed that payment was made for people to appear on the show, essentially turning it into an infomercial - something that was never disclosed to viewers.

The secret pay-for-play happening on Real Talk breached the SABC's editorial policies and the South African public broadcaster apologised and said it will implement changes to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

The damage to the show's credibility under viewers was however done and also reflected negatively on Anele Mdoda, who said she wasn't aware of payments being made and was just an employee. Viewers immediately started to tune out.

Despite a later timeslot move since February to 18:00 on weekdays when a larger potential viewing audience is available, Real Talk's viewership tanked.

While Real Talk still pulled a low 441 795 viewers for its most watched episode in January to claim the 13th place on SABC3's Top 20 most watched list for that month, the sinking show completely dropped out of the Top 20 list in the months since.

Speaking about Azania Mosaka stepping in to replace Anele Mdoda, SABC3 channel head Aisha Mohamed says "we trust that her contribution and enthusiasm will add value to the SABC3 brand as well as take Real Talk to new heights".

Azania Mosaka says "programme managers have believed in me and I dared to do it and this challenge will be no different".

"By taking on this unexpected opportunity of hosting Real Talk, I aim to engage in conversations that encourage people to dream, motivating young girls and young women as we reinvigorating the audience while reminding them of their hopes and aspirations."

Yusuf Stevens, Cheeky Media managing director, says "Azania is joining an award-winning team and we are very excited about what she will be bringing. Having worked with her briefly before, we know that her humility, passion, empathy and grace will be well-received by our audience and we look forward to putting the 'real' back into Real Talk. Azania was born to be in front of the camera."

SABC3 executives blindsided as Anele Mdoda abruptly quits Real Talk mid-season after the weekday talk show sinks in the ratings.

SABC executives have been blindsided by Anele Mdoda who decided to abrupt quit SABC3's s Real Talk mid-season, leaving the producers of the weekday talk show that's sinking in the ratings scrambling to find a possible replacement by 11 June for the 5 months remaining on the contract.

Although Real Talk with Anele is supposed to remain on-air until October, Anele Mdoda's final live on-air appearance will be next Friday 8 June with producers Cheeky Media that has no replacement and left the broadcaster's programming executives reeling.

For now SABC3 says the channel continues to support Real Talk that will have to be renamed.

There's no explanation yet for why Anele Mdoda abruptly decided to jump ship after less than two years as SABC3 talk show host. Following a sudden break in April with Azania Mosaka who filled in, Anele Mdoda says Real Talk is no longer part of her "career ambitions".

The show's ratings however tanked following huge damage to both Real Talk and Anele Mdoda's credibility, trust and brands after January's scandal in which it was revealed that payment was made for people to appear on the show, essentially turning it into an infomercial - something that was never disclosed to viewers.

The secret pay-for-play happening on Real Talk breached the SABC's editorial policies and the South African public broadcaster apologised and said it will implement changes to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

The damage to the show's credibility under viewers was however done and also reflected negatively on Anele Mdoda, who said she wasn't aware of payments being made and was just an employee. Viewers immediately started to tune out.

Despite a later timeslot move since February to 18:00 on weekdays when a larger potential viewing audience is available, Real Talk's viewership tanked.

While Real Talk still pulled a low 441 795 viewers for its most watched episode in January to claim the 13th place on SABC3's Top 20 most watched list for that month, the sinking show completely dropped out of the Top 20 list in the months since.

In a statement Anele Mdoda says "I feel, for my own growth, it is time to leave the show and to focus on my career ambitions and prospects. I would like to thank SABC3, the viewers and everyone behind the show for the opportunity they afforded me through the show."

With barely a week to find a replacement and scrambling to find a new face, executive producers Janez Vermeiren and Yusuf Stevens say "we are excited to launch the new face of Real Talk which will officially be announced in the near future."

