The SABC TV News anchor Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller pregnant; expecting her first child, a girl, and 'off for a new adventure' as she goes on maternity leave.

The SABC's SABC TV News anchor Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller is pregnant and expecting her first child, a girl, with husband Geoffrey Miller.

Monday night was the last time SABC viewers saw Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller who left for maternity leave.

Co-anchor Peter Ndoro said viewers have been wondering for months why it seemed as if Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller was putting on weight behind the anchor desk. 

"I will miss being here, but I'm off for a new adventure," she said.

"It's a little girl!" said Peter Ndoro, as Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller took out a pair of small pink shoes at the end of Monday evening's bulletin, after which he reached over and hugged her on-screen.

The professional and beloved news reader on SABC3 and SABC News (DStv 404) got married in November 2014 in Stellenbosch.

SABC News mixed up Peter Ndoro and Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller on Wednesday evening's TV new bulletin.

On Wednesday evening the SABC News (DStv 404) didn't know who was Peter Ndoro and who was Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller, switching the names of the two around (Peter Ndoro is the one on the left and is always the one seated on the left) in the so-called "bottom third" identifyer graphic.

The SABC had no English TV news bulletin for viewers on SABC3 on terrestrial television in South Africa on Wednesday evening, electing to go with coverage of cricket.

The English TV news bulletin - the SABC's supposed flagship TV news bulletin of the day - only went out on the SABC News channel  on channel 404, only accessible on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform for pay-TV viewers - co-incidentally/ironically on the same day that the SABC's matricless chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng touted the SABC's "universal access" services at a media briefing in Johannesburg.

SABC TV news anchor Vabakshnee Chetty shares her beautiful wedding with SABC3's Top Billing.

Photos courtesy: Warren Williams Photography/Tswelopele Productions

"She's amazing. Just the smartest, the most caring, the most beautiful woman in the world."

So says husband Geoffrey Miller, CEO of TransUnion Africa, of the beloved SABC TV News anchor Vabakshnee Chetty who on Thursday night shared her recent wedding in Stellenbosch with South African viewers on SABC3's Top Billing.

Tswelopele Productions tells me it was Thabile Maphanga, Vabakshnee Chetty's maid of honour, close friend and SABC journalist, who invited the show to her wedding with the reception which took place on 22 November at the Webersburg Wine Estate outside Stellenbosch. 

Other SABC TV talent also attended the wedding like SABC TV News co-anchor Peter Ndoro and Mishal Mookrey of Mela on SABC2. 

The wedding had a "classic, elegant and timeless look" done by wedding co-ordinator Anne Mann of Anne Mann Celebrates.

The two met three years ago. Geoffrey Miller was introduced to Vabakshnee Chetty, or "Vee" as her friends call her, and they went on a blind date to Johannesburg ballet to see Romeo and Juliet.

Is the SABC clueless, simply out of touch with what its doing, or lying about its own coming huge schedule changes? Which is it?

It's hilarious how the SABC is working in a PR blitz segment as "news" every evening on the public broadcaster's English language news bulletin directly in relation to my ongoing news stories.

The SABC is saying things which are completely the opposite of what is happening at the SABC schedule wise, and what is going to happen.

The SABC scornfully calls me a :self proclaimed Cape Town based TV critic" (yet loved me 4 years ago when I had nothing but praise for the SABC's 2010 World Cup TV set which I visited.)

It's okay. First belittle the messenger as a big institution and try to destroy a journalist's credibility, and then cast aspersions like saying legitimate reporting from a legitimate journalist and longtime TV critic seems "to some extent instigate racial and linguistic divisions".

 I won't stop providing news reporting on South Africa's TV industry and the SABC's latest ongoing scheduling changes and the affects that it will have on the country and viewers.

(By the way, the SABC doesn't even have its own image to use of the SABC's Afrikaans news - they have to use mine - oh the irony! using the self proclaimed TV critic's photo of one of your own shows - with their own story.

On the SABC's SABC News website with their story - and for which nobody from SABC News asked me for any comment - it is basically the SABC press release masquerading as news - they're using my image I took from August 2013 without any photo credit. Madness.)

What I have to ask is whether the SABC's spokespeople are lying, or whether they genuinely just don't know what is happening at the public broadcaster with the schedule after the World Cup? 

