Esta TerBlanche of Egoli and All My Children found dead in her Los Angeles home at 51.

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African actress Esta Terblanche known for her roles of Bienkie Naudé in Egoli on M-Net (DStv 101) and Princess Gillian Andrassy on All My Children seen on SABC3 was found dead in her Los Angeles home on Friday. She was 51.

On Saturday evening former colleagues of hers confirmed to TVwithThinus that the actress had died, who left South Africa in 1996 to star in the American daytime soap.

According to the Los Angeles County coroner's office a 51-year old woman was found dead at her residence on Friday. 

An autopsy is scheduled for the cause of death.

Her body was found by police in her North Hollywood home after workers couldn't contact her for a number of days and alerted law enforcement.

Police contacted her younger brother Henko who lives in New York, who in turn contacted her family in South Africa about her death.

Burgert Muller, former executive producer of Egoli produced by Franz Marx for M-Net, told me "It's with great shock that I hear the news of Esta. As a young woman in Egoli she was a light in our lives".

"She was the epitome of professionalism, always well prepared and brought joy to set. She was beloved under her colleagues and we were very proud of her when she left to go to America and found fame there with All My Children."

Henry Mylne, former Egoli director who worked from the outset with Esta, told TVwithThinus that "When Franz Marx started Egoli Esta was just finished with matric. She still had to write her last subject after she heard that she had secured the role of Bienkie".

"This young woman had no professional training and she had to portray a main role opposite formidable actors like Christine Basson, Hennie Smit, Brumilda van Rensburg and Sandra Prinsloo."

"Esta was thrown in at the deep end. I helped her a lot with the very difficult task and she absolutely kept up. It was a pure joy to work with her. Besides her acting talent she was incredibly beautiful - when you looked back at scenes you'd often just stare for seconds before listening to the dialogue."

"Around 1996 she decided to go try her luck and further her career overseas and got cast in All My Children. On the Egoli set she was wonderful and I can't remember a single day that anyone had an issue with her or that she was unprofessional."

Henry Mylne says Esta TerBlanche was incredibly popular in South Africa with viewers, and then again with All My Children."

"She loved cats and also had squirrels years ago. She also kept prairie dogs and would always post images of her with all kinds of animals."

Esta TerBlanche still visited South Africa two weeks ago and visited her aunt also named Esta, as well as her dad for a week (her mother had already passed away) and her other brother before she returned to Los Angeles.

In 1991 Esta TerBlanche was crowned Miss Teen South Africa after which she got the Egoli role of Beatrice "Bienkie" Naudé from 1992 where she remained until 1995. 

She then moved to America and appeared in All My Children from 1997 until 2001 when she asked for her character to be written off the show. She briefly returned in 2011 for the All My Children finale.

She was married to Andre de Kock from 1997 to 2008 who was a production assistant on Egoli and after that was in a relationship with fellow South African actor Neil Sandilands that ended several years ago.

Esta Terblanche made appearances on M-Net's youth strand K-TV, had a role in the film Three Thieves and a Wedding and appeared in episodes of TV series like Spin City and The Syndicate.

Lisa Rodrigo, Esta TerBlanche's American publicist, wrote on Facebook: "I can not believe I am posting this. It's with a heavy heart that my friend and client Esta TerBlanche passed away Thursday of natural causes."

"An autopsy report is pending. I am still processing and in shock. Esta was a beautiful soul in and out. I was proud to know her and work with her. More to come in the days ahead."

Shaleen Surtie-Richards' family on her death and legacy of love: She not only lived in our hearts but in the hearts of this great nation.

by Thinus Ferreira

The family of Shaleen Surtie-Richards whose shocking death at 66 on Monday morning stunned South Africa’s TV and film industry and everyone who watched and loved her characters she portrayed on stage, TV and in the movies, said that the beloved actress who was their aunt, sister, cousin and niece lived not just in their hearts but in the hears of all South Africans.

Shaleen Surtie-Richards, known for iconic roles like Nenna in Egoli on M-Net (DStv 101) and Fiela Komoetie in the film Fiela se Kind, passed away in a guest house in Cape Town where she was staying while filming for her role in kykNET’s Arendsvlei telenovela.

She was supposed to go to get her Covid-19 vaccine on Monday but when her family arrived they found her dead. The cause of her death has not been established but her family says she did not take her own life.

