Riveting new SABC3 series, The Docket, from Clive Morris Productions, sees Hlubi Mboya lead the crime-busting Ravens.

Hlubi Mboya is bursting back on television tonight in the new local drama series, The Docket, on SABC3 at 21:30 in which the actress known for her iconic role as Nandipha in Isidingo, leads an elite, fictional crime-fighting unit called The Ravens as the only woman in a high-stakes, high-adrenalin team.

The 13-episode series from Clive Morris Productions, created by the veteran uber-producer Helen Smit, revolves around Colonel Ntsiki Motshe (Hlubi Mboya), leading a fictional South African high-profile crime fighting unit, trying to solve cases CSI-style that are loosely inspired by real-life, high-profile South African crime stories.

While the squad members have been chosen for their outstanding investigation skills, they’re also battling the glare of the media eye, with Motshe who has to try and deflect, answer and come up with quotes while everything happening behind-the-scenes is often very different from what is being presented to the media.

Tonight’s first episode is loosely inspired by the shock-hijacking and murder of the reggae star Lucky Dube in 2007 that made international headlines, with Sean Robert Daniels as head writer of the series. 

The series and first episode starts a year after the formation of The Ravens, and they’re investigating the case of famous musician Kgosi who is murdered.

Besides the stress of the work, the harrowing cases and crime-solving that veer into unexpected territory and resulting in unbelievable plot twists, gender dynamics also come to the front since Hlubi Mboya’s character is the only woman in a male-dominated team – where she is also the boss.

Part of the team are Colonel Marlon van Wyk (Duncan Johnson), Brigadier Funani Twala (Seputla Sebogodi), detective Terry Jahib (Ashish Gangapersad) and detective Neil Hall (Brendon Engelbrecht). 

Can The Ravens catch the perpetrators of crime without causing PR nightmares? Can South Africans from literally all walks of life, flung together under dangerous circumstances, work together to solve sensitive crime cases?

Cases in The Docket range from a farm attach to campus rape, a possible cannibal chef, a named business man run over in the street, an “alien abduction”, an old man abducted from a nursing home, fossil theft, a judge murdered in a hotel room and bank robberies.

Throughout the first season and beyond the case of the week, there is also an overall mystery The Ravens are trying to solve – the Endless: an enigmatic serial killer that even start to threaten the team members of The Ravens as they keep getting closer and closer to possibly unmasking and catching him.

MTV on DStv wants to lift viewership with a schedule more tightly focused on the needs of the South African audience.

MTV (DStv 130) wants to lift viewership of the channel on MultiChoice's DStv platform with a schedule more tightly focused on the needs of the South Africa audience.

With its emphasis now as being a general entertainment TV channel with a focus on reality, drama, docudrama and factual content, MTV says the channel has key programming coming up on MTV over the next 6 months which include genre-defining viewership winners "perfectly tailored for MTV's youth audience".

"Over the past decade, MTV has evolved from a music channel to one more focused on the broad spectrum of youth entertainment - driven by the phenomenal growth and enormous popularity of series such as Jersey Shore, My Super Sweet Sixteen, Pun'k and Beavis & Butthead," says Helen Smit, director of programming for MTV Africa.

"By combining this high-quality programming with a schedule more tightly focused on the needs of the South African audience, we expect to drive viewership and repeat viewing of the channel," says Helen Smit.

MTV will be offering viewers over the course of the next 6 months Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life (starting on 14 May), the third season of Teen Mom (April), the second season of Snooki & Jwoww (May), the fourth season of Geordie Shore, the third season of Ridiculousness (June) and Washington Heights (July).

The comedy drama Awkward will start its third season on MTV with Ashley Rickards as the gawky teen Jenna Hamilton in September.

The docudrama Catfish will start its second season on MTV in October with presenters Nev Schulman and Max Joseph.

MTV will broadcast the MTV Video Music Awards 2013 on 25 August and the MTV Europe Music Awards 2013 in November.