Please look and watch this clip for instance of just one of this week's inserts on the SABC's news bulletin which the SABC keeps doing, following my ongoing reporting.

It's strange that SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago would tell news anchor Vabakshnee Chetty on SABC3's news bulletin that "we will come back to our normal programming after the World Cup".

That is definitely not happening, yet the SABC keeps saying that.

Meanwhile SABC's TV executives are on record that the TV schedules are changing and that the Afrikaans news is moving to SABC3 permanently, and that the bulk of Afrikaans programming on the SABC is moving from SABC2 to SABC3 permanently as part of "drastic" scheduling changes coming to SABC television from 14 July.

BREAKING. SABC News quietly cuts back Prime Time News to just one hour starting at 18:30 from today; adds the new News at 8.

The SABC and SABC News (DStv 404) today quietly cut back Prime Time News, the public broadcaster's flagship daily news bulletin to just one hour; moving Business Review earlier and adding a new news bulletin, News at 8.

The change - not communicated by the SABC overall nor SABC News - now means that Prime Time News is half an hour shorter daily.

It means that Prime Time News with news anchors Peter Ndoro and Vabakshnee Chetty on SABC News - simulcast on SABC3 - from today starts at the same time.

Previously Prime Time News on SABC News started at 18:00 until 19:30, with SABC3 taking the simulcast feed from 18:30 until 19:30 after the show was on for half an hour already.

Business Review with the excellent Francis Herd also moved today from 20:00 to 18:00 - two hours earlier. This means that Business Review now serves as the new lead-in to Prime Time News.

The SABC and SABC News made the change without informing the press of this schedule change on its 24-hour TV news channel as well.

Also not communicated by the SABC or SABC News' publicity departments and spokespeople is the addition of News at 8 from today, a new half hour long live news bulletin.

The Afrikaans news bulletin on SABC News at 19:30 remains unchanged in the same timeslot.

The SABC, in response to a media enquiry, told TV with Thinus on Tuesday that there was "a strategic need to reposition the business slot because it is a good time to update and interpret the movement on the stock market which closes at 17:00".

"This also gives us an opportunity to turn the show into a love and interview-driven programme, something that has not been possible to do when the show was in its previous slot".

"Where we had Business Review at 20:00, we now have a news programme called News @ 8. This gives us a vantage point to update viewers about the latest news developments in the country and elsewhere. We believe that the new schedule is dynamic and will serve different viewership preferences," the SABC tells me.

CONGRATULATIONS. The vivacious Vabakshnee Chetty, SABC news anchor, engaged.

Congratulations is in order for Vabakshnee Chetty: the journalist and SABC News reporter just got engaged.

Vabakshnee Chetty is seen on SABC News (DStv 404), anchors SABC3's primetime flagship daily news bulletin and is a well-known voice as news reader on radio on SAfm.

Vabakshnee Chetty was off for a few days during which a big engagement ring got slipped on her finger.

Vabakshnee Chetty, whose name means "come wish", returned on Tuesday evening to SABC television news again for the first time - now newly engaged.

But the usually chatty Chetty didn't say a word about it.

Neither did her co-anchor Peter Ndoro or any of the other presenters during the usual small talk moments of the hour long news bulletin (she did however quip in a quick joke that she was away for just a few days and Peter Ndoro already forgot her name after he struggled to pronounce it correctly).

SABC star reporter Chriselda Lewis was the first SABC newser to publicly congratulate Vabakshnee Chetty on her engagement, saying "the rock is gorgeous".

DRESSED IN BLACK. South Africa's news anchors are all dressed in black on television as multiple TV reporters also choose black attire.

Following the death of Nelson Mandela, all of South Africa's news anchors were dressed in black as a visible sign of mourning on Friday night during all the primetime TV news bulletins.

Across all channels providing news - SABC1, SABC2, SABC3, e.tv, eNCA (DStv 403), SABC News (DStv 404), ANN7 (DStv 405) - and on M-Net's special live Friday commemorative edition of Carte Blanche with Derek Watts and Bongani Bingwa, all the anchors were unanimous in the colour of their attire: black.

