Uzalo Caterer Zandile Blose Gunned Down Before Husband's Funeral

by Thinus Ferreira

The Uzalo caterer Zandile Blose was gunned down and killed this past Friday outside her house in KwaMashu in KwaZulu-Natal, preparing for her husband's funeral, according to reports. She was 44.

Zandile Blose's husband, Msizi Blose, died a week ago in a car crash in Mpumalanga.

Zandile Blose, who ran a catering and décor business, provided catering services for SABC1's Uzalo, produced by Stained Glass TV.

The couple leave behind three children, the youngest of whom is 14 and still in school.

Stained Glass TV's Uzalo adds four actors to season 12 on SABC1 for 'more heart, more tension and honest storytelling'

by Thinus Ferreira

The Stained Glass TV weekday primetime soap on SABC1, Uzalo, has added four actors to the cast for its 12th season.

The KwaMashu-set series in KwaZulu-Natal has added Nduduzo Zuma, Phindile Mashabane, Sikhosiphi Ngcobo and Thulani Mtsweni.

Nduduzo Zuma has already appeared since 27 March as Smiso, described as a "bold, magnetic newcomer who arrives in KwaNjomane as part of its revamped, youthful energy".

"Charming, stylish, unpredictable and impossible to miss, Smiso quickly becomes more than just a fresh face, finding himself entangled in emotional dynamics with Babekazi that threaten to spiral beyond his control. His presence introduces a playful yet disruptive force that shifts the balance in unexpected ways."

Phindile Mashabane joined as LaDlamini and first appeared on 8 April. LaDlamini is described as "a sophisticated and self-made businesswoman whose quiet confidence speaks volumes".

"Intelligent, composed, and unwavering in her standards. She enters KwaMashu as a woman who knows her worth, immediately capturing Mbatha’s attention. But LaDlamini is not easily won over, and her presence sets the stage for a compelling pursuit marked by power, pride, and ambition."

Sikhosiphi Ngcobo joined Uzalo as Bab’Sizwe and will first appear on 10 April.

The character is described as "a respected traditional leader whose grief quickly transforms into a quest for justice".

"Following the death of Chief Shepherd, Bab’Sizwe’s pain fuels a growing tension determined to erase Nkunzi’s legacy e’Ndlende, igniting a powerful and emotionally charged battle over leadership, loyalty, and legacy. His arrival sparks a major shift in authority within KwaMashu."

The fourth actor that joined the cast is Thulani Mtsweni as Pondo, who will first appear on 24 April.

Pondo is described as "an old-school charmer with a loud, funny, and charismatic personality".

"Pondo’s easy-going nature masks a past defined by avoidance and unfinished business. Years ago, he cowardly fled a relationship, unable to face the responsibility of fatherhood that followed."

"Now resurfacing in the hostel, Pondo forms an unexpected bond with one of Izinsizwa, unaware of the deeper connection that ties them. His return sets the stage for a layered and emotional storyline, as long-buried truths begin to surface and demand accountability."

Ofentse Thinane, SABC1 channel head, speaking about the new Uzalo cast additions, says the channel is "Looking forward to the powerful moments and layered relationships you'll create".

David Mukwevho, Uzalo series producer, says "Every new character we introduce brings something meaningful to the story".

"This season, viewers can expect more heart, more tension and the kind of honest storytelling that continues to keep Uzalo close to so many South Africans."

"We invite our loyal viewers to join us for another thrilling season. Your unwavering support fuels our passion, and in season 12, we commit to bringing even more drama and excitement".

'Severe cash-flow contraints': Stained Glass TV forced to shut down production on SABC1's Uzalo over non-payment, 186 cast and crew told filming is paused 'with immediate effect'

by Thinus Ferreira

The biggest TV show on South African television has been forced to shut down production indefinitely due to non-payment by the SABC, with the Durban-based Stained Glass TV that has been forced to end production of Uzalo due to cash-flow problems impacting more than 56 cast members and 133 crew.

Stained Glass TV produces Uzalo for the South African public broadcaster, but also since earlier this year the Skeem Saam timeslot replacement since late-April on SABC1, Amalanga Awafani, which is also set and produced in KwaZulu-Natal. 

It's not yet known whether Stained Glass TV has been forced to also shutter production on Amalanga Awafani. 

"Dear team, we regret to inform you that, due to severe cash-flow constraints, we are compelled to pause production with immediate effect," co-executive producers Gugu Zuma-Ncube, Pepsi Pokane and co-owner Theo Moodley told the Uzalo cast and crew in an internal memo on Monday 4 August.

"Please know that we are actively engaging with the SABC to resolve the matter as swiftly as possible. We understand the impact this has on each of you and remain committed to keeping you informed as the situation develops."

"We are deeply grateful for your unwavering passion, professionalism, and dedication to this special production. Your contribution continues to inspire us, and we are doing everything in our power to get back on track."

Stained Glass Productions was asked for comment, when its cash-flow problems with Uzalo started and what led to it, when it last received payment from the SABC, when it was last supposed to get paid by the broadcaster, as well as how and possible when Stained Glass TV sees the money crisis and production shutdown getting resolved.

Stained Glass TV's answers will be added here once received.

The SABC was also asked in a media query about Uzalo's production shutdown due to cash-flow problems and comment will be added here when received.

Stained Glass TV responded with a statement, passed along from the SABC, saying: "There is no production break on Uzalo, and production continues as scheduled. The SABC remains committed to its partnership with the production company, Stained Glass, and values the continued contribution of the cast and crew."

"As a matter of principle, the SABC does not discuss the details of contractual agreements in the public domain."

Stained Glass TV was asked if there were no production break, why were the Uzalo cast and crew told that production is being paused, but the production company declined to provide an answer.

