SABC News TV channel adjusts schedule with serial channel hopper Thembekile Mrototo co-anchoring The Full View prime time

by Thinus Ferreira

The SABC News (DStv 404) TV news channel adjusted its schedule from 1 April 2025 with channel hopper anchor Thembekile Mrototo now once again back at the public broadcaster to co-anchor The Full View prime-time block between 18:00 and 21:00.

On 1 April, and asked again after that, the SABC was asked in a media query about the SABC News changes for information about the channel's line-up changes. No information on anything from SABC News as a TV channel was forthcoming a week later when this report was published.

On Sundays, Thulasizwe Simelane anchors The Week Ahead on SABC News between 12:00 and 15:00. He is also the face of Week in Review on Saturdays between 12:00 and 15:00.

Morning Live, simulcast on SABC2 and SABC News, remains on weekdays between 6:00 and 9:00, co-anchored by Leanne Manas and Sakina Kamwendo.

Ayanda Nyathi anchors The Agenda block between 9:00 and 12:00 on weekdays.

After the implosion of Paula Slier and Trevor Bester's Newshound company that did the short-lived News1 streaming channel for Sentech's Freevision Play and had plans to also do a Brics Global TV News (BGTN), Juliet Newell who was an anchor there, is now on SABC News anchoring On Point on weekdays between 12:00 and 15:00.

Unathi Batyashe anchors the SA Today block on SABC News between 15:00 and 18:00.

The Full View block between 18:00 and 19:00 is now co-anchored by Bongiwe Zwane and the serial channel hopper Thembekile Mrototo who keeps revolving, leaving and returning between eNCA (DStv 403), SABC News, Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405) and who is now once again back at SABC News for another stint.

Clement Manyathela anchors Face the Nation on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 20:00 and 21:00.

Mfundo Mabalane and Mpho Sithole are the co-anchors of The Late Edition block on weekdays on SABC News between 21:00 and 23:00.

The SABC3 English TV news bulletin, Prime News at 20:00, is suddenly co-anchored by Becky Motumo and Paulette Kaise. There's been no information to the media about this from the SABC or SABC3.

TOLDJA! New TV news channel, Newzroom Afrika, to oddly launch on 2 May on MultiChoice's DStv with some familiar TV and radio names.

Exactly as TV biz insiders whispered, the new South African TV news channel Newzroom Afrika plans to launch on Thursday 2 May with news talent including the former eNCA stars Cathy Mohlahlana, Thulasizwe Simelane and Karyn Maughan who have jumped to front-face the new channel.

While MultiChoice and Newzroom Afrika executives in August 2018 when they announced the successful news channel bidder promised to keep the media updated on the channel's progress towards its "early-2019" launch, nothing had been forthcoming.

"We'll be sharing further details about the channel in the coming weeks," said Thabile Ngwato in the MultiChoice press release that was issued on 28 August 2018 but that was 8 months ago and Newzroom Afrika failed to share details with the media.

Thabile Ngwato's Rapid Innovation and Thokozani Nkosi's Eclipse TV are behind Newzroom Afrika that will directly compete against rivals like eNCA (DStv 403) and SABC News (DStv 404) in a highly-contested TV space for eyeballs and advertising rands and where eNCA lures more than 50% of the combined and existing TV news channels' audience on DStv.

Last week when asking MultiChoice in a media enquiry whether Newzroom Afrika will be launching on 2 May, Benedict Maaga, MultiChoice spokesperson, said MultiChoice can't confirm any dates.

Newzroom Afrika suddenly announced on Monday evening that it will be going live on Thursday late-afternoon.

Although missing its "early-2019" launch date, its second quarter activation means that Newzroom Afrika will try to gain viewers in the few days remaining to do pre-election coverage in the lead up to South Africa's national elections on 8 May.

On Thursday Newzroom Afrika, will take over the open channel spot on channel 405 on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service left vacant after it axed the controversial Gupta family's ANN7 channel that was acquired by Mzwanele Manyi and rebranded as Afro Worldview until it shut down in August last year.

While the programming line-up, content and on-air talent of Newzroom Afrika isn't known, other media talent who will be involved with Newzroom Afrika include some established radio and TV voices and faces including several Power FM name-brands.