From Vabakshnee Chetty and Vuyo Mvuko on SABC News, to Iman Rappetti and Jeremy Maggs on eNCA, to Peter Stemmet on ANN7 and several others, they all appropriately showed their feelings regarding Nelson Mandela and what he meant and means to South Africa on their sleeves.

Several TV reporters from the three South African TV news channels also wore black, or a combination of black and white during the day as they did live reporting and filed stories on location throughout South Africa.

Weather presenters also chose to wear black on South African television today.

SABC's matricless megastar Hlaudi Motsoeneng on boastful binge over SABC News channel: 'We have negotiated with MultiChoice more than half a billion! Who else can do that?'

The SABC's matricless megastar Hlaudi Motsoeneng is cementing his attention-hogging status as the South African public broadcaster's supremo enfant terrible, with the SABC's controversial acting chief operating officer (COO) doing zeaolous public boasting about the SABC's next attempt at a 24-hour TV news channel.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng who led the negotiating team from the SABC's side to start a second attempt at a 24-hour news channel on MultiChoice's DStv platform, went on the SABC's airwaves on Thursday evening shortly after the channel started on DStv, to proudly exclaim: "We have negotiated with MultiChoice more than R500 million. Half a billion! Who else can do that?"

In studio 9 being interviewed live on the air by the SABC News anchor Vabakshnee Chetty and basking in the glow of the bright studio lights, Hlaudi Motsoeneng spoke about how nobody is going to dictate to the SABC who the public broadcaster should be in business with, or about news - least of all not print media.

The SABC endured a public pummeling in the South African press which reached a crescendo in 2012 due to ongoing financial problems and instability, mismanagement, top executive and SABC board room drama, resignations and constant accusations of political interference from the ruling ANC party and biased news coverage.

"You know we have been struggling, talking for more than 12 years about 24-hour news channel. Some people thought we were not going to make it. But we have done it. We have succeeded at the SABC," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

"You know the reason people are so afraid of this channel is because we cross to New York, we cross to Zimbabwe, we cross to provinces. You know, newspapers shall quote SABC, we shall not follow newspapers. They shall follow us.We should dictate. No-one should dictate for SABC."

The SABC News channel on MultiChoice's DStv platform on channel 404 replaces the SABC's first attempt at a 24-hour news channel, SABC News International.

SABC News International was launched in July 2007 but closed down three years later at the end of March 2010 after costing hundreds of millions of rands and which helped to bring the SABC to the brink of financial collapse in 2009.

MultiChoice as a private satellite pay-TV platform is giving the SABC more than half a billion rand over the next few years to run the SABC News channel, which has raised serious concerns within civil society groups.

When the SABC News anchor Vabakshnee Chetty asked Hlaudi Motsoeneng why did it take the SABC so long to get a dedicated 24-hour news channel, he bluntly responded: '"I can't answer that. I wasn't a leader. This time I'm a leader. I can just talk about the current."

"Then tell me about your vision as a leader now for this channel," asked Vabakshnee Chetty.

"People should not dictate who SABC should do business with," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng. "We as SABC should dictate ourselves. We have a historical partnership with MultiChoice. We have a partnership coming from sports. SABC Africa in the past we were also involved. We're saying MultiChoice is the right platform for our own, ordinary people to watch."

"Especially what is also key, at the rural areas where some of the people they don't have water, the government decision-makers, they will be able to watch such stories. Which are unique stories. But we can't be dictated by print media or other people," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

"We now have been able to negotiate with MultiChoice more than R500 million. Half a billion! Who else can do that?' If you focus on problems you become your problems yourself - you can't move on. If we are able to raise R500 million - half a billion - who says we can't raise R1,5 billion after five years? Who says we can't raise revenue?" said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

"Why are our own journalists quoting newspapers? If you are a journalist you need to be out there on the street. You need to have sources that you know when you talk about a story that is going to happen. We don't just want to talk about the rumours," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

At the SABC's launch event of the SABC News TV channel on Thursday afternoon one executive after the other lavished praised on Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

Lulama Mokhobo thanked Hlaudi Motsoeneng, saying "we've very grateful for your strange behaviour. We sometimes think: 'Is this man mad?' You're not caring who's standing in your path and you're ready to klap them. We thank you for your tenacity."

Zandile Tshabala the SABC's interim SABC chairperson said: "Sometimes I get jealous," referring to Hlaudi Motsoeneng. "He's more famous than the SABC."