An insider told and confirmed to TVwithThinus that production crew didn't get paid and were told that production is stopping despite the spin that the SABC might try to put on it to keep the news from being public within the production industry.

Another source said the SABC has been making late payments to Stained Glass TV for Uzalo quite a while, although the production company them took on additional work with Amalanga Awafani.

"People are not worried that Uzalo will shut down in the sense of going off air, but it's a worry about constantly wondering if you're really going to get paid."

Uzalo is the latest in a string of SABC shows that have been forced to literally shut down production over the past while after production companies have not being paid as contractually agreed by the financially struggling South African public broadcaster.

Before Uzalo, shows like 7de Laan, The Estate, Skeem Saam and Muvhango airing across SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 have shuttered production after the SABC failed to pay on time.

Just this year, Skeem Saam and Muvhango joined Uzalo in halting production in 2025 over non-payment. 

Meanwhile, Kew Productions took the SABC to court over its non-payment and had to sue the broadcaster this year just to get paid what it was owed for the unpaid part of a R10 million contract for seasons 12, 13 and 14 of the travelogue series Voetspore that used to be on SABC2.

The major crisis is waiting to be resolved by Maijang Mpherwane who has just returned since August to the SABC as the broadcaster's new head of video entertainment, with the Uzalo production shutdown that is his first big schedule stability headache.

Nomsa Chabeli, SABC CEO, told parliament recently that the SABC is prioritising paying the parastatal signal distributor Sentech first, which it owes more than R1 billion in outstanding debt. 

It means that some production companies are underpaid less than what they are owed, or nothing. 

"We pay Sentech first before we pay any of our service producers, meaning that producers come after the Sentech payment," Nomsa Chabeli said.

TV show 'lunch': Background actors on Durban-filmed production fed a shock box of corn and carrots, Stained Glass Pictures denies it's Uzalo.

by Thinus Ferreira

A lump of cold rice, a few centimetres of corn on the cob and a few carrot pieces - thrown into a foamalite box - is what background actors allege they've been served on Tuesday last week as craft lunch in Durban on the set of a South Africa TV show.

While a newspaper report said it's on the set of SABC1 and South Africa's biggest TV show, Uzalo, Stained Glass Pictures denies that this food, in this way, was served by this production which is also filmed in Durban.

A shocking image, taken by a background actor of the food they were served as part of a TV show's craft service, came to light last week - with the barely-there "lunch" looking like the scandalous lunch box that festival-goers received at the disastrous Fyre Festival in April 2017 in the Bahamas.

Background actors have now come forward to share and show what they got to eat, claiming that the "meals" they have been served for lunch differed from those given to the show's main actors and crew. 

It's standard in South African craft and catering services that all cast and crew eat together and are served the same food on a production, without any delineation between main and other on-call or guest actors, and crew.

While even on big-production, big-budget shows the craft service is never five-star food since cast and crew are not on-set to eat, it is an included production budget expense line-item with decent portions, bulk-prepared but properly made and served, and often with the option for a second helping.

After the image was shared on social media last week, Jack Devnarain, chairperson of the South African Guild of Actors (SAGA) shared another image of "breakfast" given to background actors in Durban. 

It's unclear what Durban-based production this "breakfast" - also in a foamalite box comprising a hard-boiled egg, a vienna, and a piece of bacon on top of a few baked beans - is from.

Jack Devnarain noted "It's an absolute disgrace and an insult to both the background actors and to the industry itself. The worst part is that its now become the new normal. This pic [is] from background actors in Durban - this is breakfast apparently".

The Sunday World newspaper quoted Uzalo production insiders and background actors who claim they were ordered not to even ask for water or juice since that "is reserved for the main crew of actors, video editors and lightning guys". 

Background actors say Uzalo main cast members get to eat "better food" like salads, beef and chicken.

"The shabby treatment started last week," a background actor said. "I thought it was a temporary thing but it has gone on until this week. I was expecting a better service since Uzalo is one of the big productions in the country".

"At Stained Glass TV, we take such matters seriously and are committed to ensuring the well-being and satisfaction of all individuals involved in our productions," King David Mukwevho, Uzalo series producer told TVwithThinus in response to a media query.

"We also consulted with the catering team to conduct thorough investigations, and we are certain that the referenced image does not belong to our production."

"Whenever we are serving food, there is always enough for everyone. This could be another production that shoots here in Durban. Our priority is to provide a comfortable and nourishing environment for everyone on set."

TV RATINGS April 2023: SABC1's Uzalo sheds 1.2 million viewers as e.tv loses 2.1 million viewers with new soaps and DStv's bad Big Brother Titans ends with just 340 000 viewers on Mzansi Magic.

by Thinus Ferreira

As South Africa's ongoing and debilitating electricity blackouts continue to wipe millions of TV households from the country's ratings system, Uzalo as the most-watched show in the country lost over 1.2 million viewers in April, while e.tv's two new prime-time soaps were both rating disappointments - as was M-Net's Big Brother Titans finale on Mzansi Magic.

As South Africa continues to suffer through Eskom's Stage 6 load-shedding, the Durban-produced Uzalo plunged over 1.2 million viewers in April, falling from 6.248 million viewers in March as South Africa's most-watched show in television to 5.098 million in April. 

Meanwhile, e.tv's most-watched show, Scandal! - the fourth most-watched show overall in South Africa - shed 760 036 viewers in April when it fell from 4.947 million in March to 4.187 million viewers in April.

On SABC1, Skeem Saam moved up from its third place as third most-watched show to clinch second place, surpassing Generations - The Legacy. 