"Anele has been an integral part of the show and an ideal personality for brand SABC3," says SABC3 channel head Aisha Mohamed, who says the channel for now will continue to support the show.

e.tv dumps its breakfast show Sunrise after a decade, replaces it with the outsourced The Morning Show.

e.tv has dumped its struggling, long-running breakfast show Sunrise and its staffers after exactly a decade, and outsourced and replaced it with The Morning Show that started today.

Sunrise's on-air talent - the well-liked Penny Lebyane, Mark Haskins, Faith Mangope and news anchor Marc Chase - as well as the e.tv staffers who worked on the in-house show are gone.

They've been replaced by The Morning Show that is now produced by Cheeky Media, also responsible for Real Talk with Anele on SABC3 and that produced the second season of the advertiser-funded production (AFP) She's the One for e.tv in September 2015.

The Morning Show is now being presented by comedian Jason Goliath, Michaella Russell, Tumelo Mothotoane and Tino Chinyadi.

Interestingly Australian television's one breakfast show is called Sunrise as well, and the other one The Morning Show.

e.tv's breakfast show change is part of ongoing restructuring, firings and resignations at e.tv and its TV news channel eNCA (DStv 403), with a well-placed and longtime e.tv insider that described the environment inside e.tv as "toxic, depressing, sad and not human".

Another e.tv insider said that "morale is at an all time low and people are desperately searching for new jobs". 

Staffers were called and last week abruptly told by Marlon Davids, managing director of e.tv, in a meeting that Friday would be the last episode of Sunrise according to insiders with knowledge of what transpired.  

e.tv didn't respond with answers to questions put to the channel in a written media enquiry made multiple times last week asking about what is happening with Sunrise, where the presenters are and what is happening to them, with e.tv that doesn't want to talk about the axing of the show.

TVwithThinus reported in early March when word first leaked that e.tv is canning Sunrise as part of the channel's latest downsizing, when fear and anxiety gripped staffers who were told that they're facing retrenchment, including security personnel and cleaners.

Sunrise has been on-air since 1 April 2008 when it replaced Morning Edition, and which in turn replaced e.tv's first try at breakfast television, The Toasty Show.

Now Sunrise - that over the past few years with limited resources struggled to complete with SABC2's more newsy Morning Live and SABC3's more preppy Expresso - is gone after exactly 10 years after it cycled through several executive producers the past few years and with at least one in recent years who was asked to leave immediately and exited under a cloud after serving less than a year.

Ironically e.tv is outsourcing The Morning Show and doing the opposite of what the SABC tried and already discovered years ago wasn't working then. 

The SABC outsourced it's morning show, AM2Day that was produced by Urban Brew Studios, before cancelling it and starting the existing Morning Live that has been successfully running as in-house production, and South Africa's most watched morning show, ever since.

According to e.tv insiders who witnessed it, one of the Sunrise presenters who was allegedly not given proper written notice, came in anyway to e.tv's Hyde Park headquarters where the show is produced from, only to discover that access was removed from the person's tag with new security not wanting to let the person in.

After finally getting into the building the person was apparently told they won't be allowed on-air and allegedly made to sit in a corner of the newsroom, described by bystanders as a humiliating experience. e.tv was asked about this but didn't respond.

In a prepared statement e.tv issued Friday afternoon to select media, the channel said "e.tv viewers' mornings will be revamped and revitalised with The Morning Show making its premiere at 6:00" on Monday 7 May.

"We are confident our viewers will thoroughly enjoy waking up to The Morning Show," said Marlon Davids, in the statement.

According to Marlon Davids, The Morning Show "is a fresh, daily, live breakfast show bringing you news and views about South Africa, pan-Africa, and the world at large. Viewers will kick-start their day with a nutritional dose of current affairs, fitness, infotainment, cooking, comedy, sports, trends and much more."

Besides the brief statement there's been no pre-publicity for The Morning Show from e.tv before the show's launch today, with TV channels that usually invite media for set visits and do rounds of panel interviews with the press especially for shows that are broadcast more than one day a week, and are new, like The Morning Show that will be running every weekday.