BREAKING. Helen Smit returns to South Africa as programming director for MTV Networks Africa; will oversee MTV, MTV Base and VH1.

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Guess who's back? There are TV executives and then there are brilliant TV executives. Helen Smit is one of the latter and now she's returning to South Africa to spearhead the music programming offering of MTV Networks Africa as the new programming director for music for MTVNA.

The highly accomplished, much-liked, extremely successful and sought-after Helen Smit is switching Abu Dhai for Johannesburg and will be heading up and driving the programming strategy for MTV's TV channels in Africa which include MTV (DStv 321), MTV Base (DStv 322) and VH1 (DStv 323). Helen Smit will now be responsible for content scheduling, programme acquisition, research and planning for these channels.

Helen Smit left M-Net in July 2010 where she was the head of local productions to become the deputy director of programming for the Baynounah Media Group in Abu Dhabi. She was in charge of the English language service of the TV station targeted at expatriates in the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf region.

Her resignation in mid-2010 came as a huge blow for M-Net where she worked as a commissioning editor since 2000 and went on to become general manager for KTV, launched the GO channel (now Vuzu) and eventually became the figure head for the pay broadcaster's local content offering.

Now the Rhodes University alum known for her very involved and hands-on management style is back and she will in all likelihood create magic for MTV with her acute sense for TV programming, her knack for show development and programme tinkering and her phenomenal cross-platform, multi-discipline intuitive approach to making television. Helen Smit is very well regarded for her insight into youth media consumption.

''We are delighted to welcome Helen Smit into the fold at MTV Networks Africa,'' says Alex Okosi, the senior vice president and managing director of MTV Networks Africa. ''Her insights into youth media consumption habits and expertise in scheduling across multiple platforms will be a valuable addition to the business as we continue to expand our African TV and content multiplex.''

No replacement yet at M-Net after the ''brilliant and incredible'' Helen Smit left the pay broadcaster as head of local productions.

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Like Sex and the City 2, M-Net's head of local productions, Helen Smit left the Randburg building after a decade heading for a Middle Eastern desert oasis - leaving M-Net with a big hole and industry insiders wondering: who will succeed her as the new head of local productions at the pay broadcaster . . . if anyone?

Will M-Net make a new appointment to replace Helen Smit who left for greener pastures in Abu Dhabi, according to sources, or will her pivotal position go unfilled? M-Net didn't exactly keep the news about Helen Smit's departure quiet or under wraps, but didn't exactly advertise it to the press either who's all still in the dark about the position actually being vacant since the end of May. Helen Smit's sudden and unexpected resignation from the highly influential and highly coveted position as head of local productions at M-Net wasn't followed by the big hoo-haa and fanfare M-Net made when her predecessor, Carl Fischer – then called the head of original productions - stepped down in March 2009 after also spending a decade at M-Net just like Helen Smit. ''If this was America, Helen Smit would actually have been running a network by now,'' a veteran TV executive at a rival broadcaster told me, who spoke of her with grudging, yet big respect and only had nice things to say about the woman who started her television career at the SABC's TV news desk in the early eighties.

The jovial, globally well traveled and ever energetic Helen Smit, previously the general manager of KTV and youth channel GO (before it was relaunched as Vuzu on DStv in July last year) took over from Carl Fischer just over a year and a half ago in the newly minted position as ''head of local productions''. She's widely regarded as one of the most influential women within the South African television industry and several producers who's worked with her in the past described her to me as ''brilliant'', someone ''with a wonderful sense of humour'', and ''someone . . . all-round so wonderfully passionate about her work and TV''.