Although Skeem Saam lost viewers, falling from 4.603 million to 4.328 million viewers in April, Generations lost a much bigger part of its audience, tumbling from its perennial second-place with 4.924 million to 4.194 million viewers in April.

South African TV viewers absolutely love watching the TV news in their language. The Xhosa TV news bulletin on SABC1 lured 2.39 million viewers as the most-watched TV news in the country during April, followed by the Zulu TV news bulletin on the channel with 2.23 million viewers.

Nyan Nyan was slightly down from 2.087 million to 1.84 million viewers. Primedia and Rose & Oaks' Deal or No Deal SA was also slightly down from 1.6 to 1.45 million viewers.

SABC2's Muvhango sheds 400 000 viewers

On SABC2, the Venda prime-time soap Muvhango as the channel's most-watched show shed in excess of 400 000 viewers, falling from 1.775 million to 1.366 million viewers, followed by Afrikaans soap 7de Laan that sagged from 1.109 million to 922 467 viewers in April.

Giyani eroded from 982 107 to 851 977 viewers, while the Setswana TV news bulletin was down from 776 801 to 628 976 viewers in April. The Afrikaans TV news bulletin was down from 687 421 to 663 442 viewers.

Nong Seakaladi dropped from 593 729 to 541 354 viewers, while the Mandela and De Klerk movie lured 412 173 viewers. 

Natural history docs a lure on SABC3

On SABC3 the most-watched programming in April was the film Rise of the Planet of the Apes that lured 590 918 viewers, followed by the English TV news bulletin at 18:00 with 438 732 viewers, and the local soap The Estate with 418 028 viewers at most during the month.

Viewers like watching natural history programming on S3, with Baboons: Rules of the Troop (402 646), Great Parks of Africa (383 965) and Into the Wild: Colombia (305 136) finding a receptive audience. 

The 14:30 afternoon repeat of SABC1's Deal or No Deal SA lured 272 078 viewers to SABC3.

e.tv loses viewers 

The two new prime time replacement soaps for Imbewu and Durban Gen on e.tv - Nikiwe and Smoke & Mirrors were both ratings disappointments, luring far fewer viewers with their debut on 17 April.

While Durban Gen still had 1 967 574 viewers in April in its 18:30 timeslot, Nikiwe only got 1 455 901 in the same timeslot last month. While Imbewu at its end grabbed 2 275 169 viewers in April, Smoke & Mirrors only got 1 712 591 viewers at most last month. 

Neither Nikiwe or Smoke & Mirrors are top 5 e.tv shows like Imbewu and Durban Gen were.

House of Zwide as e.tv's second most-watched show lost 400 000 viewers and fell from 4.085 million to 3.599 million viewers.

Besides the 760 000 viewers that Scandal! lost, the 400 000 lost viewers from House of Zwide and the combined hit of 1 074 251 fewer viewers with Nikiwe and Smoke & Mirrors - it means that e.tv lost over 2.1 million viewers in just a month on the red letter channel.

The Black Door was lower from 2.237 million to 1.994 million viewers, while the Gavin Hood film Tsotsi was a bright spark pulling 2.12 million viewers for e.tv on 23 April as the channel's 4th most-watched piece of programming during the month. Mama Jack lured 2.076 million viewers.

Big Brother Titans ends with little fanfare

MultiChoice saw an overall improvement during April for DStv subscriber ratings although Gomora on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) as the most-watched show was slightly down from 885 304 to 863 074 viewers.

Sizok'thola on Moja Love (DStv 157) was second-most watched on pay-TV during April and up from 589 801 to 693 271 viewers, followed by Isifiso on Mzansi Magic in third place with 662 945 viewers.

Moja Love's X-Repo increased its audience from 588 547 to 628 788 viewers, while Gqeberha: The Empire improved from 589 267 to 608 811 viewers in April. The River declined from 586 939 to 540 788 viewers. Umndeni on Moja Love lost viewers, going from 458 356 to 371 607 viewers in April. 

M-Net's Big Brother Titans reality show finale was a ratings disappointment, luring only 346 252 viewers to Mzansi Magic on Sunday 2 April in the Sunday evening 19:00 timeslot.    

ALSO READ: Little publicised Nikiwe and Smoke & Mirrors cost and lost e.tv over 1 million viewers in April in disappointing TV ratings debut.

Uzalo actors Nompilo Maphumulo and Menzi Biyela to exit SABC1 soap with season 9's debut in 2023.

by Thinus Ferreira

Actors Menzi Biyela and Nompilo Maphumulo, known for their characters of Pastor Gwala and Nosipho have been let go by Stained Glass TV and their characters will exit Uzalo with the debut of the ninth season of the SABC1 soap in early 2023.

The Stained Glass TV production and SABC1 say the actors have been let go from the series and that their characters will exit the soap when season 9 starts next year. 

"We want to take our hats off to the stellar performances of Nompilo and Menzi over the years," says Thuli Nhlapo, SABC1 acting channel head. "Their portrayal of the characters, Nosipho and Pastor Gwala, will forever be embedded in the hearts and minds of our viewers."

King David Mukwevho, Uzalo series producer, says "We are incredibly honoured to have worked with such talents".

"Nompilo has been an integral part of Uzalo since season one, she has brought us a remarkable rendition of Nosipho that the fans will never forget, and Menzi's portrayal of Pastor Gwala has been nothing short of exemplary. Our viewers love them, and so do we. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours."

TV RATINGS October 2022: e.tv's Scandal! keeps gunning for SABC1's Generations; WINNERS: SABC2's Morning Live, Moja Love's X-Repo, e.tv with Vin Diesel LOSERS: Mzansi Magic's Idols, SABC3's The Estate, SABC2's Muvhango.

by Thinus Ferreira

South Africa's prime-time ratings race has become a fierce two-horse competition between SABC1 and e.tv, with viewers kicking off their nightly viewing starting with e.tv's House of Zwide on e.tv at 19:00 followed by Scandal! at 19:30, then flipping the channel to SABC1's Generations at 20:00 and Uzalo at 20:30.