Azania Mosaka sitting in for Anele Mdoda on SABC3's Real Talk weekday talk show for the rest of April.

Azania Mosaka will be sitting in for Anele Mdoda on SABC3's talk show Real Talk with Anele from Tuesday next week for the rest of the month until 30 April as Anele goes on holiday.

The weekday talker produced by Cheeky Media will replace Anele with Azania, who will be doing 12 episodes of Real Talk on SABC3 starting on Tuesday 17 April at 18:00.

Azania will be on the couch at the Steyn City studio in Fourways, Johannesburg until Thursday 26 April, with a pre-recorded episode with Anele that will be played out on Friday 27 April.

Anele will be back in studio for a live show of Real Talk with Anele on Monday 30 April. 

SABC3 says Anele will be taking time out from all her television, radio and MC'ing commitments "to get some much needed rest and time away from the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg with her family".

Anele Mdoda and Real Talk became embroiled in controversy in January this year when the show was plunged into scandal after revelations that the then minister of social development Bathabile Dlamini, paid thousands of rands for a 2-hour softball interview that was actually an infomercial.

It wasn't disclosed to viewers with the SABC that admitted that the payment was against SABC policy with the resultant brouhaha that inflicted reputational damage on the show and damaged Anele Mdoda's credibility.

BREAKING. SABC admits scandalous Bathabile Dlamini pay-for-play interview on Real Talk on SABC3 contravened its editorial code, Anele Mdoda and Cheeky Media 'acted based on SABC's instructions'.

The SABC on Friday admitted that the South African public broadcaster contravened its own editorial policy with a scandalous pay-for-play interview for a politician - the minister of social development Bathabile Dlamini - on Real Talk with Anele on SABC3 and said the lapses were due to its policy not being properly "integrated" at the broadcaster's entertainment division.

The SABC said it would no longer be invoicing the social development department for R149 000.

The SABC didn't specify who is being held accountable and who would be fired, suspended or receive disciplinary warnings.

The SABC did say that talk show host Anele Mdoda and the production company of Real Talk with Anele, Cheeky Media and the executive producers of the show Yusuf Stevens and Janez Vermeiren, "acted based on SABC's instructions".

The SABC in a statement confirmed that the SABC board had met over the growing scandal that has seriously damaged the SABC's credibility, and admitted that "the SABC did not comply with its own editorial policies on sponsorship of programmes, which requires that the sponsor's association with the programme has to be stated clearly, both before and after the programme".

"In this case, this was not done," the SABC said.

The SABC said that "the SABC does not charge for interviews, and this was a breach of organisational practice", and that "there has been a breakdown in internal controls and processes in this specific instance".

In order to ensure that this does not happen again, the SABC says that "as part of the current SABC editorial policy review, we will ensure that any grey areas with respect to sponsorship of programming are clarified and strengthened".

"Secondly the board news and editorial committee has instructed management to immediately look at strengthening upward referrals, and ensure that measures are taken that staff across different genres, including entertainment, are well-versed and compliant with editorial policies and Icasa regulations".

"Thirdly, management will inform GCIS that the SABC will not be invoicing for the R149 000, which was to be paid for the interview".

"The SABC takes full responsibility for these lapses and breaches in editorial control and wishes to communicate that the presenter and production company of Real Talk with Anele acted based on the SABC's instructions".

"The SABC is conducting an ongoing review to ensure that our policies are complied with across the organisation. We are committed to cooperating with regulatory and other bodies to ensure that we remain complaint," says the SABC.

"The SABC remains committed to restoring the integrity of the public broadcaster and all its services, and will continue to act where there are breaches".

The SABC says the "lapses" were "as a result of our editorial policies not being sufficiently integrated in our entertainment division and that the breaches were not intentional. As stated, we will ensure that standards are lifted across divisions".

