Coenie de Villiers leaving Kwêla on kykNET as presenter after 15 years; will front a new documentary series on the channel from April.

Coenie de Villiers is leaving Kwêla on kykNET (DStv 144) as the latest in a string of familiar faces on the Afrikaans pay-TV channel on MultiChoice's DStv viewers will be seeing less of.

Major production changes behind the scenes at kykNET is currently reshaping what and who viewers will be seeing from April and through the rest of the year on the channel.

Following the cancellation of kykNET's breakfast show Dagbreek, the cancellation of kykNET's long running soap Villa Rosa, the culling of its recently introduced late night time slot strand which is being reduced, and shows like Robinson Regstreeks switching production companies, Coenie De Villiers is now leaving Kwêla after 15 years this year.

Coenie de Villiers stayed on for another year when Kwêla suddenly switched production companies at the end of March 2014 from Pieter Cilliers Produksies in Johannesburg to Home Brew Films in Cape Town, but is now leaving.

With Coenie de Villiers exiting as the mainstay presenter on the leather couch of the weekly Afrikaans magazine show he fronted for a decade and a half, kykNET says he "made the difficult decision to hand over the Kwêla reigns to a new presenter, which he will assist in choosing along with the Kwêla team".

He will however still be seen on the channel in the future, producing and presenting a new documentary series 'n Ander Wêreld starting on 12 April at 20:00.

In this documentary series he will visit fishermen, long haul truck drivers, cage fighters, drag queens, the homeless and "bergies" and emergency workers, profiling people in jobs and situations rarely seen before.

Coenie de Villiers is also involved in the producing of a documentary music programme entitled Vat die Rap, which will be shown on kykNET Musiek (DStv 146) on 25 March.

According to kykNET the date of Coenie de Villiers' final Kwêla episode has not yet been established and he "will continue as the presenter until a suitable replacement has been identified".

Kwêla on kykNET carries on, keeps host Coenie de Villiers and the set, as magazine show does a track change with Homebrew Films taking over.

Kwêla, the weekly Afrikaans entertainment magazine on Wednesdays at 19:30 on kykNET (DStv 144) is on air since the beginning of this month now being produced by Homebrew Films from Cape Town - following the shocking backstage wrangling at the end of 2013 which saw Pieter Cilliers Produksies (PCP) and kykNET end their longrunning contractual relationship of the show.

kykNET and Homebrew Films wisely worked together on a seamless as possible production transition for Kwêla.

They managed to keep Coenie de Villiers as the host as well as the set for now until a possible scenic change later in 2014. The Kwêla theme music and opening logo also remain in tact for now - as well as the overall look, feel and tonality of the magazine show.

Jaco Loubser is now executive producer; Erica Greeff is director.

The various Kwêla field presenters had to be jettisoned during the production company switch, with presenters Shemane Harris, Suzaan Steyn, Pieter Koen, Susan Booyens and Mandi du Plooy who are now gone.

In as new Kwêla faces are Therese Benade who is also now a content producer on the show and who was a field presenter for half a decade on Kwêla before (and is leaving behind her long running soap role in kykNET's Villa Rosa as vixen Astrid).

She is moving to Cape Town at the end of this month. She previously worked for Homebrew Films which produced the reality competition show Saktyd for kykNET in 2012 which was looking to find a new media worker for the Huisgenoot magazine.

André Weideman from Cape Town who did voice work for SABC2's Pasella, TV presenting for kykNET's car show La't Wiel and had a comedy role in kykNET's Parys Parys is another new on-air field presenter.

Johnny Davids from Cape Town who presented for the Afrikaans magazine show Kollig on sister channel kykNET & Kie (DStv 145), a show also produced by Homebrew Films, left that show to now do Kwêla.

Kwêla - no CNBC Africa - snags the first live studio sit-down interview with South Africa's Olympic gold swimmer Cameron van der Burgh.

NOT CORRECT ANYMORE! SEE MY UPDATE BELOW.

Kwêla on kykNET (DStv 111) has secured the first live studio sit-down interview with Olympic swimmer Cameron van der Burgh; it will take place in this Wednesday evening's show at 19:30, the Pieter Cilliers production tells me.

Cameron van der Burgh will talk to Coenie de Villiers in studio about winning South Africa's first gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. 

The South African Olympic swimming team landed back in South Africa in Thursday last week.

UPDATE 11:37 - Kwêla was fast, but not fast enough. The booking wars for guests remain ruthless. I just got today's schedule from CNBC Africa (DStv 410) and Cameron van der Burgh will actually be appearing on the business channel today (Monday) in a live studio sit-down TV interview. This will then be actually the swimmer's first since his return to South Africa.