With prime-time ratings that steadily keep climbing, eMedia's e.tv free-to-air TV channel now has the second and fourth most-watched TV shows on South African television, with Scandal! in second place and 5 114  755 viewers in October - just 770 805 viewers away from Uzalo's 5 885 560 viewers in October as SABC1 and the country's most-watched TV programme.

Generations on SABC1 comes in third place with 4 643 191 viewers in October, but with just over 300 000 viewers difference, e.tv in fourth position with House of Zwide and its audience of 4 312 744, is now clearly gunning and trying to overtake Generations.

The TV share - the percentage of total TV sets switched on at any given moment and tuned to a specific TV channel - tells a remarkable story of how South African viewers are channel-flipping between SABC1 and e.tv to curate their own linear broadcast nightly viewing experience.

Between 19:00 and 20:00 more than 40% of all TV sets are switched to e.tv in South Africa, surging to 45% for Scandal!. Viewers then switch to SABC1 at 20:00 for the next hour to watch Generations and Uzalo, with the TV share of 43% climbing to 57% by 21:00.

Nothing else on South African television comes close to these four TV shows from SABC1 and e.tv in terms of ratings and audience share.

Zulu and Xhosa TV news shine

Skeem Saam on SABC1 lost viewers in October, luring 3.94 million, down from September's 4.17 million. While still commanding massive audiences, the Zulu TV news (down from 2.45 to 2.3 million) and the Xhosa TV news (down from 2.73 to 2.19 million) remain the two most watched TV news bulletins on South African television.

Illustrating the massive ongoing viewership decline problem that SABC2 has is that the Muvhango repeat at 08:30 in the mornings on SABC1 lures more viewers than original first-run episodes during prime time on SABC2. 

Muvhango on SABC1 grabbed 1.99 million viewers in the morning, compared to a depressing 1.579 million at 21:30 on SABC2 during prime time in October as SABC2's most-watched, but fading show.

Fooled by Love dropped from 1.879 to 1.621 million viewers in October, while The Executives fell from 1.621 to 1.588 million viewers.

Morning Live punching above its weight

The haemorrhage of SABC2's ratings continues with only Muvhango managing more than a million viewers and 10 out of the channel's top 20 shows now unable to draw more than half a million viewers.

The Afrikaans TV soap 7de Laan remained the second-most watched show on the channel during October, improving slightly from 859 016 to 908 895 viewers. Kgatelopele improved slightly from 725 658 to 771 078 viewers. The Afrikaans TV news bulletin was down from 631 325 viewers to 611 606 in October.

Morning Live remains a shining star for SABC2 - punching far above its weight in its early morning timeslot and further increasing its viewership by 94 683 in October from an already phenomenal 475 519 viewers in September to 570 202 viewers (16.5 share) in October. 

The Setswana TV news bulletin improved from 521 677 to 532 032 viewers in October while president Cyril Ramaphosa's live presidential address on 23 October had 449 769 viewers tuning in. Close to the same number - 443  929 watched an umpteenth repeat of Murder She Wrote in its 14:00-timeslot in the afternoons.

SABC3's The Estate more watched on repeat

The Premier League match between Manchester City and Southampton on 8 October was the top-scorer on SABC3 with 608 491 viewers, followed by Tropika Island of Treasure with 547 990 viewers and Katlego Maboe suddenly substituted as host.

The film Rise of the Planet of the Apes was third with 546 037 viewers, followed by the English TV news bulletin at 18:00 with 509 394 viewers. 

Viewers don't watch the ratings-challenged The Estate from Clive Morris Productions in prime time on SABC3, rather watching the 11:00 repeat in the mornings with 457 703 viewers and the Saturday omnibus that lured 445 046 viewers.

The American talk show The View had 296 121 viewers, drama series Tropical Heat had 288 162, and news show On Point lured 286 416 viewers.

Vin Diesel xxxx-cellent for e.tv

On e.tv Imbewu dropped from 2.67 to 2.25 million viewers, the cancelled Durban Gen remained even from 2.56 to 2.59 million viewers, while The Black Door shed over half a million viewers, plunging from 2.5 to 1.99 million viewers.

The e.tv news at 20:00 lost audience from 1.9 to 1.6 million viewers in October.

South African viewers are "weird" when it comes to watching e.tv movies - they will watch them again and again. 

On Saturday 15 October XXX: The Return of Xander Cage drew a strong 1.64 million viewers to the 20:00-timeslot. 

You think that's it - until e.tv also slotted a repeat for the next day, with Vin Diesel again drawing another jaw-dropping 1.3 million further viewers at 14:30 with little audience drop-off. It means the film lured close to 3 million viewers for e.tv with two combined airings.

Moja Love's X-Repo surges 

On DStv in October Mzansi Magic's (DStv 166) Gomora remained atop the ratings pecking order although MultiChoice again had a month dipping below a  million DStv subscribers, going from 1 014 085 viewers in September to 997 735 in October.

Moja Love's (DStv 157) Sunday night tabloid series Uyajola 9/9 gathered viewers, growing from 876 201 to 924 859 viewers in October. 

The Queen remained flat from 661 478 to 659 211 viewers, while Idols improved somewhat for its Top 7 contestants show from 542 049 to a still-low 686 199 DStv subscribers watching on 2 October.

The River on Mzansi Magic went from 608 277 to 564 451 viewers in October, while X-Repo on Moja Love surged from 492 333 to 647 213 viewers, becoming the 6th most-watched show on DStv in the month. 