"The SABC News and current affairs division was in no way involved in this matter. We assure the public that our news and current affairs division adheres to our policy of journalistic integrity and editorial independence".

ALSO READ: After pay-for-play scandal, here what Anele Mdoda needs to do right now to save her show.

SABC board has become involved and has been meeting over Bathabile Dlamini's scandalous pay-for-play Real Talk with Anele interview on SABC3.

The SABC board has now become involved and has met over the scandalous pay-for-play interview that the public broadcaster did with social development minister Bathabile Dlamini on the SABC3 talk show Real Talk with Anele and that took place because the minister paid for it.

Controversy is swirling around the SABC, Bathabile Dlamini, Real Talk with Anele and its production company Cheeky Media, as well as SABC3, after the South African public broadcaster confirmed that the minister's interviews were actually expensive paid-for "talkfomercials" from the social development department's budget.

That the interviews were paid content were never disclosed to viewers. Politicians should also not be paying for interviews - least of all on the SABC.

Both are a transgression of the SABC's own editorial policy as well as the broadcasting regulations set down by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) that acts as South Africa's broadcasting regulator.

The SABC's acting CEO Nomsa Philiso called Bathabile Dlamini's pay-for-play interview "not normal" and an internal investigation has started as to how it happened that hundreds of thousands of rand were paid to the SABC in return for a TV talk show puff-piece to profile the minister and her family in glowing terms.

The shocking incident that has once again damaged the SABC's credibility as well as that of the Real Talk with Anele show, making it difficult for audiences to know what of what they're watching are actually paid-for commercials disguised as editorial content and what is "real" editorial.

News expert Anton Harber wrote for The Daily Maverick on Friday saying the Bathabile Dlamini paid interview has destroyed "the public broadcaster's journalistic credibility, undermined its integrity, and compromised its professionalism".

"She has certainly destroyed the credibility of the SABC's Real Talk show and its presenter Anele Mdoda. Even if Mdoda was not instructed to go soft on Dlamini, who was after all a client rather than an interviewee, her credibility is blown".

The SABC is now reporting that the SABC board is aware of the issue and has been meeting to discuss it.

The SABC has not yet issued any official press statement about the growing scandal and neither has Real Talk with Anele.  

SABC3 referred all media enquiries about the Real Talk debacle to Kaizer Kganyago. 

Refilwe Moiloa at the production company Cheeky Media where Yusuf Stevens and Janez Vermeiren are the executive producers on Real Talk with Anele, when asked who can talk about the issue, on Thursday said it won't answer questions and also referred media enquiries to the SABC's Kaizer Kganyago.

Yusuf Stevens earlier told News24 that it is not uncommon for people to pay for exposure on Real Talk with Anele.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the SABC plans to issue an official response on Friday.

Real Talk with Anele, Cheeky Media, the SABC and SABC3 appear to be in breach of the SABC's own editorial policy that states that "where there is programme sponsorship, the sponsor's association with the programme has to be stated clearly, both before and after the programme".

They also appear to have contravened the SABC's editorial policy in terms of "information programming" that states that the SABC should "disclose all the essential facts and not suppress relevant, available facts".

Likewise infomercials and paid-for content in programmes on the SABC "must be labelled in such a way as to make clear that they are not programme material" the SABC's editorial policy states.

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party demands the SABC 'pay back the money' after minister Bathabile Dlamini's scandalous pay-for-play interview on Real Talk with Anele on SABC3.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party is demanding that the SABC "pay back the money as it is complicit in the corruption of the minister" after the scandalous pay-for-play revelation that the minister of social development Bathabile Dlamini paid thousands of rands to the broadcaster so that she could be interviewed on Real Talk with Anele on SABC3.

The shocking revelation on Wednesday that the SABC accepts money for a politician to be interviewed on its airwaves - and not even disclosing it - has inflicted massive further reputational and brand damage on the SABC's credibility as a public broadcaster.