Imtiaz Patel, the group CEO for MultiChoice South Africa said "Hlaudi Motsoeneng always throws curveballs and you're right, he is more famous than the SABC," said Imtiaz Patel. He called Hlaudi Motsoeneng "a torchbearer" for the SABC.

'My name is Zandile," the SABC chairperson tells news anchor Peter Ndoro on the new SABC News channel when he wrongly calls her Andile.

Barely an hour into the start of the broadcast of the SABC's new SABC News (DStv 404) 24-hour news channel, the very first on-air embarrassment took place.

The new primetime SABC News anchor Peter Ndodo didn't know and use the correct name of the interim SABC chairperson Zandile Tshabalala - mistakenly referring to her as Andile, after which she publicly corrected him on live television.

With the tumultuous turn-over of the SABC board and SABC board members the past few years it is difficult for journalists to keep up but Peter Ndoro, and on a SABC channel, should have known.

When Peter Ndoro, who will now be co-anchoring the SABC's flagship news bulletin on the SABC News channel on weeknights with Vabakshnee Chetty mistakenly called Zandile, Andile, she called him out on it.

"A point of correction, my name is Zandile. Zandile, not Andile," said Zandile Tshabalala.

"Sorry, sorry for that mistake," said Peter Ndoro.

BABY WATCH. SABC News goes entertainment tabloid as SABC3 newsreaders Vabakshnee! Simon! Nompu! share their baby photos.

You're reading it here first. 

SABC3's news bulletin on Friday, the SABC's main flagship television news broadcast of the public broadcaster, turned shamelessly entertainment tabloid at the tail end of Friday night's broadcast when the SABC news readers Vabakshnee Chetty, Simon Burke and Nompu Siziba all shared their own baby photos when they were small and speculated about princess Kate Middleton's baby.

After an end run story about the pending birth of the British royal baby of William and Kate, the SABC News suddenly didn't just turn tabloid but turned inward on itself when itself became the news.

Vabakshnee Chetty showed and shared photos with viewers in quick succession of business news reader Nomphu Siziba as a baby (complete with leopard print surface), business news reader Simon Burke (as a precocious baby with a bottle and as a little boy), and then of herself sitting next to an old TV set (Vabakshee Chetty was clearly always destined to end up in television!).

"I don't know who that kid is," remarked Simon Burke dryly when his baby photos popped up on the massive video wall behind them.

"Aw. Look at you! So sweet!" he exclaimed when Vabakshnee Chetty's photo was shown.

"This is sooo embarrassing. Mortifying indeed. I wish baby watch would come to an end because that is too much," he said.

"But there is so many questions about the royal baby," said Vabakshnee Chetty excitedly, now launching into full-on E! Entertainment E! News mode - signaling the start of the rampant speculative statements, half-truths and fluff filler which are all so often disguised as questions, and which are so endemic to unverified and gossipy entertainment news reportage.

"Will the royal baby be ginger like Uncle Harry? Will the royal baby have green eyes? Will it have blue eyes like William?" asked Vabakshnee Chetty.

"And Kate is the first commoner to marry into the royal family in something like, 17th centuries," Vabakshnee Chetty told the nation.

"The ginger hair just bring up soo many questions," Simon Burke chimed in. "So many unanswered questions..."

"Oh, stop Simon!" chastized Nompu Siziba pegged seemingly unconfortably in-between Simon Burke and Vabakshnee Chetty,behind the SABC news anchor desk and unable to escape the baby banter.

"Isn't there some guy ... Admiral..." continued Simon Burke.

"Why is my picture still on the screen?" he asked.

"Because you're the cutest one," said Vabakshnee Chetty.

Neither Giuliana Rancic nor Lalla Hirayama couldn't have done it better.

BREAKING. SABC CEO Lulama Mokhobo explains the massive makeover of the SABC's flagship daily TV news bulletin on SABC3.

You're reading it here first. 

Lulama Mokhobo, the SABC's CEO, appeared on the revamped and massively makeover-ed SABC News bulletin this evening on SABC3 - now an hour long on weekdays from today and starting at 18:30 (with a brand-new set, a new opening sequence and a new tri-anchor news team) to explain the reason for the change to the SABC's flagship TV news bulletin.