The Real Housewives of Cape Town on Mzansi Magic picked up some viewers, improving from 396 719 to 531 981 in October.

Omuhle Gela out at SABC1's Uzalo in contract fight, Stained Glass TV show not shut down due to unfilmed scenes.

by Thinus Ferreira

Actress Omuhle Gela has quit her job at Uzalo this week over a contract fight with the producers after just five months working on South Africa and SABC1's most-watched TV series.

Omuhle Gela who appeared as Nomaswazi, Njinji's (Thembi Nyandeni) daughter became upset after the Stained Glass TV production allegedly decided to change her contract from what she agreed on initially.

On her Instagram page, Omuhle Gela on Friday said "I've unfortunately made the decision to leave the show with immediate effect". 

The actress who had roles in SABC1's Generations - The Legacy as well as on Mzansi Magic's (DStv 161) Zabalaza and The Queen and e.tv's Umlilo, is known for her role as Busi Motsamai in SABC2's Venda soap Muvhango. She relocated from Johannesburg to Durban to join the Stained Glass TV show.

Nomfundo Zondi, Uzalo publicist, confirmed to TVwithThinus that Omuhle Gela quit over a contract fight.

"Omuhle Gela, who portrays the role of Nomaswazi Magwaza will no longer be part of SABC1's hit show Uzalo due to not agreeing to contractual terms."

"We will update you about future developments regarding this. Stained Glass wishes to thank Omuhle once again for being a part of our family and we wish her success in her future endeavours."

Nomfundo Zondi said there's no truth to rumours that started circulating that Uzalo had to shut down because of Omuhle Gela's abrupt exit from the Durban-based soap since scenes in which her character appeared could no longer no be filmed.

"Just to clarify, production did not shut down or halt," Nomfundo Zondi says.

Uzalo remains the most-watched show in South Africa and drew 6.35 million viewers to the KwaMashu-set series in September.

TV RATINGS July 2022: New seasons of M-Net's Survivor SA, SABC3's The Estate and Mzansi Magic's Idols see fewer viewers sticking around.

by Thinus Ferreira 

The returning new seasons of The Estate on SABC3, Idols on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161), as well as Survivor South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) all drew even fewer viewers during July, making these shows the TV ratings losers of the month, while SABC2's tired Muvhango also continued to sag as the Venda primetime soap kept shedding audience for yet another month.

Absence didn't make South African viewers' TV hearts grow fonder with the Clive Morris Productions telenovela on SABC3 that came back for a third season in July after a 3-month break with even fewer viewers coming back to The Estate than its already-low ratings of before.

The Estate wasn't anywhere to be seen in the list of S3's top 20 shows for the month, which still pulled a very low 340 269 viewers to its early primetime slot in April when the second season ended. Even The Estate's Saturday omnibus ratings sagged, plummeting from 487 769 at most in April, to 361 509 in July. 

The other big ratings loser in July has been Idols, with the [SIC] Entertainment produced reality singing competition on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) luring 743 516 viewers at most for its season 18 debut during July, almost 10 000 fewer DStv subscribers watching than the 753 367 who watched the season 17 conclusion in November last year.

A new trio of judges including the returning socialite Somizi Mhlongo has been unable to stem what is now an ongoing ratings and audience share slide for Idols, similar to what happened to American Idol.

Meanwhile, Survivor South Africa on M-Net, produced by Afrokaans and moved to an earlier timeslot and stacked with daily episodes, lost a whopping 42.8% of its viewers for the 9th season entitled Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts, compared to the beginning of June a year ago.

Only 43 306 viewers tuned in for the start of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts on 18 July with ratings falling further on subsequent days, compared to the 75 770 DStv subscribers who still watched the start of the previous season.

The tired Muvhango, produced by Word of Mouth Pictures, that is on a shocking viewership slide fell further in July, dragging SABC2 down further as the channel's most-watched show, from an already-low 1.885 million viewers to 1.726 million (4.46 AR / 19 share).

SABC1 showing erosion

SABC1's entire TV ratings for July is now starting to buckle and show viewership erosion as well, as the SABC's analogue terrestrial signals are switched off by the government as and Eskom electricity blackouts wiped TV households from Nielsen's people meters.

Still the biggest channel in terms of South African audience reach, Uzalo from Stained Glass TV as SABC1 and South Africa's most-watched TV show slid from 6.1 to 5.9 million viewers.

Generations - The Legacy as South Africa's third most-watched show and SABC1's second most-watched show sagged from 4.95 to 4.79 million viewers, while Skeem Saam as SABC1's third most-watched show and the country's fourth most-watched show weakened from 4.27 to 4.5 million viewers.

Both Scandal! and House of Zwide on eMedia's e.tv channel have now surpassed Generations - The Legacy and Skeem Saam in the country's cutthroat TV ratings race as South Africa's second and third most-watched television shows.

On SABC1 the Zulu TV news bulletin decreased from 2.7 to 2.4 million viewers, the Xhosa TV news decreased from 2.7 to 2.47million viewers, the Siswati/Ndebele TV news bulletin decreased from 1.9 to 1.76 million viewers, Ses Top La sagged from 1.93 to 1.62 million viewers, and Roxic fell from 2.74 to 2.43 million viewers in July.

Muvhango drags SABC2 down 

On SABC2 Muvhango was the channel's most-watched show but again with fewer viewers, slumping from 1.88 to 1.72 million viewers during its 25th anniversary.

A presidential address from Cyril Ramaphosa on 25 July lured 990 887 viewers to the 20:00-timeslot.