The scandal is also doing damage to the image of talk show host Anele Mdoda, the production company Cheeky Media and the show's executive producers Yusuf Stevens and Janez Vermeiren, as well as SABC3.

So far there been no official statements from the SABC, Cheeky Media, SABC3 or Anele Mdoda, with Cheeky Media that referred media enquiries to the SABC, and the SABC that hasn't responded with answers to media enquiries made on Wednesday.

The report from Daily Maverick exposed a horrific lapse of SABC editorial control and safeguards, standards and ethics.

Real Talk with Anele, Cheeky Media and the SABC, are in breach of the SABC's own editorial policy that clearly states that "where there is programme sponsorship, the sponsor's association with the programme has to be stated clearly, both before and after the programme".

They are also in breach of the SABC's editorial policy in terms of "information programming" that states that the SABC should "disclose all the essential facts and not suppress relevant, available facts".

Likewise infomercials and paid-for content in programmes on the SABC "must be labelled in such a way as to make clear that they are not programme material" the SABC's editorial policy states.

"We call on the SABC board to immediately institute an investigation and all who are guilty must face prosecution," said the EFF in a statement on Thursday.

"In addition, we call on parliament to also take the necessary steps to discipline the minister of social development, Bathabile Dlamini."

"The EFF condemns the department of social development and SABC for exchanging R500 000 of taxpayers’ money for Bathabile Dlamini to talk about herself on the SABC3 programme Real Talk with Anele."

"This is consistent with how ministers in general have been paying Gupta Business Breakfast briefings on SABC for interviews. Here, not only have departments paid The New Age, also SABC has itself done so."

"The EFF rejects the justification that Bathabile Dlamini’s interview was an advert for the work she does in government."

"The 80% of the interview was about herself and the ANC Women's League. In essence, taxpayers’ money was used to profile Bathabile Dlamini and not government social development work."

The EFF statement comes after the Democratic Alliance (DA) political party that in a statement also said Bathabile Dlamini must pay back the R500 000 that "could have paid more than 300 social grants. It is shocking that the department had the audacity to supposedly use public money for an interview".

"It is mandated to serve the poor, needy and vulnerable within our society, it is not mandated to use taxpayers' money to make floundering ministers look good." The DA said it would submit a range of parliamentary questions to "get to the bottom of this likely abuse of taxpayers' money".

So far the SABC board has been silent over the scandal.

There's been no comment or statement from SABC board chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini.

The SABC board also has journalists serving on it in the form of Mathatha Tsedu and John Matisonn with neither who have said anything so far about the latest scandal rocking the South African public broadcaster's credibility.

In July 2017 the SABC interim board member Mathatha Tsedu (now a permanent SABC board member) addressed the SABC's damaged credibility problem in South Africa's parliament and said "every time there is a cycle of bad news around the SABC, the revenues from the SABC TV licences dip."

"How do you get credibility back into the products that the SABC produces? The credibility of the SABC is not just judged by how Muvhango's story line is going or how 7de Laan's story line is going. The major credibility point of the SABC is its news output."

PAID TALK WITH ANELE? As scandal engulfs Real Talk on SABC3 after the SABC takes money to interview a politician, here's what Anele Mdoda needs to do right now to try and save her show.

Plunged right into the middle of a pay-for-play scandal that has engulfed her talk show, Anele Mdoda has very little time as the face of Real Talk with Anele to try and limit not just the damage to her name and personal brand, but also the fall-out that has destroyed the credibility of the SABC3 talk show.

Here is what she needs to do right now:

Twelve years ago in January 2006, The Oprah Winfrey Show and talk show host Oprah Winfrey suddenly found herself in the middle of a crisis.

The book, A Million Little Pieces by author James Frey - supposedly biographical - and that Winfrey endorsed as a pick for her hugely popular Oprah's Book Club, was exposed as a fraud and fiction.