“Today, the Surtie family has to confirm with great sadness and utter shock the passing of Shaleen Surtie-Richards,” Alistair Izobell, the family’s spokesperson told TVwithThinus.

“We have lost a sister, an aunt, a cousin and a niece and we are trying to process, to come to terms and to still our broken hearts. We understand that she was not just only in our hearts but in the hearts of this great nation and we thank you for your love and support and respect as we prepare for her final curtain call”.

ALSO READ: Shaleen Surtie-Richards’ funeral: 'An icon beloved by the people but abandoned by the system,' says friend Rif'at Browers; implores arts minister Nathi Mthethwa to launch a fund to support South Africa's suffering artists.

ALSO READ: Shaleen Surtie-Richards on her money struggles in last TV interview: 'I just pray very hard that I won't get ill'.

ALSO READ: kykNET’s Saturday edition of Ontbytsake will be a special tribute to Shaleen Surtie-Richards: 'We tried not to cry,' says presenter Eloise Cupido.

ALSO READ: Actress Shaleen-Surtie Richards found dead in a Cape Town guest house. She was 66.

ALSO READ: Fiela se Kind film director Katina Heyns on Shaleen Surtie-Richards: 'She had all of us laughing the one moment, and weeping the next.'

ALSO READ: South Africa's TV and film industry's 'darkest secret': Why the beloved actress icon Shaleen Surtie-Richards died poor - when she didn't have to.

ALSO READ: Shaleen Surtie Richards: I Am Who I Am documentary scheduled for Wednesday night on M-Net as MultiChoice's TV tribute collection of content expands after iconic actress' death - latest programming listing across channels.

ALSO READ: Shaleen Surtie-Richards as Arendsvlei’s Muriel: Return-story got fully filmed and wrapped last week with character that will be on screen again on kykNET & Kie from September.

ALSO READ: Producer Diana Lucas on Shaleen Surtie-Richards’ final time on film in new bio doc: 'An intimate talk with a woman who was an amazing person.' 

Actress Shaleen-Surtie Richards found dead in a Cape Town guest house. She was 66.

by Thinus Ferreira

The acclaimed South African actress Shaleen Surtie-Richards has been found dead in a guest house in Cape Town on Monday morning, Netwerk24 reports. She was 66.

Shaleen Surtie-Richards was in Cape Town busy filming the kykNET telenovela Arendsvlei produced by Penguin Films.

Shaleen Surtie-Richards' cause of death is not yet known but her family in a statement through spokesperson Alistair Izobell, says that Shaleen "did not take her own life". Her family in a statement told TVwithThinus that Shaleen Surtie Richards "not only lived in our hearts but in the hearts of this great nation".

The beloved actress who was born in Upington in the Northern Cape is primarily remembered for her two biggest iconic roles like Fiela Komoetie in the film Fiela se Kind as well as that of Ester "Nenna" Willemse in Franx Marx's TV soap Egoli on M-Net (DStv 101) that she played for a stretch of 18 years.

She appeared in several other South African TV soaps including 7de Laan, Villa Rosa and SABC1's Generations and in 2001 she also hosted her own TV talk show, Shaleen, on M-Net.

She won a litany of awards including Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards for her role as Hester in Athol Fugard's Hallo en Koebaai and in 2009 for her role in Shirley Valentine.

Qualifying as a kindergarten teacher, Surtie-Richards taught in Upington and Cape Town between 1974 and 1984 during which she took many roles in several amateur stage productions between 1974 and 1981. She started her professional acting career in 1984.

Other TV roles included appearances in Galery, Ou Grote, Rugby Motors, Broken Vows, Die Uwe Pottie Potgieter, Fishy Feshuns, It's OK We're Family, and in Rockville as Judy.

In film Shaleen Surtie-Richards had roles in movies ranging from Nag van die 19de (1992) to Leon Schuster's Panic Mechanic (1996), Mama Jack (2005) in which she played the mayor, to Halfmanspunt (1986), Susanna van Biljon (2010), Jimmy in Pink (2013), Agent 2000: Die Laksman (2014), Knysna (2014), Treurgrond (2015), Twee Grade van Moord (2016), Funny Enough (2016), Droomdag (2017), Vaselinetjie (2017), Draadloos (2019) and in Showmax's recent Swirl: A Letter to Hair on the Cape Flats (2021). She's also appearing in Slay (2021) as Delilah.