The Afrikaans soap from Danie Odendaal Productions, 7de Laan, decreased in July from 990 032 to 945 543 viewers, Hlala Kwabafiley plunged from 933 299 to 670 295 viewers, the Afrikaans TV news bulletin fell from 716 185 to 629 895 viewers, while Bophelo Ka Semphekgo surged from 594 424 to 710 848 viewers.

SABC2's breakfast show Morning Live remains a bright spark as the country's most watched morning show, pulling a steady 453 733 viewers. 

The umpteenth repeat of the Angela Landsbury-fronted American drama series Murder She Wrote continued its bizarre afternoon ratings buoyancy from the month before, pulling 449 326 viewers in its 14:00-timeslot in the afternoons to SABC2 with more viewers than most other shows on the channel during primetime.

Liam Neeson helps SABC3

SABC3 showed a ratings uptick in July with the channel's entire top 20 most-watched shows gaining some viewers.

Liam Neeson came to S3's rescue with Taken 3 as the most-watched content on the channel during July, lifting it to 682 739 viewers from 596 739 in June - again with the channel's Sunday night movie timeslot at 19:30 which is now its highest viewership grabber and establishing a new appointment-viewing timeslot on SABC3, similar to what M-Net has had for decades.

Eden Untamed Planet lured 650 953 viewers on 24 July to the channel, followed by the first Taken movie on 10 July with 594 911 viewers and the English TV news with 563 514 viewers. Britain's Got Talent: The Champions pulled 400 884 viewers, while viewership of the American TV talk show The View was also up from 231 647 to 247 833 viewers in July.

e.tv's House of Zwide deserves cake

You'd think there'd be a flurry of press releases as e.tv crows about ratings gains like American TV channels hype viewership wins, but the red-letter channel keeps doing better and better as it lures more viewers away who no longer want to watch the SABC or likely can't watch SABC channels anymore as their Sentech distribution tower signals are cut off.

Scandal! was the e.tv's most-watched show for July and South Africa's second most-watched show, growing from 5.15 to 5.31 million viewers. 

Crew working on House of Zwide can apply for mortgages: the show surged from 4.65 to 4.91 million viewers, as e.tv's second most-watched and South Africa's third most-watched TV show overall with a "send cake" 12.7 AR and oh-so-sweet 44 share.

Imbewu is recovering, improving from 2.52 to 2.77 million viewers, The Black Door is improving from 2.29 to 2.58 million viewers, but the BET Africa Original Isono fell from 2.3 to 1.73 million viewers.

The cancelled Durban Gen lost steam from 2.9 4 to 2.55 million viewers, e.tv's 20:00 TV news slumped from 1.9 to 1.77 million viewers and Is'phindiselo weakened from 1.84 to 1.64 million viewers.

Weak note for Idols return

The glory days of Idols on M-Net and Mzansi Magic are likely over forever following 2021's sudden ratings collapse at the start of the 18th season. 

Idols came back for season 19 in July with a disappointing 743 516 viewers in the early Sunday evening timeslot where Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) has developed ratings weakness for over a year now.

Gomora on Mzansi Magic was once again the most-watched show on DStv during July but losing around 80 000 viewers from 1 189 324 to 1 108 493. eHostela had 913 363 DStv subscribers tuning in, with Our Perfect Wedding grabbing third place on the channel's ratings line-up with 765 938 viewers and Idols following in 4th place.

The Queen from Ferguson Films weakened from 785 625 to 737 092 viewers, while The Real Housewives of Cape Town lured just over a half million DStv subscribers with 515 928 tuning in. Mamazala on Moja Love (DStv 157) dropped from 501 804 to 463 051 viewers in July.

The new Mzansi Magic reality series Short n Sweet, a rip-off of Moja Love's  Giants of the City, made its debut with 592 320 viewers. 

South Africa's KZN flooding disaster: How flooded sets paused production and pushed out filming on Uzalo, Durban Gen, Imbewu and a movie.

by Thinus Ferreira

With flooded sets and casts and crew unable to get to work, the destructive rainfall and disastrous flooding in KwaZulu-Natal also damaged South Africa's TV and film industry as it disrupted production of Uzalo as the country's biggest TV show as well as other television series filmed in the province, with at least one locally-shot film that has to pause and push out its start of filming to next month.

South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province is dealing with a growing humanitarian disaster with more than 448 people who have lost their lives so far and billions of rand of damage to infrastructure and property.

The country's cabinet has declared a National State of Disaster in response to floods while KwaZulu-Natal based productions, making some of the biggest shows on South African television are also assessing the damage the floodwater wrought and picking up the pieces.

Uzalo on SABC1 and Durban Gen on e.tv that saw flooded sets and Imbewu on e.tv - all filmed in the province - had to halt production but have and are resuming production again.

The KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission (KZFC) tells TVwithThinus "the floods affected every community in KwaZulu-Natal. Most of the work in TV and film had to be put on hold due to lack of electricity, water and the roads being closed".

"We have not received any updates regarding most productions that had to be paused, however as productions usually take place around the KwaZulu-Natal area, there is a high possibility that they were also affected."

"A feature film called The Score was due to film from 19 April but due to the devastation experience in the province, they had to delay production until 16 May. We are still in the process of determining whether there were other projected affected."

The KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission says it is waiting to hear from producers to indicate what assistance they would need from the commission's side in order to get back in schedule with their filming processes.

"As the industry and an agency of the state, we are comforted by the fact that the government has made an estimation of the loss and are working on ensuring that people's livelihood are restored."

Stained Glass TV, the production company responsible for Uzalo - the most-watched show on South African television and most-watched show on the SABC that drew over 7 million viewers in March on SABC1 - told TVwithThinus that the prime time telenovela had to shut down production for 5 days but has resumed filming.  