After Oprah Winfrey first told Larry King "it's much ado about nothing" she quickly changed and took to her own show to apologise to her viewers and for letting down her fans, saying to James Frey that "I feel duped. But more importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers".

Oprah showed her anger on TV at not knowing. Oprah admitted a mistake. Oprah apologised. And Oprah said never again with my show, and under my name.

By taking payment amounting to thousands of rand to interview Bathabile Dlamini as a politician and keeping it a secret to viewers without any kind of disclosure that the 2 hour-long episodes in December were actually "talkfomercials", Anele Mdoda, the SABC, SABC3, Real Talk and the Cheeky Media production company producing the show, have now all been exposed for something that's seriously damaging their integrity, image, and overall credibility and trust in their brands.

How will anyone, any viewer, ever again believe anyone, anything - any brand or product or service - that appear on Real Talk with Anele? And what about who and what had appeared on the show in the past and were promoted - did that happen because money exchanged hands?

Anele Mdoda - the face of the show that is called Real Talk with Anele and that carries her name - will have to act fast and do all the right things.

Anele Mdoda will have to go on her own show - as fast as possible and preferably on Thursday's episode on SABC3 - and address the issue head-on in a brutally honest and forthright way. Anything less will permanently damage her, the show and its ongoing presence on the SABC3 schedule.

Anele Mdoda needs to be truthful, she needs to speak from the heart, she needs to come across as sincere, remorseful, needs to explain what she knew or didn't knew, what she was part of or not part of, and how what happened, happened.

Above all she needs to apologise and promise that nothing like this will happen ever again as long as she sits under the SteynCity arch.

So far there's been no official statement from Anele Mdoda or Cheeky Media.

It doesn't feel as if there's any crisis communication happening around the shocking pay-for-play expose and the longer it goes without explanations and apologies, the more harm is being inflicted.

Capacity Relations that repped Real Talk with Anele told TVwithThinus that the SABC took over the PR of the show late last year. Where is the SABC's and SABC3 statement about what happened and the show?

It's absolutely crucial that Real Talk and the SABC is seen being open - and talking - about its own talk show.

People can forgive, but not in the absence of a face that looks sorry. People, after they've been disappointed, can show compassion - but only when they are apologised to for having been deliberately misled and purposefully kept in the dark.

And people can learn to love again, to embrace again, when they've been dumped. That however requires honestly, openness and a contrite mea culpa - an acknowledgement of having done wrong.

If Anele Mdoda, Cheeky Media, Real Talk and SABC3 value their brands - and of course they do - nothing but a brutally honest apology will do.

Just like Oprah, a full disclosure, an explanation, and those two little very big words -"I'm sorry" - is of the utmost importance if Real Talk with Anele and Anele Mdoda has any chance of being taken seriously in the future.

PAY FOR PLAY. Horrific lapse of SABC's editorial policy as broadcaster admits payment for Real Talk with Anele Mdoda on SABC3 to do a 2 hour interview with minister Bathabile Mdoda.

A shocking pay for play scandal has engulfed talk show host Anele Mdoda, her talk show Real Talk with Anele produced by Cheeky Media, the SABC and SABC3; as well as the minister of social development Bathabile Dlamini, following revelations that the government department she is supposed to run, paid thousands of rand for Bathabile Dlamini to be interviewed for two hour long episodes on the SABC.

The report from Daily Maverick exposed a horrific lapse of SABC editorial control and safeguards, standards and ethics, as well as at the production company and talk show host whose face and name is the brand of the show.


ALSO READ: After pay-for-play scandal, here what Anele Mdoda needs to do right now to save her show.


Neither Real Talk with Anele, nor the SABC or SABC3 ever told viewers that the 2 hour softball interview broadcast in December - and repeated - is paid-for content and essentially a talkfomercial instead of an honest and legitimate interview.

The shocking revelations are destroying the credibility and inflicting seriously reputational damage on the image, credibility and brands of Anele Mdoda, the SABC, its SABC3 channel, as well as the Cheeky Media production company.