On stage Shaleen Surtie-Richards' work stretched over more than 3 decades as she performed widely across South Africa and abroad appearing on the London stage and the Edinburgh Festival.

Shaleen Surtie-Richards work on stage ranged from The Comedy of Errors (Maynardville,1986) to Die Proponentjie (CAPAB, 1986), Kyk Hoe Hol Hulle (1986), Blomtyd is Bloeityd (1987), Romeo and Juliet (Maynardville, 1988), Aap in die Mou (CAPAB, 1988), Legends! (1988), Just Like Home (1989), Juno and the Pavcock (Baxter Theatre, 1990), Selle Ou Storie (1991), and the radio drama Kanna hy ko Hystoe in 1994.

Shaleen Surtie-Richards was also on stage in Buckingham Palace, District Six (2001), the pantomime RooiKoppitjie (2001), The Vagina Monologues (2002), As Ek Maar Geweet Het (2011), Rondomskrik (2014), A Christmas Carol (Baxter Theatre, 2013), and as Ma in Siener in die Suburbs at Aardklop in 2015.

UPDATE Monday 6 June 2021 12:22: M-Net, kykNET and MultiChoice's DStv in a joint statement says "It is with great sadness that we confirm the news that Shaleen Surtie Richards (66) has passed away".

"We mourn the loss of a legend of stage and screen. She will forever be remembered for iconic roles like Nenna in Egoli and the role of Fiela Komoetie in Fiela se Kind."

"Surtie-Richards also conquered hearts across the country with her Fleur du Cap-winning performance as Shirley Valentine. With her role as Fiela in the final years of Apartheid, Surtie-Richards started to bridge the racial divide between Afrikaans speakers from various backgrounds. She was loved by all."

"Our thoughts are with her family and friends during this difficult time."

UPDATE: Tribute broadcasts:

The kykNET (DStv 144), kykNET & Kie (DStv 145) and M-Net (DStv 101) channels will all do tribute broadcasts to Shaleen Surtie-Richards and her screen legacy this week.

- Hannes aan Huis has already recorded and pre-scheduled before her untimely passing an interview with Shaleen Surtie-Richards before this week and it will be broadcast this week on 8 June at 21:00 on kykNET (DStv 144).

- On Wednesday 8 June KLOP! on kykNET & Kie (DStv 145) will also do a special programme, remembering Shaleen Surtie-Richards.

-M-Net (DStv 101) will broadcast a special documentary about Shaleen Surtie-Richards this coming weekend, the broadcasting date and time must still be confirmed.

The film Fiela se Kind will be broadcast on Friday 11 June on fliekNET (DStv 149) at 20:00.

ALSO READ: Shaleen Surtie-Richards’ funeral: 'An icon beloved by the people but abandoned by the system,' says friend Rif'at Browers; implores arts minister Nathi Mthethwa to launch a fund to support South Africa's suffering artists.

ALSO READ: Shaleen Surtie-Richards on her money struggles in last TV interview: 'I just pray very hard that I won't get ill'.

ALSO READ: kykNET’s Saturday edition of Ontbytsake will be a special tribute to Shaleen Surtie-Richards: 'We tried not to cry,' says presenter Eloise Cupido.

ALSO READ: Shaleen Surtie-Richards' family on her death and legacy of love: She not only lived in our hearts but in the hearts of this great nation.

ALSO READ: Fiela se Kind film director Katina Heyns on Shaleen Surtie-Richards: 'She had all of us laughing the one moment, and weeping the next.'

ALSO READ: South Africa's TV and film industry's 'darkest secret': Why the beloved actress icon Shaleen Surtie-Richards died poor - when she didn't have to.

ALSO READ: Shaleen Surtie Richards: I Am Who I Am documentary scheduled for Wednesday night on M-Net as MultiChoice's TV tribute collection of content expands after iconic actress' death - latest programming listing across channels.

Veteran actor Cliff Simon dead at 58 after the former Egoli star and Mr SA 1992 dies in kiteboarding accident at Topanga Beach.

by Thinus Ferreira

Cliff Simon, the veteran South African actor and former model, Olympic swimmer, and Mr South Africa 1992, known for his roles in M-Net's Egoli and later as Ba'al in the science fiction series Stargate SG-1 after he went to Hollywood, has died after a kiteboarding accident. He was 58.

