Magazine show RGB back with new episodes on SABC1 after months of repeats, as co-host Sinazo Yolwa mocks gossip spread by 'fake news merchants' about show's rumoured cancellation.

The long-running and so-called "cancelled" RGB magazine entertainment show on SABC1 returned on Saturday 8 June with a new episode at 19:30 with presenters Sinazo Yolwa and Samora Mangesi, putting to be bed trash reports and peddled rumours about the show's demise.

The Real Goboza and other locally-produced shows on SABC1 like Nyan' Nyan have been on a repeat loop of old episodes for months and missed new season debut dates due to the South African public broadcaster's ongoing financial problems and inability to pay for new content.

The Real Goboza, produced by Urban Brew Studios stopped airing new episodes in January 2019 and have been on repeats since for the past 4 months since the SABC's failure to sign a new contract due to not having the money.

That however didn't mean that RGB, luring over 2.5 million viewers as one of the most-watched shows on SABC1 and in South Africa, was cancelled - just that there wouldn't be further new episodes until the broadcaster can sign a new contract and pay for it.

Yet untrustworthy rumour-peddlers started spreading fake news on social media that RGB was supposedly cancelled, uninformed about how the TV business works and that the show and its intellectual property, although produced by an outside production studio, belongs to the SABC, and that the broadcaster wouldn't can a top-rated show.

It's not clear where and how the fake news around RGB started.

"SABC1, together with Urban Brew Studios is in negotiation for the next season and has already worked on developing a new and improved season with exciting changes that viewers can look forward to. The show is planned to be back on-air with a new season in the coming months," said SABC1 in a statement.

SABC1 didn't issue any programming note or press release to the media that newly-produced episodes of RGB would return to the channel in June on Saturday 8 June but the former co-presenter Sinazo Yolwa who is back, did make mention on camera of the fake social media and rumours about the show's supposed cancellation.

Sinazo Yolwa and the show shared one of the fake messages that circulated on social media about The Real Goboza rumoured demise, poking fun at rumours that RGB was apparently "getting decommissioned" and that "production on the show has already halted and an official screen blackout will happen soon".

"Word on the street is that RGB is dead," said Sinazo Yolwa, with the rumours that were spread by "fake news merchants and reporters".

"But RGB is back baby".

RGB has added Roxanne Robertson and Sibu Mpanza as new field presenters who will be doing red carpet interviews and gossip about social hot topics.

Donovan Goliath steps in as replacement of Phat Joe as permanent new co-host on SABC1's The Real Goboza.

After a guest stint try-out the comedian Donovan Goliath has been roped in as the new permanent presenter of The Real Goboza on SABC1 after the sudden exit of Phat Joe.

Phat Joe (real name Majota Khambule) and the SABC first said his break from RGB would be temporary as he jumped to pay-TV to present M-Net's Take Me Out Mzansi dating game show on VUZU AMP (DStv 103). The show is the revived Take Me Out South Africa format show from Rapid Blue that used to be on SABC1.

The temporary break from SABC1's Saturday evening lifestyle and entertainment magazine show however became a permanent exit as the SABC and Phat Joe, who had presented RGB for 7 years, publicly announced a week and a half ago that the presenter is leaving by "mutual decision" and won't be back.

Donovan Goliath is now joining co-presenter Sinazo Yolwa on RGB after a stint on the short-lived TV guide show The 101 on M-Net.

"I'm really looking forward to bringing my own unique style and a new energy to the show. Aweh!," says Donovan Goliath in a statement.

"We're thrilled to We’re thrilled to officially welcome Donovan to the RGB family and we believe that he will use his talent to ensure RGB reaches new heights," says Sydney Mekgwe-Sitsila, producer of the Urban Brew Studios' show.

"I'm looking forward to seeing an already outstanding presenter continue to grow and develop."

Zandile Nkonyeni, SABC TV head publicist, says the public broadcaster is "excited to have Donovan joining the RGB and the SABC1 family. We are confident that he will elevate the show with his unique ability to connect with guests and resonate with viewers through his humour, insight and charisma".

Phat Joe gone from SABC1's RGB as the out-of-cash SABC fires even more SABC Sport presenters to try and cut costs.

Phat Joe (real name Majota Khambule) is gone from the SABC show Real Goboza (RGB) after the shock jock presenter and the production company both decided they've had enough, with the beleaguered public broadcaster that has also fired several more SABC Sport presenters as its running out of cash.

After initially saying he would be back, Phat Joe, who has been absent from the show for a month, now won't return to SABC1's celebrity magazine lifestyle show RGB produced by Urban Brew Studios, which he presented for 7 years.

Unplanned and leaving RGB with no permanent replacement, Phat Joe becomes the latest marquee name to jettison the SABC that continues to lose iconic on-air talent across its TV channels and radio stations and who have been moving to other broadcasting opportunities - especially pay-TV - over the past year.

The SABC lost names ranging from Bonang Matheba, Pearl Thusi, Minnie Dlamini and Robert Marawa to Tbo Touch, Glen Lewis, Neville Pillay, Putco Mafani, Pierre van Pletzen and many more as the public broadcaster continues to bleed experienced on-air talent.

Earlier this month Phat Joe left his drive time show on East Coast Radio after just a year and racking up 77 complaints over inappropriate comments with the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) with "mutual consent" - entertainment industry lingo for both the star and the platform who don't want each other anymore and agree to part ways.

