Soap Actress Kate Roothman Becomes 8th Presenter to Front kykNET's Boer Soek 'n Vrou Reality Dating Series

by Thinus Ferreira

Soap actress Kate Roothman, known for a role in kykNET's Binnelanders Afrikaans TV soap, will be the new presenter of the Afrikaans South African version of Farmer Wants a Wife, Boer Soek 'n Vrou after Reandi Grey quit. 

Reandi Grey lasted two seasons after deciding she had enough, with Kate Roothman taking over from 2027's 19th season of the reality dating show produced by Wolflight Films.

Previous presenters who got tired of the long distances on dirt roads and having to spend a lot of time away on farms, far from South Africa's metropoles include Elma Postma, Angelique Gerber, Nadia Beukes, Minki van der Westhuizen, Leah van Niekerk, Marciel Hopkins and Reandi Grey.

kykNET (DStv 144) sent out a press release about Kate Roothman as new presenter - but only to some media, and ahead of time, so that only certain publications were given the courtesy to do interviews and articles that could be published on Thursday. 

After making a media query, publicist Wilmer Muller sent a press release on Friday morning to TVwithThinus, noting in it that Kate Roothman is going to do an exclusive interview with Bravo! on kykNET that "will be broadcast on Thursday at 21:00 on kykNET".

But that was last night.

MultiChoice and kykNET also botched its own announcement when the Bravo! episode was apparently loaded to DStv Catch Up too early anyway and gave away that the soap star is now the new reality series presenter.

South African Actor Ian Roberts for A Kind of Madness and SA Sports Film The Philipstown Wirecar Grand Prix from Giant Films Score Nominee Nods at 54th International Emmy Awards

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African actor Ian Roberts for the Wolflight film A Kind of Madness, as well as The Philipstown Wirecar Grand Prix from Giant Films in South Africa, have been nominated for 2026's 54th International Emmy Awards taking place on 23 November.

Ian Roberts scored a nomination in the category for Best performance by an actor for A Kind of Madness, while The Philipstown Wirecar Grand Prix film has been nominated in the category Best sports documentary.

Besides South Africa, nominees for the 54th International Emmy Awards come from 22 countries, including Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom.

There are 64 nominees across 16 categories and spanning 22 countries. 

The Philipstown Wirecar Grand Prix, about a group of teenagers who race their handmade wirecars in the desert, is currently available on Amazon Prime Video.

A Kind of Madness, from Wolflight Films, also stars Sandra Prinsloo, with Christiaan Olwagen as director who co-wrote the film with Wessel Pretorius.

A Kind of Madness, is a drama and road movie about a 70-year old man named Dan, who abducts his dementia-suffering wife, Elna, from her residential care home.

Driven by desperation and love, Dan goes on the run with Elna to escape both the police and their three adult children, who are actively pursuing them. They eventually make their way back to the ocean where they first met.

A Kind of Madness was a major winner earlier this year at the 19th South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas) walking away with four Golden Horn trophies.

Ian Roberts won at the Saftas for Best actor in a feature film, Sandra Prinsloo won for Best actress in a feature film, Christiaan Olwagen and Wessel Pretorius won Best achievement in scriptwriting for a feature film, and A Kind of Madness also won a trophy for Best achievement in original music/score for a feature film.

"The International Emmy Awards are as competitive as ever, with an outstanding range of entries from around the world vying for a coveted nomination," says Bruce L. Paisner, International Academy President & CEO, in a statement announcing the list of nominees.

"We look forward to bringing the global television community together to celebrate these exceptional programs and performances."

Niggies set for March and filmed by Wolflight Films is kykNET's first drama series based on a true-crime double murder

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net has commissioned and filmed a new Afrikaans drama series, Niggies, for kykNET (DStv 144), which is kykNET's first-ever drama series based on true-crime murders in South Africa.

Niggies will start on kykNET in March. 

Produced by Wolflight Films with Jaco Bouwer as director, the 9-episode Niggies started filming in October 2024 and wrapped on 7 December, with principal photography that took place around Cape Town.

Niggies is based on the double murders in 1965 of Issie Fourie and Petro Nel in the Free State province town of Odendaalsrus who were both abducted and murdered.

Issie's brother, André decided to bring the perpetrator to justice - something that took 18 years.

Niggies stars Beer Adriaanse as the older André, with Janru Steenkamp as the younger André, alongside Carel Nel.

Niggies starts with the double abduction and murder of Issie Fourie and Petro Nel in Odendaalsrus in 1965 and stretches across the 1960s and 1980s. The story is set in Odendaalsrus, Allanridge and Kroonstad in the northeastern Free State. 

Niggies has Roelof Storm as executive producer with Saartjie Botha and Philip Rademeyer who penned the script.

Jaco Bouwer says "While the abduction and murders made headlines at the time, the details of the story have been forgotten by all but those directly affected by the trauma".

"We didn't want to open old wounds but rather explore what really happened, with some dramatic license, and examine it in the context of modern South Africa where these events are more common than they were 60 years ago."

Waldimar Pelser, M-Net director of premium channels, says "Niggies is a raw exploration of loss and how unresolved trauma can destroy families".

"It is not a sensational story about violence - rather, it is a sensitive examination of how pain can be managed, and healing found in a place where hope is not supposed to exist."