Most recently Cliff Simon was the presenter of Into the Unknown for Travel Channel in the United States with the series distributed internationally as Unchartered Mysteries on A+E Networks's History (DStv 186) in South Africa and elsewhere.

Cliff Simon died on Tuesday, 9 March after he was involved in a kiteboarding accident in the Topanga Canyon in California.

On her husband's Facebook page, his wife Colette Simon announced his death and said "To friends, family and fans, It is with unimaginable heartbreak that I am sharing with you, that my beloved husband, Cliff Simon, passed away at 12:30pm on Tuesday March 9, 2021."

"He was at Topanga Beach, California and sadly passed away after a tragic kiteboarding accident. He was known to most of you on this page as the villain you loved to hate, Ba'al, from Stargate SG-1. But as he said, "acting is what I do, it's only a part of who I am."

"And he was SO much more - a true original, an adventurer, a sailor, swimmer, dancer, actor, author. There is a gaping hole where he once stood on this earth. He was loved by too many to mention and had a great impact on so many lives. He was an amazing and much-loved brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend."

"He was and always will be the love of my life and there is unimaginable heartbreak. A small saving grace to this tragedy is that he was doing one of the things he loved most and passed away on the beach near the water, which was his temple."

"I know this is a shock and will hit hard but we hope you can respect our need for privacy at this time."

"I will end with this verse which Cliff loved and lived his life by: I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dryrot. I would rather be a super meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet, The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time."

The shirt-ripping heartthrob played Gregory Mitchel in Franz Marx's Egoli between 1992 and 1997 and emigrated to the United States where multiple roles followed like his iconic Ba'al in Canada's Stargate SG-1, Hans in The Americans, Tropical Heat, Dirk in Nash Bridges and appearances on Days of Our Lives as Count Wilheim, 24, Castle, NCIS and others.

He also wrote the book Paris Nights: My Years at the Moulin Rouge about his time at the famous troupe stage production that he joined in 1989.

Born in Johannesburg as the youngest of four children, he was the only son of Emmanuelle and Phyllis Simon who were of Polish and Lithuanian descent.

Cliff Simon qualified as a swimmer for the British International Olympic Squad in 1984 after he aspired to become the first South African swimmer to win an Olympic Gold medal after his parents emigrated to the United Kingdom when he was 15.

He returned to South Africa and entered the South African Air Force where he continued his swimming and achieved the highest athletic award given in the Air Force, the Victor Ludorum.

He landed a job teaching windsurfing and water-skiing at a resort hotel where a stage show was in production and one of the performers told him that the choreographer was looking for a gymnast.

That led him to perform in stage productions across the world and eventually Moulin Rouge in Paris in 1989.

On his return to South Africa, a modelling career in print and TV commercials followed while he was studying drama, after which he won Mr South Africa 1992 and was then snapped up by Egoli for several years after which he moved to America.

Legendary actress Christine Basson, known for her iconic roles in Egoli and Agter Elke Man, has died a day after her 78th birthday.

Christine Basson, known for her iconic South African TV roles as the long-suffering Marietjie Barnhoorn in Agter Elke Man on the SABC and Nora Naudé in South Africa's first local weekday soap Egoli on M-Net produced by Franz Marx Productions, has died. She was 78.

She worked in the South African entertainment, film and TV industry for over decades and had her first film acting role in 1976's Snake Dancer, a biopic about the exotic dancer and stripper Glenda Kemp.

As actress other films included 40 Days (1979), City Lovers (1982) and Eendag vir Altyd (1985), Die Prins van Pretoria (1992) and several more, while she also appeared in numerous TV series, among others Konings, Oos-Wes, Die Losprys, Die Mannheim Sage, Kampus and Mattewis and Meraai.

Christine Basson lived at the Ekklesia Park retirement village the past three months and passed away on Monday morning at 04:45, a day after her 78th birthday on Sunday 9 June.

A friend Danie Pienaar, told Netwerk24 that Christine Basson's health had deteriorated rapidly over the last few months after she had fractured her coccyx in April and that she had endured a lot of pain due to osteoporosis.

Christine Basson had been "fading away" the last while as her various organs slowly stopped functioning.

Christine Basson was extremely reluctant during her career to do any media interviews and hardly ever granted interviews to the press, shunning the spotlight and the media events to concentrate on her work on-set and behind-the-scenes.