Now Phat Joe won't be seen on RGB anymore after he became the presenter of Take Me Out Mzansi dating game show on VUZU AMP (DStv 103) - the revived Take Me Out South Africa format show from Rapid Blue that used to be on SABC1 and that was taken over by M-Net for one of its channels.

To further rub wounds into the SABC that doesn't like its talent to appear on other DStv TV channels, Phat Joe also just made an appearance as a guest judge on the latest 13th season of Idols on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) this past Sunday, another M-Net packaged channel for DStv.

Similar to East Coast Radio, the parting between Phat Joe and RGB was "a mutual decision" - both have had enough, with Sinazo Yolwa who will hold the fort and comedian Donovan Goliath roped in as a guest presenter for the time being.

"Phat Joe has been a valuable member of the RGB family and an excellent driver on our journey of entertaining South Africans," says Sydney Mekgwe, RGB producer in a statement. "His professionalism, insight and engaging character kept our viewers glued to their screens. We wish him all the best."

SABC1 channel head Clara Nzima in statement says "SABC 1 prides itself as the aggregator of some of the most popular entertainment shows in the country and it is talent like Phat Joe that makes our content accessible to the viewers. Sadly our journey with him has come to an end."

Phat Joe in a statement says "Thank you to all the fans for the opportunity. I had a lot of fun! Most importantly thank you to the entire RGB team. I will see you all in the near future. Watch this space."


More SABC Sport presenters getting the boot
Meanwhile the SABC has fired more sports presenters, telling a further 8 SABC on-air talent that their services won't be needed anymore as the SABC continues to cull on-air talent.

After informing David Kekana, Lindani Mbense, Kwena Moabelo, Christopher Bongo and Cudjoe Amankwa last month that their services won't be needed anymore, the SABC is now also firing Soccer Laduma presenter Tshepo Mabona, Gloria Brown, Fabian McCarthy, Marks Maponyane, Sylvester Ndaba, Mike Mangena, Papi Khomane and Rabbie Moripe whose contracts won't be renewed for the new soccer season.

The SABC's now fired and famously matricless former chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng lied in 2016 and told SABC staffers that freelancers at the public broadcaster would be moved to permanent positions but that didn't happen.

Now as the SABC is once again on the brink of financial collapse similar to 2009 when it was saved through a government bail-out, the SABC is letting dedicated freelance talent go and not renewing contracts to cut costs.

Pearl Thusi dumps RGB on SABC1 as stand-along presenter; Amanda Du Pont to take over, possibly with Sinazo Yolwa as well.

With so much drama behind the scenes it's been an open secret within the local TV biz for a long time, but Pearl Thusi has finally dumped RGB on SABC1 with Amanda Du Pont who will be taking over as the stand-along presenter next to Phat Joe Kambule.

RGB is also set for other overhauls very soon of the weekly Saturday lifestyle and entertainment magazine show which pulls a weekly TV audience of 5,6 million viewers on SABC1.

Although SABC1 strangely announced that Sinazo Yolwa will also be joining RGB as a co-presenter, Sinazo Yolwa has not signed any contract with the show yet and who is still involved with the current season of So You Think You Can Dance SA on SABC1.

Pearl Thusi decided to dump RGB just over a year and a half after she joined, saying she has too many things going on and that RGB, compared to all the other things, takes a lesser priority.

"Everyone at the show has been amazingly supportive with my decision to move on," says Pearl Thusi. "I had to make a tough decision on what to focus on."

"We and our viewers are going to miss her," says Dichaba Phalatse, SABC1's portfolio marketing manager for entertainment, saying SABC1 will continue to work with Pearl Thusi on "other projects".

While SABC1 announced that Pearl Thusi will be replaced by Amanda Du Pont and Sinazo Yolwa as co-presenters, Sinazo Yolwa has not signed any contract.

Pearl Thusi will make her final appearance on RGB on Saturday 9 November; Amanda Du Pont will start from Saturday 16 November - possibly with Sinazo Yolwa.

Bonang Matheba working on a reality show for Vuzu; talks about 'strategic' move to Top Billing; knew at 20 she wanted to be a part of the show.

Bonang Matheba who joined the SABC3 weekly magazine show Top Billing in December 2012 and is currently the presenter of Clash of the Choirs South Africa on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) is now working behind the scenes at producing a new reality show for DStv's Vuzu (DStv 116) channel - but one in which she herself will not be appearing.

Bonang Matheba also revealed that she knew by 20 that she wanted to be a part of Top Billing by the time she reached 25 and that the move away from Live on SABC1 to get to Top Billing was "very strategic".

Bonang Matheba told the youth programme RGB about the move to become a Top Billing presenter was "very strategic. I have been thinking about it for the past 4 years, because Bonang is a planner," she said as she referred to herself in the third person.

"When I was 15 I knew what I was going to do when I was 20. When I was 20 I knew what I was going to do when I was 25."

"When I was 20 I said to myself that by the age of 25 I want to be a part of Top Billing. There was a lot of things happening behind the scenes - auditions and meetings. I just felt I needed to do that. I'm growing and I want to grow with my craft," said Bonang Matheba.

She said that "the SABC1 family has been supportive, but I'm now working on another production."

She also revealed to RGB that she is trying to create her own reality show but will be producing it and not actually be appearing in it. She doesn't mention a channel name, but says it's for a youth TV channel, and currently South African television only has one - Vuzu on DStv.

"I'm working on creating a reality show for a youth channel - not for me - it's not going to happen - but for another really successful personality in the industry."