SABC1 botches its local drama series, Diamond City, from Quizzical Pictures by mistakenly airing the final episode instead of the penultimate one; apologises for mislabeling error.

SABC1 botched the playout of its latest local drama series, Diamond City, on Sunday night, mistakenly showing the final 13th episode instead of the penultimate episode, and is apologising to viewers for the error due to a mislabeling mistake.

Viewers were confused and angry after the South African public broadcaster spoilt the local drama series produced by Quizzical Pictures on Sunday by suddenly showing and giving away the ending with a gap that made no sense.

"It's grossly disappointing to realise SABC1 skipped a whole entire episode - 1 hour of critical storytelling and hard work - and aired the final episode instead," said actress Nambitha Ben-Mazwi. "I apologise on behalf of them to our loyal audience. It's more disheartening for us, believe me."

Production company Quizzical Pictures called the SABC's mistake "really disappointing".

The SABC told TVwithThinus it won't show the "missing" episode of Diamond City because SABC1 doesn't want to make the schedule disruption worse.

It took the SABC 5 days to respond to a media enquiry about what happened with the broadcast mistake of Diamond City.

"SABC1 offers an unreserved apology to its viewers for the inconvenience caused due to the non-screening of episode 12 of the local drama series Diamond City on Sunday 6 January at 20:00," SABC1 said on Friday in response to a media enquiry.

"The unfortunate situation occured as a result of a mislabeling error which saw episode 13 - which is the final episode for the current season - airing instead."

"The channel's scheduling department has in the meantime taken a decision not to screen the skipped episode (episode 12) to avoid a further negative impact on the schedule."

SABC1 has adjusted its schedule for the next 3 weeks with Shakespeare in Mzansi: Death of a Queen, Shakespeare in Mzansi: Izingane Zobaba and Shakespeare in Mzansi: Ugugu No Andile that will be shown on 13, 20 and 27 January on Sunday nights.      

Presenter Search on 3 reveals the Top 11 contestants who will now battle it out to become TV presenters across various SABC3 shows.

SABC3's reality TV competition show looking to find new TV presenters has revealed a Top 11, not Top 10, Friday night on Presenter Search on 3.

The list of telegenics includes eight TV competitors from Cape Town, two from Johannesburg and one from Pretoria.

Khanya Siyengo (Cape Town), Ziphozakhe Zokufa (Johannesburg), Mishka Patel (Cape Town), Danilo Acquisto (Cape Town), Leon Nieuwoudt (Pretoria), Sanda Shandu (Cape Town), Christopher Jaftha (Johannesburg), Jade Hubner (Cape Town), Caley van der Kolk (Cape Town), Nambitha Ben-Mazwi (Cape Town) and Zoe Brown (Cape Town) all made the cut.

None of the Port Elizabeth or Durban contestants made it.

The Top 11 will be whittled down over the next few weeks to find presenters to join SABC3's Top Billing, Expresso and a new lifestyle magazine TV show.

The Top 11 were unveiled at Cape Town's Fire & Ice hotel this past Friday. They will continue to battle it out with real TV presenter tests and challenges until the finale is broadcast on Friday 29 May and which will be recorded in Zanzibar.

Several of the Top 11 contestants have already found a level of fame. 

Danilo Acquisto is known as one of the Hectic Nine-9 presenters on SABC2 and is a DJ on Goodhope FM, Christopher Jaftha has won several best looking man awards, Mishka Patel was a Miss South Africa 2014 finalist and Ziphozakhe Zokufa as first princess took up the crown as Miss South Africa 2014 after Rolene Strauss became Miss World.

Nambitha Ben-Mazwi, who already tried her hand at TV presenting, acting and singing, was added as the wild card addition to make the Presenter Search on 3's Top 10 a Top 11.

Leon Nieuwoudt has worked as an international model, banker Khanya Siyengo is a basketball coach and radio presenter and Zoe Brown has a degree in international relations.

The UCT economics graduate Sanda Shandu is a musician and actor, entrepreneur and tomboy Jade Hubner is good at athletics and music, and Caley van der Volk who was born in Willowvale in the Transkei has already travelled the world.

The Presenter Search on 3, the third iteration of the show, has already with the latest season showed and successfully harnassed what real cross-platform potential and true media property synergy opportunities there exists within the SABC – something rarely tapped to the extent that it really can be by the public broadcaster.

Presenter Search on 3 contestants already visited SABC2's Morning Live and SABC3's Expresso and received advice and did interesting TV challenges behind-the-scenes.

SABC on-air talent ranging from Neill Anthony of Neill Anthony Private Chef, Three Talk with Noeleen’s Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu, Minnie Dlamini from SABC1's Soccerzone, former Eastern Mosaic’s presenter and Lotus FM DJ Jailoshini Naidoo and Morning Live’s Leanne Manas already appeared to give the contestants challenges and advice, all while giving viewers a fascinating glimpse every Friday night of the SABC's industrial TV complex at work and the hard work that happens behind the shiny lights.