The prime time soap Durban Gen, also produced by Stained Glass TV for eMedia's e.tv that lured 2.51 million viewers in March, also had to deal with flooded sets and shut down production for one day and for two days worked with cast and crew who could make it to work.

"Like most of KwaZulu-Natal our productions were also gravely impacted by the floods," Stained Glass TV spokesperson Nomfundo Zondi tells TVwithThinus.

"On both productions, we couldn't shoot for numerous days due to our sets being flooded and cast and crew being unable to make the journey to work. Lastly, all location and street scenes were temporarily halted simply because the weather wasn't conducive."

"Fortunately, we were able to quickly make the necessary reparations to the sets to resume production. Our hearts are with all those impacted, It is indeed a tough time for KwaZulu-Natal as many have not only lost jobs and homes but loved ones as well," she says.

Production will resume today on Imbewu, the prime time soap from Grapevine Productions on e.tv that lured 3.44 million viewers in March and which is also filmed in the flood-ravaged province.

"Due to weather conditions and flooding, some personnel were severely impacted and unable to travel to work," spokesperson Nilesh Singh says.

"As such, the production was halted on 12 and 13 April. A production break of one week for Easter, starting on 14 April was already scheduled and the production will resume as normal on Wednesday".

Season 8 of Uzalo introduces new ensemble cast to the KwaMasha drama led by the ruthless matriarch of the Magwaza family.

by Thinus Ferreira

The 8th season of the most-watched show on South African television will debut on Friday 4 March when Uzalo on SABC1 will introduce some new characters into the KwaMashu-set primetime series in the form of the Magwaza family.

"We are excited for audiences to experience a reimagined Uzalo," says Stained Glass TV executive producer Pepsi Pokane.

"The production team promises a season of high-stakes drama, riveting storylines, creativity, and skilful production. The production has several new faces joining the show, and it is a great pleasure to work with this impressive talent."

"We are confident that our viewers are eager to continue experiencing authentic stories that represent their everyday realities in a way that resonates with them."

The 8th season of Uzalo will usher in a new ensemble cast led by the Magwaza family that might be more than a match for the notorious Nkunzi.

The Magwaza family matriarch Njinji, portrayed by Thembi Nyandeni, is described as "a ruthless wolf in sheep's clothing" whose power-play dealings will "shake the whole Kwamashu community" according to the show.

The character of Njinji is introduced in Uzalo with her daughter, Nomaswazi Magwaza (Omuhle Gela), described as "a beautiful, smart, and conniving woman that moves stealthily, much like her mother".

Cousin Vikizitha Magwaza (Siyabonga Radebe) is described as "a charming and lethal criminal with his eyes fixed on Nkunzi's throne. 

Then there is Simon Nsimbi (Ronald Mkhwanazi), Njinji's son, right-hand man and described as a "voice of reason".

The police force is expanded with Constable Biyela (Thabisile Zikhali), described as "an honest and well-educated woman determined to keep the department on the straight and narrow".

The character of Flavia (Sthembile Mhlongo) is a "focused and independent career woman".

In addition to these new characters, Amahle Sishi (Hope Mbhele) enters the world of Uzalo as a "fun and liberal woman that captures the attention of Lilly". 

Kwanda (Sandile Mfusi) makes his arrival in KwaMashu "as a driven and charming man that woos Nonka into his attractive web, concealing his ulterior motives".

South African television ratings in 2021: The winners and losers.

by Thinus Ferreira

We again saw a lot this year, and in 2021 a lot of that was on television, with millions of South Africans watching the same thing, at the same time, where linear TV broadcasting still triumphs over streaming services that are growing but from a very small base.

Given the impact of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa, as well as the public unrest and looting that took place in the country, 2021's biggest TV ratings winner was undoubtedly television news.

The TV swansong of veteran anchor Noxolo Grootboom on the night of 30 March drew a huge audience of 3.82 million to SABC1 for her final SABC News isiXhosa TV news bulletin at 19:00 on South African television.

The 3 823 686 viewers who tuned in represented a 33 share, meaning that 1 out of every 3 TV sets that were switched on during the timeslot, were tuned to watch her.

Although not entertainment content, every single televised presidential address and "family meeting" of president Cyril Ramaphosa in 2021 - from Covid lockdown announcements to speaking about the public looting and unrest in South Africa and his State of the Nation address - drew millions of viewers combined for each broadcast, as viewers watched him speak live on SABC, e.tv and the three TV news channels of eNCA (DStv 403), SABC News (DStv 404), and Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405).

Such was the huge and successful ratings that if Cyril Ramaphosa's speeches were a TV show it would definitely have been renewed for another season in 2022. 

In just July for instance, president Cyril Ramaphosa's televised address to the nation to announce that South Africa is moving to an adjusted Level 3 lockdown on 25 July propelled his speech to the most-watched "show" on SABC2 for the month.

It was also the 4th most-watched on all of South African television with 5.84 million viewers (15.09 AR / 44.8 share) who tuned in.

Just a few weeks earlier, millions of viewers were once again glued to SABC2 when Cyril Ramaphosa spoke on 12 July to address the public violence with 3.7 million viewers (9.57 AR / 28.4 share), and again when he made a speech on 16 July about the looting that drew 4.17 million viewers (10.78 AR / 32.4 share).

Add another 1.7 million viewers who watched president Cyril Ramaphosa and his speech on 12 July on e.tv, and another 3.19 million who watched his speech on e.tv on 11 July.

Public unrest lifts news ratings

Anxiety and fear around Covid and public unrest in South Africa lifted TV news ratings on South African television to new records - millions of viewers tuned to television to find out what was going on.