Viewers no longer know what exactly, and to what degree they can trust Real Talk with Anele or anything - or anyone - that appears on that show.

Lumka Oliphant, publicist for Bathabile Dlamini who also appeared on Real Talk with Anele during the paid-for interviews, told the Daily Maverick that the department is allowed to pay for interviews with the press with public funds supposed to help the old, frail and poor, for Bathabile Dlamini to get media exposure.

Lumka Oliphant initially denied the claim of a R500 000 payment for Bathabile Dlamini to be interviewed on Real Talk with Anele and said "The  reports, which are completely untrue, are a display of gutter journalism to destroy anyone who dares to give a different narrative on minister Bathabile Dlamini."

TVwithThinus made a media enquiry on Wednesday to the SABC regarding the payment of R500 000 by a politician to be interviewed for 2 hours on the South African public broadcaster without the fact being disclosed and told to viewers.

The SABC was also asked for comment about the show in light of what the SABC's editorial policy says and the stipulations of the broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).

When the SABC responds with answers to the media enquiry, this report will update with it.

Real Talk with Anele and Cheeky Media, and the SABC, are in breach of the SABC's own editorial policy that clearly states that "where there is programme sponsorship, the sponsor's association with the programme has to be stated clearly, both before and after the programme".

They are also in breach of the SABC's editorial policy in terms of "information programming" that states that the SABC should "disclose all the essential facts and not suppress relevant, available facts".

Likewise infomercials and paid-for content in programmes on the SABC "must be labelled in such a way as to make clear that they are not programme material" the SABC's editorial policy states.

Meanwhile the SABC acting CEO Nomsa Philiso admitted that payment took place for a politician to be interviewed on the SABC and told News24 that it was "not normal" for the SABC to sell interviews, saying "there was payment, from what my team tells me".

Yusuf Stevens and Janez Vermeiren are both listed and carry executive producer credits on Real Talk with Anele.

Yusuf Stevens, Real Talk with Anele executive producer, told News24 that it is not uncommon for people to pay for exposure on Real Talk with Anele and that reportedly "mostly brands pay to be on the show".

Yusuf Stevens said that it is handled by the SABC’s sales representatives who also determine the rate. "We still control the interview, do the research and make it interesting to the viewers. Nobody interferes with our scriptwriting or research process."

Yusuf Stevens has so far not said why Cheeky Media and SABC3 didn't disclose to viewers and told them that Anele Mdoda did paid-for interviews and that viewers are watching a paid-for 2 hours.

Also not explained yet is what other episodes and segments are actually promotional, paid-for content, and how payment impacts how brands, people and services are being featured on Real Talk with Anele or not.

Refilwe Moiloa at Cheeky Media in response to a media enquiry asking who is speaking on behalf of the show and who can answer questions pertaining to what happened and how it happened, said Cheeky Media won't be talking and referred all media enquiries to SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago.

Anele Mdoda whose name is carried on Real Talk with Anele and who is the face and brand of the show claimed that she knew nothing of the R500 000 payment and that "it is commissioned by the SABC. I am the presenter. I have nothing to do with them".

"For them to insinuate I took money [to do the interview] is ludicrous. I have no dealings with what happens with the Department of Social Development or the SABC. I get a directive of who they would like on the show and that is who we research."

Anele Mdoda also lashed out at the Daily Maverick, using her social media account on Twitter to slam the report, saying "Understanding how TV works would be the first step here. Keep my name out your damn rubbish".

The Democratic Alliance (DA) political party in a statement said Bathabile Dlamini must pay back the R500 000 that "could have paid more than 300 social grants. It is shocking that the department had the audacity to supposedly use public money for an interview".

"It is mandated to serve the poor, needy and vulnerable within our society, it is not mandated to use taxpayers' money to make floundering ministers look good." The DA said it would submit a range of parliamentary questions to "get to the bottom of this likely abuse of taxpayers' money".