7de Laan actor David Rees 'bravely battling on in ICU' after return to hospital following lung infection.

by Thinus Ferreira

The 7de Laan actor David Rees is back in hospital just a week after he was released, following another setback after a heart operation.

His spokesperson Corlia Strauss says David Rees is "bravely battling on in ICU" - back in an intensive care unit at hospital after his quadruple heart surgery and this time due to a lung infection and an irregular heartbeat.

"David Rees remains in ICU, persistently battling towards recovery. The road has been arduous and David is keenly anticipating his return home," she says.

The actor, known for his role as Chris Welman in the SABC2 soap 7de Laan and Niek Naude in M-Net's Egoli, suffered a heart attack on 30 July and underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery a week later on 7 August.

It's unlikely that he'll be back to film 7de Laan's final episodes, with the cancelled long-running soap which is currently filming the last of its episodes and will shutter on 24 October at Sasani Studios. The final episode will air on SABC2 on the day after Christmas on 26 December.

The actor doesn't have a medical aid. 

His sister Monique Buttle created a "David Rees Medical Expenses" page on BackaBuddy that has reached a total of close to R90 000 to help pay for his massive medical expenses.

"David's journey to full recovery is still underway, making the need for financial assistance more critical than ever," Corlia says. "Each donation, no matter the amount, is a precious act of kindness with profound significance."

David Rees leaving SABC2's 'boring' 7de Laan where the actor whose character is being written out, says he fell asleep on set.

The actor David Rees is leaving the SABC2 soap 7de Laan that he describes as so “boring” that he fell asleep on set but says this time he wasn’t fired which is what happened when he left the soap Egoli on M-Net (DStv 101) where he played the character of Niek Naudé.

The SABC2 soap produced by Danie Odendaal Productions confirmed that David Rees is leaving the show after two years, saying “David was a valuable part of 7de Laan over the past two years and his contribution is highly appreciated.” The actor who wasn’t on a full-time contract won’t be part of the new upcoming season’s production but it’s not yet clear why he is leaving the show.

David Rees who turned 50 in February is still filming 7de Laan scenes until 31 July and his property developer Chris Welman character will make his on-screen exit in the weekday soap on 19 October.

On Sunday David Rees told the Afrikaans newspaper Rapport that it suits him perfectly to leave 7de Laan since he sometimes fell asleep on the 7de Laan set because of the boring soap. 

David Rees however noted that he wasn’t fired from the TV show this time, which was the case when he left the Franz Marx produced Egoli on M-Net, saying “This time I’m not fired like years ago at Egoli when I played Niek Naude and caused trouble”. He told Rapport “I’m not fired. I’ve just been written out of the storyline.”

David Rees revealed that on the 7de Laan set “I sometimes fell asleep during scenes simply because I was bored. I’ve never been just an actor. I’ve always done other stuff as well”.

He’s now going to work for a company specialising in using blockchain technology to finance various projects and is getting married on 21 December to the accountant Lina Pentz.

The Welman family made their appearance in the fictional Hillside community in June 2016 when Chris and his wife Mariaan (Deirdre Wolhunter) who is currently in jail, returned to South African with their three adult children, Rikus (André Lotter), Alexa (Carina Nel) and Amorey (Kristen Raath). 

In May 2016 David Rees told the Huisgenoot magazine that “I really, really wanted this role. I was so happy when I got it”.

SABC2 soap 7de Laan adds new Afrikaans family, the Welmans, with soap alums David Rees, Deirdre Wolhunter, Carina Nel and André Lotter.

SABC2's Afrikaans weekday soap, 7de Laan, is adding a new Afrikaans family, the Welmans, all hiding secrets with the new family that will be introduced from June.

The Welmans are portrayed by several well-known soap alums, including David Rees of M-Net's Egoli fame as patriarch Chris Welman, Deirdre Wolhunter as matriarch Mariaan Welman, former SABC1 Generations star Carina Nel as older sister Alexa, kykNET Villa Rosa's André Lotter as son Rikus and newcomer Kristen Raath as youngest daughter Amorey Welman.  

The Welmans in a sense returns 7de Laan to its origin-story, when the extended Terreblanche family with Madel, Jan-Hendrik, Tiaan and others held sway in the Hillside community. 

The Welmans who've lived in Hillside years ago, relocated to the Eastern Cape, after which they emigrated overseas and is now returning to South Africa with Chris Welman looking to expand his work as a property developer.

"As a family the Welmans appear to be as close to perfect as perfect comes," says the Danie Odendaal Productions show in a statement announcing the new family and cast addition.

"But peak through the front door, listen in from the kitchen and maybe you will find there's so much more to this bunch than meets the eye."

Programming note: Egoli looks back to 1992 with David Rees and Deon Coetzee.

In today's first commemorative episode of Egoli at 18:30 on M-Net David Rees and Deon Coetzee will look back at 1992 when the soapie started and the story that played out during the first year that Egoli was on the air.

Did you know . . . that Egoli was first offered to the SABC, but that M-Net was eventually the broadcaster that snapped it up.

BREAKING. End of an era - It's a wrap for Egoli!

You're reading it here first. Moments ago it was the final curtain call for Egoli, South Africa's first and longest running daily soap on television, created for M-Net by Franz Marx.

The final scene of the final episode was filmed late today at studio 5 at Sasani Studios, and I just got off the phone with my sources on set.

They're recounting the dramatic and final moments of the TV production that started 18 years ago and changed the landscape of South African television:

As the final scene for today was filmed at Sasani Studios, bringing Egoli to an end after almost two decades on the air, cast and crew packed around the sides to witness the final scene. Emotions were running high. People were already crying. Tear were flowing. And then . . . the end.

According to sources there were tears and hugs as everyone embraced each other for whom the set - over the course of 18 years - have become home. Then, spontaneous applause erupted, lifted by shouts and cheers of joy.

Many of the long time cast members filmed their final scenes today. M-Net is keeping the final episode tightly under wraps, but there was definitely a scene with Christine Basson (Nora) together with David Rees (Niek) and Tiffany Kelly (Sonet). Another scene had Hennie Smit (Bertie) and another one was between Michelle Beling (Candy) and Mandi du Plooy (Lara).

A wrap party afterwards had mini hamburgers and drinks and even drapery from the sets.

The set - one insider referred to it as ''a place of gold over the years'' - will now make way for something else. The individual sets will be dismantled, except for parts that might be kept for the Egoli movie filmed next year.

I also just got off the phone with Helen Smit, M-Net's head of local productions, who told me this:

''Egoli was a huge trailblazer for local soapies in the country. It was the first, daily one for South Africa. It absolutely set the benchmark of what is expected of a daily TV story. Every single person who has been a part of Egoli over these years can be proud about this TV production and the legacy for the whole TV industry that Egoli is leaving.''