M-Net in a statement told TVwithThinus that "M-Net is saddened to hear of the passing of one of the most talented and beloved actresses the country has ever seen".

"Christine Basson contributed immensely to the success of South Africa’s first daily soap Egoli in the iconic role of Nora Naudé, and had a special place in our viewers’ living rooms - and more importantly, hearts - for many years."

"Passionate and dedicated legends like Christine were the original magic on which M-Net was built on. Rest in Peace, Christine. We will always love you."

Actress Lizz Meiring on social media said that the "Legendary actress Christine Basson has died. She was a true legend and an icon. She had taught me so much as a mentor when I was a young actress".

Liz Meiring told Jacaranda FM that Christine Basson was "in the high care unit and was struggling to breathe. She was not swallowing anymore" shortly before she died.

"Most of the South African public will remember her for working commercial English theatre, in Afrikaans, in a myriad of film and television productions. She was a magnificent actress, a true pro and an absolute icon. And we will miss her and the ilk of the Christine Bassons dearly."

Reinet Louw Kemp, a close friend and writer, on Facebook wrote that: "Our beloved friend Christine Basson - for many the strong motherly figure Nora Naudé from Egoli - peacefully went home this morning. She will be missed."

Following the end of Egoli in 2010, Christine Basson worked as a dialogue coach for a few years on the Danie Odendaal Productions Afrikaans weekday soap 7de Laan broadcast on SABC2 from 2011 to 2014.

"Christine was an extremely talented and a familiar face in the South African television industry. I remember when Egoli started she was one of the leading actresses who carried the role out with the utmost professionalism and passion," friend Annie Basson told TVwithThinus on Monday.

"In her time at 7de Laan when she was a dialogue coach she honed and sharpened our actresses and actors' skills and talents through her meticulous guidance. She is one of the most professional people I have encountered in this industry."

Danie Odendaal, founder and producer of 7de Laan says "Christine Basson’s passing is a great loss to us. She has made a valuable contribution to 7de Laan in her years as a dialogue coach. I can recall that even over a cup of coffee,  how she would give one feedback and her honest opinion about the characters and the show. I could always trust her judgement 100%."

Henry Mylne, a longtime friend and industry acquaintance of Christine and currently the series director at 7de Laan says "I met Christine Basson when I was a student at Stellenbosch University and she was an established professional actress working mainly in Cape Town".

"I insisted on introducing myself after a performance in the old controversial Space Theatre of Pieter-Dirk Uys' Selle Ou Storie. It won her the Fleur du Cap in Cape Town and the Computicket Prize in Johannesburg for Best Actress. It was apartheid in its heyday."

"Yet she repeated her successful collaboration with Pieter-Dirk Uys in his 2 banned plays Karnaval and God's Forgotten. She continued in this trend throughout her career by working always as a freelancer for the old Performing Arts Councils, CAPAB, Pacofs, Pact and even for SWAPAC in Namibia."

"Her stage roles varied from leads in the classics, for instance as Princess Eboli in Maria Stuarda by Schiller to farces like Die Drie Van der Wlts in the plum comedic interpretation of "Sofie Maaiburg" which I directed for Pacofs to Martha in Edward Albee's neo-classic Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

"She appeared in many South African feature films like the title part in Die Spaanse Vlieg, Decision to Die - the first South African film that concerned itself with euthanasia), Glenda (in which she played the real-life stripper Glenda Kemp's mother) and again she never flinched to dare as the old apartheid censorship board came down heavily on the last 2 movies," says Henry Mylne. 

"Christine Basson branched into television when it started in South Africa, playing a variety of parts in  English and Afrikaans drama productions till she became a household name as Marietjie in Franz Marx's hit series Agter Elke Man."

"I directed her for the first 8 golden years as Nora in the first South African hit soap Egoli.  She literally closed the studio doors on the last day when Franz stopped shooting Egoli. After that she willingly retired from acting."

"She was however coaxed back for a few years to 7de Laan by Danie Odendaal where we again worked with me as director and she as a dialogue coach. Here she could impart her vast knowledge of acting to all permanent and guest artists."

"Our friendship never dented over 30 years," says Henry Mylne.

"I was blessed to have the privilege of directing her so many years in our industry. She was a consummate professional who referred to "acting" as "a job to get on with". She did not suffer unprepared actors gladly."

