6th Eastern Cape Film Festival in East London to promote the South African province as a film destination, covered on Mpuma Kapa TV.

by Thinus Ferreira

The 6th Eastern Cape Film Festival is taking place from today, 6 December, until 10 December at the Film Hub in East London with DStv subscribers who will be able to watch some of the proceedings on Mpuma Kapa TV that is covering it this week. 

The 6th Eastern Cape Film Festival is being held as a virtual film festival that will once again bring aspiring and professional filmmakers as well as industry experts together to discuss various issues around filmmaking in South Africa's Eastern Cape province.

Mpuma Kapa TV (DStv 206) and Kumkani FM are covering the 6th Eastern Cape Film Festival.

According to Nceba Mqolomba, Eastern Cape Film Festival director, the main objective of this film festival is to showcase the work of the province's filmmakers.

"The secondary objectives are to position filmmaking as one of the key sectors of job creation, to promote social cohesion, moral regeneration, development of small towns, economies and to make the Eastern Cape a film destination," Nceba Mqolomba says.

The Eastern Cape Film Festival can be contacted at info@ecfilmfestival.co.za and Nceba Mqolomba at 083 580 9875.

SABC veterans Siphiwo Magoda and Nsikelele Tom join Mpuma Kapa TV management as new heads of news and sales.

by Thinus Ferreira

The SABC veterans Siphiwo Magoda and Nsikelelo Tom have joined Mpuma Kapa TV in the Eastern Cape as respectively the regional TV channel's new head of news and current affairs, and the new head of sales.

The two executives joined Mpuma Kapa TV's growing management team and are both former SABC employees who have been in the industry for years.

Siphiwo Magoda who has been in the industry for over 4 decades has worked in both radio and TV broadcasting and started his career in 1982 at Radio Transkei where he was part of the news department rising to senior reporter, news reader and current affairs presenter. 

Siphiwo Mogoda remained part of the SABC for years and continues to work as a freelance radio host on Mhlobo Wenene with his weekday show at midnight. He also has international news experience working for BBC News in London and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC in Toronto.

Mpuma Kapa TV says that the channel's board is "committed to making the channel better and bigger and have decided that to do so, ensuring that our news and current affairs are well managed and continue to provide support and training to our new young talented journalists and reporters".

"Siphiwo Magoda's passion is to train and transfer skills and knowledge to young talent. The channel is excited to have him as part of our management team and the news and current affairs department."

Ntsikelelo Tom is the former SABC provincial sales manager and also worked as the sales manager of government at CNBC Africa with over 2 decades of management experience.

"As the channel grows, industry leaders such as Tom are a great addition to the vision of the channel strategic future plans, furthermore Tom will assist in growing the revenue of the channel and also contribute to the training and growing of the sales department of Mpuma Kapa TV," says the channel.

"Mpuma Kapa TV is committed to becoming the leading regional channel in the country and in that manner the board has ensured that the channel hires the best to move the channel forward."

In new agreement community TV channels Mpuma Kapa TV and 1KZN TV will give Newzroom Afrika exclusive news content with the TV news channel that will give them newsroom training after MultiChoice funding.

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African TV news channel Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405) has signed a content sharing and training agreement with the two community TV channels, Mpuma Kapa TV (DStv 260) in the Eastern Cape, and 1KZN TV (DStv 261 / StarSat 486) in KwaZulu-Natal, with both channels that will provide Newzroom Afrika with content and with the TV news channel that will give them training.

Newzroom Afrika says that its "national and continental positioning will assist in providing both channels with a much greater audience reach". 

Newzroom Afrika will give Mpuma Kapa TV and 1 KZN TV editorial training and newsroom mentorship, after MultiChoice gave the community TV channels money.

In exchange, Mpuma Kapa TV and 1KZN TV will produce exclusive content for Newzroom Afrika and provide it with unspecified "news services".

1KZN TV and Mpuma Kapa TV will offer live coverage of breaking news from rural areas, participate in interviews through studio-to-studio live feeds, and package news inserts for broadcast on Newzroom Afrika.

MultiChoice has given both 1KZN TV and Mpuma Kapa TV money in the form of grants to improve their news coverage capability and to establish news bureaus in their respective provinces.

The MultiChoice money will be used to cover production equipment such as cameras, lighting, sound and computers, as well as training and technical support.