Newzroom Afrika on Monday night listed Liezle Wilson, Thami Ngubeni, Sizwe Dhlomo, Gugulethu Mhlungu, Natasha Thorp, Thabo Mdluli, JJ Tabane, Aubrey Masango, Marc Lewis, Jacob Moshokoa, Bongiwe Zwane, and the former Afro Worldview editor Mpho Sithole as now being a part of the TV news channel.

Journalist Karyn Maughan has also been hired, as well as Ayabonga Cawe. 

According to the DStv electronic programme guide (EPG), none of the information which has been shared with the media, Newzroom Afrika programming will include a morning news show, Breaking Dawn, with presenters Sizwe Dhlomo, Carmen Reddy and Gugu Mhlungu.

Other programming will be shows like Newzfeed and Business Unusual.

Newzroom Afrika's flagship news show will be Newz@Prime (or NewsAtPrime) anchored by Cathy Mohlahlana and Marc Lewis as sports editor.

As Thursday's 2 May launch date looms for Newzroom Afrika, DStv Media Sales, MultiChoice's advertising selling arm, apparently entered into a commercial partnership with Newzroom Afrika from 24 April to sell on-air advertising on behalf of the channel.

In March 2019 Newzroom Afrika started a recruitment process looking for reporters, producers, editors and people to fill various other positions.

Insiders last week said they hope that Newzroom Afrika will be able to sidestep the mistakes of ANN7's disastrous on-air launch that immediately went viral with lasting damage to that channel's credibility.

With Wednesday's Workers' Day as a public holiday in South Africa and the odd launch date the day after, there's been no word from either MultiChoice that was asked, nor Newzroom Afrika about a possible press briefing about the news channel, or of a media launch event to mark its start on DStv as usually happens when new TV channels launch.

Newzroom Afrika will be available to all DStv subscribers from DStv Premium to DStv Access.

TOLDJA! Cathy Mohlahlana and Thulasizwe Simelane both quit eNCA as the news channel's latest high-level on-air defections.

eNCA (DStv 403) confirmed to TVwithThinus on late Thursday afternoon two resignations: That the eNCA anchor Cathy Mohlahlana has quit after her recent demotion from prime time back to an afternoon timeslot, and that reporter and anchor Thulasizwe Simelane is leaving.

Their last day at eNCA will be on 29 March, just a month and a week before South Africans vote in another general election.

eNCA hasn't announced replacements.

Insiders told TVwithThinus days ago that both Cathy Mohlahlana and Thulasizwe Simelane decided to quit the eMedia Investments' news channel carried on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

eNCA, in response to a media enquiry asking for confirmation earlier this week about word that both high-caliber on-air personalities decided to resign and leave, didn't answer when asked why Cathy Mohlahlana is leaving and why Thulasizwe Simelane is leaving.

Speaking about the latest high-level defections from eNCA, Jeremy Maggs, acting eNCA editor, says in a statement to TVwithThinus that "Both Cathy and Thulasizwe have proved in the field and behind the anchor desk to be valuable and respected staff members. They have brought integrity to their work. We are going to miss their empathetic and incisive style of journalism".

Cathy Mohlahlana last month took over anchoring duties of the eNCA Now timeslot between 13:00 and 15:00 after she was promoted to being a co-anchor on eNCA's flagship prime time show NewsNight where she served for a year and 8 months until she was bumped back to dayside on the eNCA schedule in January 2019.

Cathy Mohlahlana says in a statement that "in the past 8 years at eNCA I have had the opportunity to learn and grow while working with some of the best in television news and I'll forever be grateful. Thank you to the eNCA audience which embraced me from being a reporter to an anchor".

eNCA made the experienced political reporter Thulasizwe Simelane an afternoon anchor in May 2018.

Thulasizwe Simelane in a statement says "eNCA has been and will always remain my home, a place that shaped and moulded me, and gave me tremendous growth opportunities over the past 6 years. I will miss my colleagues but am confident they've deposited enough of the 'e-DNA' in me to carry me to great heights in my next venture".

eNCA backtracks on NewsNight changes as Vuyo Mvoko is made sole anchor and political editor; Cathly Mohahlana back to anchor during the day with Vata Ngobeni appointed as eNCA sports editor.

eNCA (DStv 403) is undoing some of its line-up changes just 6 months after its introduction in mid-July 2018 with its prime time news programme NewsNight that is going back to starting at 18:00 and that will now be sole anchored by Vuyo Mvoko, with co-anchor Cathy Mohahlana going back to anchor a daypart.