"We're doing the news differently from today. Many people probably thought it's an April Fools' Joke, I assure you it's not," said SABC News anchor Vabakshnee Chetty, before she started interviewing Lulama Mokhobo live in the new news studio.

It was very important for us to provide South Africans with an additional half an hour to the 30 minutes that we used to have from 19:00 to 19:30," said Lulama Mokhobo.

"The reason is quite simply that we do not have enough space in our 30 minute bulletins to be able to provide South Africans with perspectives from across the country. As you know there is so much going on, all the time, in all the provinces, which we're unable to broadcast because there's only so much you can do in the small time we have," said Lulama Mokhobo.

"Secondly it gives us an opportunity to not only expand on the news of the day but to educate South Africans a little bit more. We tend to think news is only for information; it is also partly for education. If you have a society that is very well informed, they're able to make better decisions about their daily lives and what they're going to be doing tomorrow and how they're going to interact with their environment," said Lulama Mokhobo.

Vabakshnee Chetty asked Lulama Mokhobo on SABC News whether market and audience research was done before the change to an hour long broadcast, and what viewers want to see the SABC deliver.

"There was indeed, there was viewer research that was done through our platforms." Lulama Mokhobo said "news took centrestage".

According to Lulama Mokhobo, viewers complained and told the SABC that "we need to see more of regional events and happenings, and we've taken that on board - very seriously. If we can't do that, then we can't be the public broadcaster."

"Would you say that regional broadcasting of regional news is what sets us apart from our competitors?" asked Vabakshnee Chetty of Lulama Mokhobo.

"Without a doubt, without a doubt. We are truly South African. And yes, while we do carry some international news, our focus should be on what is happening in South Africa and the region itself. When we look at provincial news gathering services, actually we have a huge amount of content, which you know as a news woman yourself, comes through our pipes - and we're unable to use it," said Lulama Mokhobo.

"I think for me, it's a bit of a tragedy that so much is going on and the country doesn't know about it. So yes, a major proportion of what will be happening in this one hour newscast will pay due respect and create space for the regions to be heard,'' said Lulama Mokhobo.

BREAKING. Try this: SABC News and the SABC surprise with South African television's first ever tri-anchor news team format.

You're reading it here first.

Try this out for size: In a try worthy of game upmanship over the eNCA (DStv 403) and its flagship news bulletin News Night with Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rappetti as dual co-anchors (now down to just Jeremy Maggs as Iman Rappetti is on study leave abroad), the SABC and SABC Television News surprised by unveiling South African television, South African television news, and the SABC's, first ever tri-anchor news format this evening.

The SABC News, the new name for the News @ 7 on SABC3 which now will start at 18:30 on weekdays and be an hour long broadcast - news TV with Thinus broke last month, revealed three news anchors seated simultaneously behind the anchor desk - covering main news, business news and sport on a daily basis.

Besides the new tri-anchor news team, the news bulletin also has a brand-new opening sequence, and also has a brand new, gleaming, space-age set with a massive mosaic video wall.

"The show will be an hour long, with updates from news, business and sport and that's where my co-anchors come into the fray. Tumi Buys will be on the business desk with Simon Burke on sport. Hello guys, exciting times lie ahead," said anchor Vabakshnee Chetty.

"I must say, 'Great to be here.' I will bring you the latest in business and economic news and I look forward to tonight's bulletin," said Tumi Buys.

"We've got a world-class playing surface, this amazing studio, there's plenty of space. We're going to use it to its full potential. We've got a dedicated team of reporters, speaking to the people, getting the questions answered. It's very exciting times," said Simon Burke, referring to the new SABC News set.

"We do have a world-class studio that we're broadcasting from, and we will be bringing you the latest in terms of business, sport, econ and weather and we will bring the people into the studio - the newsmakers - and ask them the questions you want answered," said Vabakshnee Chetty.

Zinhle Tshabalala was introduced as the new primetime news "weather girl", the new meteorologist who viewers will be seeing on the SABC News on SABC3 from now on.


ALSO READ: Brand-new opening sequence for SABC News and the SABC's flagship TV news bulletin on SABC3.
ALSO READ: SABC News reveals a gleaming, brand-new space-age set; giant mosaic video wall; and a new opening sequence.