Combined, the Zulu TV news bulletin on SABC1 in 2021 remained the single most-watched piece of TV news content on all of South African television this year and kept surging in the ratings race as it added millions of viewers.

The Zulu TV news on SABC1 climbed to an astounding 4.6 million viewers (12.11 AR / 36.4 share) viewers in July as the 5th most-watched programme on South African television for the month with the 12 July broadcast recording the most viewers.

This was followed by the Xhosa TV news bulletin on SABC1 on 13 July with 4.49 million viewers (11.62 AR / 35.2 share) as the 6th most-watched programme on TV for the month. 

In this month, the Setswana TV news bulletin on SABC2 surged on 12 July to an absolutely incredible 2.6 million viewers (6.95 AR / 19.9 share) - up from 768 544 viewers in June.

The memorial service of the amaZulu King Goodwill Zwelithini in March snagged 712 222 viewers on SABC2 in March.

And good morning to all of those early risers: Despite so many challenges behind-the-scenes at the SABC, Morning Live on SABC2 in 2021 continued to pull more viewers early in the morning - in excess of 700 000 - than a lot of other TV shows get during prime time.

Newzroom excels

The unrest of 2021 lifted the 2-year old TV news channel Newzroom Afrika to higher prominence as one of the notable TV ratings winners of the year.

Newzroom Afrika dethroned eNCA for the first time this year as the most-watched TV news channel during a national crisis event during July's unrest and looting, as it experienced a surge of pay-TV viewers on Monday 12 July and pushing it to the top of TV news ratings in that month on MultiChoice's DStv.

Having poached SABC News and eNCA talent ranging from Vaylen Kirtley to Thembekile Mrototo this year, Newzfeed with Stephen Grootes on 12 July was the 22nd most-watched and highest-rated TV news show on DStv in July - the first time that Newzroom Afrika had such a ratings victory that counts as a new highwater-mark viewership success for the channel.

This was closely followed by Newzroom Afrika's Daytime Update block between 12:00 and 15:00 on the same day that lured 470 324 (1.22 AR / 6.9 share) viewers, giving the channel a second notch and bragging rights during that month's ratings ladder.

More Moja and Uzalo

The year gave e.tv reason to smile with its new primetime soap at 19:00, House of Zwide, that replaced the cancelled Rhythm City, which is a bona fide ratings success, luring in excess of 4 million viewers monthly.

On pay-TV, the tabloid content of Moja Love (DStv 157) continued to grip lower-tiered DStv subscribers during 2021 with the channel that kept rising in the ratings race, making Moja Love the biggest pay-TV channel ratings gainer in the year.

In some months Moja Love became the most-watched content on all of DStv, pushing Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) out of the top spots with its collection of sensationalist reality shows like Ujayola 9/9, Isencane Lengane, Giants of the City, Mamazala, No Excuse Pay Papgeld and Single and Mingle.

On free TV, the SABC1-trifecta of Uzalo, Generations and Skeem Saam kept the crown as the country's most-watched shows and entertainment programming with respectively around 8 million, 6.5 million and 5 million viewers.

Props to Anaconda: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid with e.tv that broadcast it for the umpteenth time in 2021 and still bit a whopping 3.5 million viewers.

Ratings losers and disappointments

The South African public broadcaster's "problem child", SABC3, became even more of a problem in 2021 as ratings keep tanking month after month all through the year even after a disastrous rebrand to "S3" that didn't do anything to stem the loss of viewers.

Over the last 5 years, SABC3 lost over 50% of its audience and shed some more in 2021.

From 1.525 million viewers that SABC3 had in January 2016 half a decade ago - already a small percentage from the channel's heydeys in the 2000s - ongoing viewership and TV rating erosion saw its viewership plummet to as low as 625 717 viewers (excluding a once-off soccer broadcast) by October.

The success of e.tv's House of Zwide pummelled S3's new soap The Estate in the same death-zone 19:00-timeslot that has been a ratings disaster for the channel - so much so that the SABC decided on repurposing-triage by putting reruns of The Estate on SABC1 during prime time as a windowing-experiment to try and funnel viewers to SABC3.

SABC3's attempt to introduce a new late afternoon talk show this year with Unpacked with Relebogile was also a dud, sliding from an already-low 340 000 viewers to just over 300 000 by August with none of the buzz that 3Talk with Noeleen and Real Talk with Anele once had.

With little exposure and buzz, South Africa's Ugly Betty-version of uBettina Wethu was a ratings disappointment in the 19:30-timeslot on SABC1, while Die Sentrum from Penguin Films that replaced the Friday episode of 7de Laan lured far less viewers and saw SABC2 end the timeslot-replacement experiment.

The shockingly sharp decline if Idols

The year's biggest ratings-shocker was M-Net and [SIC] Entertainment's long-running Idols on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) that suddenly plunged in viewership after scandal engulfed the choreographer-socialite Somizi Mhlongo who immediately exited the 17th season after serious allegations of physical abuse.

Idols started off season 17 with 1 018 607 viewers on Mzansi Magic in July as usual, as the 4th most-watched show on all of DStv for the month.

Instead of climbing and the usual ratings increase as interest would build, Idols suddenly plunged with DStv subscribers who were no longer interested in watching following the scandal as the show plunged to 10th place on DStv's most-watched list with 693 760 viewers at most in August.

It was further downhill from there for Idols with a season-low of just 683 814 viewers in October, far-off from where Idols used to rank during the live Sunday live spectacular broadcasts. So bad was the ratings that for the first time since Idols began on South African television, Mzansi Magic axed the post-finale press conference for the winner.

Once American Idol ratings started to tank in the United States it never recovered and it will be interesting to see what Idols does viewership wise in 2022 for its 18th season.