BREAKING. Funny Joost TV apology moment doing the rounds as a comic strip.

You're seeing it here first. Well, maybe. It could already be in your inbox.

I got this in today, which means Joost van der Westhuizen has gonna totally internet viral. It's a little joke from his firt TV interview this past Wednesday on kykNET's Kwêla with host Coenie de Villiers.
First a disclaimer. These are not my screengrabs. Mine (elsewhere on this blog of mine). I'm not aware of who the author and creator is, so i can't give a copyright mention. It popped up in my email and it's being sent around to many people.

Just click on it below, and it will open bigger.

Enjoy.

BREAKING. Joost van der Westhuizen: 'All I can do is to say I'm sorry'. More quotes from his dramatic live interview

You're reading it here first. Here's some more quotes from Joost van der Westhuizen from his live and exclusive TV interview earlier tonight on Kwêla on kykNET (DStv 111). Kwêla got Joost first after his admission this past Sunday for what is surely the TV interview SCOOP OF THE YEAR.
Here is more of what Joost had to say in the  wide-ranging interview with Coenie de Villiers:

on when people now stop him in the street:
'All I can do is to look people in the eye and say I'm sorry.'

on how he felt when the story broke and he saw the video and knew it was him:
'Fear. Shock. Fear. From ''This can't be happening!'' You know you're going to lose your wife . . . you're going to lose your kids. This mess I've gotten myself into was my own fault, but it was three and a half years ago, not eight months ago - but now I can't tell people that. I drank a lot, I partied a lot. I told a lot of lies. You've conned a lot of people. You got involved with the wrong things like the drugs and then it comes back and bites you in the behind.'

on his wife Amor's interview on Kwêla a few months ago, defending him, when he haven't told her the truth yet:
'I have the utmost respect for my wife. When she sat here, she didn't know it was all lies.'

on Mike Bolhuis, the private investigator Joost hired to help him with the cover-up and is now making all kinds of allegations as well:
'I don't blame Mike Bolhuis. I went to Mike Bolhuis. Yes, we walked together. I'm not going to get entangled with Mike Bolhuis in the media. When I walk away here today, I close my chapter. There is nothing I can do at the past. There's a lot I can do in the future.'

on Charmaine Weavers (Gale), who just admitted to also having had an affair with Joost today:
'If I have to go back in my life . . . there's many things. The video was the thing that created the upheaval. If I now have to go back and apologize for every little thing I'm going to be sitting here for a very long time. If I deny it, they bring out a lot more girls. No matter what I say, it will be in the papers tomorrow.'

on Marilize van Emmenis, the girl in the sex video with him:
'No [I've never had contact with her again]. I'm asking people to forgive me. And I also have to forgive other people. Just like my situation they know they've made mistakes. Just as I was a bad guy, they were bad guys. I'm not angry. I should never have gotten myself into that situation in the first place. That's why I'm sitting here tonight - to rectify my situation.'

BREAKING. Joost van der Westhuizen's exclusive, first and LIVE TV interview. I know when and where it's happening!

You're reading it here first. After his shocking revelation on Sunday that it was indeed him in the sex video taking drugs that surfaced in February, Joost van der Westhuizen is getting ready for his first exclusive and live TV interview.

Joost will talk to Coenie de Villiers on Wednesday night at 20:00 on Kwêla on kykNET (DStv 111). Kwêla has snagged the first and exclusive and live interview with Joost in which he will be pouring out his heart to the nation on national television in what promises to be THE MOST DRAMATIC LIVE TV MOMENT OF THE YEAR!

Yesterday afternoon I spoke to Pieter Cilliers, producer of Kwêla.

The interview is for Joost to talk about his new book, but it's an interview in which Joost set no conditions (celebrity interviews often set guidelines for topics and subjects that are off limits and not to be discussed).

''It will be a NO HOLDS BARRED INTERVIEW,'' Pieter told me.

''The Joost camp made no demands. Joost is willing to do the TV interview without any limitations being set on what he can and cannot be asked about.''

''Kwêla doesn't sky away from issues and people and subjects, but we give people the opportunity to tell their side of the story. It's visible in the sheer amount of people who have chosen us when they want to talk. In Joost's case I think that is why we're again first with this exclusive interview.''

Kwêla has tried for several months to secure an interview with Joost.

''Joost is now here, on Wednesday night, in the studio and he will be pouring his heart out. On television he will get the chance to say whatever he wants to say to South Africa. Kwêla is a safe space for him to do that. It's a live TV interview, so it's not something that we can or will ever manipulate. The interview will go wherever the interview goes.''

''Even if it's sensitive topics, Coenie de Villiers always make studio guests feel at ease and safe to be just themselves and to open their hearts.''