Helen Smit joined M-Net in 2000 as a commissioning editor and rose up the ranks at M-Net bringing dedication and an immense passion for television to her work. Besides being extremely well connected in the industry, well read and with a wide understanding and perspective on the back-end mechanics of making television, Helen Smit truly loves the medium. Over the past decade she's shown a knack for knowing what especially the youth audience is and what they want to watch, eventually residing and making pivotal choices regarding local TV content on a myriad of M-Net channels during a time in which the pay broadcaster is producing more local programmes than ever before in its pay TV history. Stars like All Access' Jason Greer got the chance to shine on television and show what he can really do when she cast him as the presenter of the GO reality show The Loot.

For more on Helen Smit and what industry insiders are saying about her, click on READ MORE below.

BREAKING. M-Net on Idols' massive audition turnout: ''Today's huge numbers just prove what a winning recipe Idols still is.''

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I've told you earlier today RIGHT HERE about the masses of people descending on Cape Town as the nationwide Idols auditions kicked off in Cape Town and also RIGHT HERE how contestants are still being registered and seen by the producers even thought it's almost 12 hours later since auditions opened this morning at 08:00.

Now I can bring you M-Net's reaction before anyone else after the pay broadcaster has been completely overwhelmed by the Idols response so far today. To put this into perspective: it's still ongoing, and so far today 1 400 contestants have registered in Cape Town. That is more than double the number who registered last year in Cape Town (690), and almost half of the total number of registrations for the previous fifth season of Idols.

''Today's huge numbers just prove again what a winning recipe Idols still is,” said M-Net's head of local content, Helen Smit. ''Trends in the past have shown that numbers tend to decrease season by season, but if this is an indication of the turnout we can expect in the other regions, it looks like season six might be the biggest South African Idols ever.''

BREAKING. M-Net, Endemol SA ''deeply saddened'' about death of Survivor SA Santa Carolina art department coordinator Peter Jones.

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I just received word from M-Net regarding the news that Peter Jones, art department coordinator in Survivor SA Santa Carolina died while the show was being filmed in Mozambique.

''The staff and management of M-Net and Endemol South Africa are deeply saddened to confirm that Survivor SA crew member Peter Jones passed away on Thursday, 10 December 2009, in Johannesburg,'' says Helen Smit, M-Net's head of local productions.

Peter ''Shot'' Jones who has worked in the local TV industry for many years, died one day after filming on Survivor SA Santa Carolina wrapped on 9 December.

''M-Net and Endemol South Africa have offered our assistance and support to both his family and to the entire Survivor South Africa team and will continue to do so as they come to terms with their loss.''

On the evening of Tuesday, 1 December 2009, Peter Jones, who was employed as art department coordinator by the producers of Survivor SA, Endemol South Africa, was injured in a road accident. It occurred en route from the series location to their place of accommodation.

''The doctor and medics working on the production were immediately called to the scene of the accident, from where they air-lifted Peter to a private hospital in Johannesburg where he was admitted to the ICU. M-Net and Endemol South Africa would like to take this opportunity to honour Peter for his commitment and his dedication in offering his talent, his passion and his support to this project.''

BREAKING. Liezel van der Westhuizen's new TV gig.

You're reading and seeing it here first. Idols presenter Liezel van der Westhuizen is heading back to television with Soundcheck Live, M-Net's new interactive and live music show. Her co-presenter is Bongani Nxumalo.

Soundcheck Live starts on Wednesday, 2 December at 17:00. Soundcheck Live is an hour long, live music request show and will give viewers the opportunity to request music videos from a selection of the best local and international songs.

''The versatility of the show is great,'' says Helen Smit, M-Net's head of local productions. ''Soundcheck Live will have something for everyone, as we draw from a wide variety of music from all over the world and showcase the best local talent too.''

Every episode will have an acoustic performance by local bands and musicians as well as interviews with guests in-studio. Viewers will be able to send emails, SMS's and MMS's to Liezel and Bongani.

''Liezel and Bongani are the perfect hosts for this show. Their combined radio, musical and television experience makes them ideal for interacting with viewers on air.''

Soundcheck Live is produced by Blixem Productions.

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.''