Thabile Ngwato, Newzroom Afrika CEO, in a statement says "Our vision to be Africa’s leading, credible news and information service will continue to be reflected in this new initiative. Supporting regional channels is a key portion of our overall strategy, which sees us delivering world-class offerings at every touchpoint".

Edwin Mncwango, 1KZN TV CEO, says "In its quest to provide an authentic voice to the people of KwaZulu-Natal, 1KZN TV has been wanting to expand its news coverage. This partnership – made possible by MultiChoice – will enable us to do just that, whilst also building our capacity through professional training and assistance".

Motse Mfuleni, Chairperson of the Board at Mpuma Kapa TV, says "Mpuma Kapa TV is excited to be part of this new venture, as we open up the Eastern Cape to the country and continent".

"As the leading broadcaster in the province, our news bureau can now open opportunities to train and shape a new generation of journalists and news reporters from the Eastern Cape."

Nyiko Shiburi, MultiChoice South Africa CEO, says "Regional TV stations are the lifeline for news and stories in their communities".

"We are committed to supporting and enabling them to improve the quality of broadcasting at grassroots level. Their partnerships with Newzroom Afrika will elevate local news to a national stage.  Our hyperlocal strategy is about growing and telling local stories and through this initiative, we are seeing it in action."

Eastern Cape's Mpuma Kapa TV adds Ekhondweni as a new short drama series fully filmed in the province with a local cast.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Eastern Cape's community TV station Mpuma Kapa TV (DStv 260) is adding Ekhondweni as a new short drama series from Thursday 18 March at 20:00 that will follow a Xhosa boy's quest to become a man.

Ekhondweni, sponsored by MultiChoice, is described as a "new series that is a hard-hitting drama, filled with funny moments, hard situations and decisions, in the journey of a young Xhosa boy's quest to become a man".

"This series will captivate audiences and viewers in these hard times of Covid-19 and bring the question of culture into light amidst it all."

Mpuma Kapa TV says that the Ekhondweni cast are local Eastern Cape actors with experiences both on-screen and in theatre.

Ekhondweni is filmed and directed in the Eastern Cape, by an Eastern Cape production crew from across the province.

"Mpuma Kapa TV has made sure that it opens up opportunities to our Eastern Cape film community, through this MultiChoice-sponsored project."

ALSO READ: The Bay TV community TV station in the Eastern Cape has officially rebranded as Mpuma Kapa TV.

The Bay TV community TV station in the Eastern Cape has officially rebranded as Mpuma Kapa TV.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Bay TV community TV station in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape has officially rebranded as Mpuma Kapa TV (DStv 260).

Mpuma Kapa TV remains the only community TV station broadcasting in the Eastern Cape since it launched in 2011 and has roughly around 1.8 million viewers since it launched in the Nelson Mandela Bay area as an independent community station.

Mpuma Kapa TV in a press release says that "The rebranding is an exciting new journey for the channel" and that the name change "encompasses the entire Eastern Cape province, moving away from the identity of its former self, of only being known or seen as a Nelson Mandela Bay channel".

"Mpuma Kapa means Eastern Cape, the home of legends. The channel is excited to showcase this province which is the birthplace of many South African legends and giants. The content, the look and the production are homegrown, with the new state of the art studios, donated by MultiChoice, it will be bringing the fire to your homes."

Mpuma Kapa TV says that the channel has new advertising opportunities and sponsorship for brands and companies and that it plans to continue to grow its viewership and ratings.

"Being home to the second-highest spoken language in the country and ethic group, and ensuring all our beautiful and diverse cultures in the Eastern Cape are represented, advertisers are sure to get value for money," Mpuma Kapa TV says.

ALSO READ: Eastern Cape's Mpuma Kapa TV adds Ekhondweni as a new short drama series fully filmed in the province with a local cast.

ALSO READ: Port Elizabeth's Bay TV community station officially unveils its upgraded studio and control room facilities with the help of MultiChoice.

ALSO READ: IN IMAGES. 29 photos of the Bay TV community TV station's official inauguration ceremony of its upgraded studio and control room in Port Elizabeth done with the help of MultiChoice.

ALSO READ: MultiChoice on why it helps community TV stations in South Africa like Bay TV in Port Elizabeth: 'We want a video entertainment sector that has many players who serve and understand the nuances of communities'.