Six months after eNCA's now departed news director Mapi Mhlangu changed the South African TV news channel's schedule and anchor line-up in mid-July 2018, eNCA is once again changing it, including breaking up its NewsNight co-anchor presentation that always had dual presenters.

From Monday night NewsNight that was shifted to 17:00 in mid-July is once again moved back to a starting time of 18:00, now with Vuyo Mvoko as the only anchor of eNCA's flagship news show.

Cathy Mohlahlana who anchored mid-mornings before her promotion to NewsNight in mid-May 2017 as co-anchor, is shifted back after a year and 8 months and will now once again be anchoring eNCA during the day.

Cathy Mohlahlana is now taking over as the anchor of eNCA Now between 13:00 and 15:00 on weekdays, replacing Jeremy Maggs.

Jeremy Maggs, eNCA acting editor-in-chief, will no longer serve as anchor during the week but will continue to present his weekly media magazine show, Maggs on Media on Sunday mornings.

Jeremy Maggs shifted from prime time in mid-July to the afternoon slot, but with the added duties of day-to-day management of eNCA and with 2019 being a general election year requiring additional management of news resources and logistics, decided to let weekday anchoring go.

Jeremy Maggs will be used as a special anchor on eNCA depending on his availability during key news events.

"I am very pleased that I can hand the lunchtimes over to Cathy who is one of the young stars in a very talented line-up of anchors," says Jeremy Maggs. "This will give me an opportunity to focus on the business of running a dynamic and demanding newsroom."

Following eNCA Now, Thulasizwe Simelane will now anchor on eNCA from 15:00 to 18:00 for an hour longer.

Besides now being the lone anchor of NewsNight, Vuyo Mvoko has been appointed as eNCA's political editor, with Vata Ngobeni from Pretoria News appointed as eNCA's new sports editor from February.

eNCA updates its on-air look with a rebuild studio and video wall, adjusted timeslots and a Jane Dutton talk show.

On Monday 16 July eNCA (DStv 403), that turned 10 years old last month, is redoing its on-air look with a rebuilt Hyde Park studio that includes touch screens and a big video wall, as well as reducing the number of its on-air blocks including folding the afternoon slot News Day into a bigger midday slot rebranded as eNCA Now, and a prime time talk show for Jane Dutton.

From Monday Morning News between 06:00 and 09:00 becomes Morning News Today anchored by Dan Moyane and Uveka Rangappa.

Morning News Today on weekdays will look at overnight news stories and provides an overview of the day that lies ahead. The timeslot will also take a look at the lighter side of life in the country with human interest and lifestyle features.

The Lead between 09:00 and 13:00, News Day between 13:00 and 14:00 and Afternoon News between 16:00 and 18:00 all fall away and are folded into the more generic eNCA Now block from 09:00 to 17:00 with rolling news coverage.

eNCA Now will be anchored by by Xoli Mngambi, Jeremy Maggs, Michelle Craig and Thulasizwe Simelane throughout the day. Devan Murugan will be doing business news coverage.

News Night that used to start at 18:00 will now start an hour earlier at 17:00 from Monday anchored by Vuyo Mvoko and Cathy Mohahlana and go until 20:00 instead of 21:00.

News Night will continue to cover the day's big news stories.

At 20:00 on eNCA there's the introduction of Tonight with Jane Dutton, a new weekday talk show that eNCA calls its "flagship daily talk show" that will feature interviews various guests and newsmakers.

Jane Dutton returns to South Africa and e.tv from Al Jazeera.

The half hour Moneyline on eNCA falls away to make space for the hour long News Hour at 22:00 on weekdays, anchored by Shahan Ramkissoon and Siki Mgabadeli.

News Hour will take a look at the day's top news and business stories and will feature business reports as well as in-depth coverage of the day's news events.

Late Edition follows at 23:00, that eNCA calls " comprehensive, relaxed and conversational review of the day's news and a first look at the next day's action".

Mapi Mhlangu, eNCA's managing director and editor-in-chief, says the redone studio where news anchors will be able to move around more and the big video wall will make eNCA's "news delivery more contemporary, more interactive and faster moving".

She says that eNCA will continue to do "quality news".

"Audiences today have far more choice in a fragmenting television environment. My promise to the eNCA community is that despite the changing nature of news consumption, we will continue to rely on what has made us successful:  quality news that reflects the complexity of South African society, always mindful that we are a voice for ordinary people and their daily struggles," says Mapi Mhlangu.