"She was precise in her delivery and a one-taker on film and television sets.  She had very high demands for friendships as long as you and she worked on it otherwise she would delete you at the drop of a hat."

"She had the sharpest wit and a high voltage sense of fun for life. Christine was adored by arts managements, film makers and the public alike. She always dyed her hair a ravishing blonde and was always attired in black."

"She used to say: 'I come from an era where a gal was either coiffed chestnut brown or pitch black or in my case bottle blonde' - like bank tellers were forced to do in the old defunct  South African Trust Bank of the seventies".

"Christene died at the early age of 78.  She carried this profession and was constantly in demand.  She leaves dozens of colleagues in the industry in deep mourning of a highly respected talent and a straight-down-the-line person who never spoke anything but the truth in her direct 'take no prisoners' demeanour. As she would put it: 'I don't care, but I have a problem with that!"

BREAKING. kykNET's Getroud met Rugby heading for the big screen, Egoli: Geheime Dieper as Goud the title of Egoli's big screen movie.

You're reading it here first.

Ta-da. I can now exclusively reveal before anyone else that the Egoli movie, after the end of the long-running soapie on M-Net, will be titled . . . Egoli: Geheime Dieper as Goud. Egoli: Dieper as Goud will be out in cinemas on 16 June, produced by Franz Marx Films/Brigadier and Nu Metro will distribute it.

And speaking of local South African (Afrikaans) TV shows getting the big screen treatment, how about another exclusive revelation I've know for a while?

Getroud met Rugby, the kykNET (DStv 111) TV drama that will broadcast a second season later this year on the Afrikaans satellite TV channel, is also going to churn out a Getroud met Rugby movie at the cinema. Very hush, hush but it's time to spill. The big screen version will star all of the guys and gals of the TV show.

EXCLUSIVE. Darren Kelfkens on that truly shocking moment in the Egoli finale when Joe returned.

You're reading it here first.

The biggest shocker in the final episode of Egoli on 2 March on M-Net wasn't how it ended with Louwna at the bottom of the staircase in the Edwards mansion - it's what happened halfway through the final episode . . . when Joe suddenly showed up!

It was the audible GASP heard through the country when a door opened and Joe was suddenly back - back in his old flat and seemingly back in Candy's life - and just as Rex was ready to propose to Candy. Now I can exclusively tell you how it happened!

At a recent swanky party I ended up at the bar right next to Darren Kelfkens who used to play Joe in Egoli, and we started talking.

For images of that shocking, shocking moment, how it was done and everything that Darren Kelfkens had to tell me, click on READ MORE below!

Programming note: Egoli looks back to 1997 with Darryl Desmarais.

Today, Egoli on M-Net at 18:30 will look back at 1997, supposedly with Darryl Desmarais.

Programming note: Egoli looks back to 1996 with Ilse Roos and Eckard Rabe.

Today, Egoli on M-Net at 18:30 will look back at 1996 with Ilse Roos and Eckard Rabe.

Did you know . . . that the Edwards mansion that featured in exterior shots in Egoli the past almost 18 years, is located at No. 10, Second Avenue, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg. In real life its actually a guest house with rooms and boardroom fascilities.

Programming note: Egoli looks back to 1995 with Shaleen Surtie-Richards and Elzabe Zietsman.

Today, Egoli on M-Net at 18:30 will look back at 1995 with (as per the show's run-down which has proven to not be entirely accurate) with Shaleen Surtie-Richards and Elzabe Zietsman.

Did you know . . . that Shaleen Surtie-Richards will definitely be in the Egoli movie from Brigadier Films that will be out in June in South Africa.

Programming note: Egoli looks back to 1994 with Shaleen-Surtie Richards and Elzabe Zietsman.

M-Net's list of what Egoli stars are fronting which of the special commemorative episodes are messed up and incorrect and doesn't correspond to what is actually going out on screen. M-Net which said Tiffany Kelly is supposed to be on today, was already on yesterday.

Today, Egoli will look back at 1994, so my guess would be that it would be with Shaleen Surtie-Richards and Elzabe Zietsman.

Despite this mix-up I have to tell you that longtime Egoli fans and even casual viewers will get a massive kick out of wahtching these daily special commemorative episodes in which each one counts down and rewinds a specific year in the past. These Egoli episodes are pure gold! I've watched the two that already went out and I actually laughed out loud. It's packed with awesome styles (clothes and hair!), awesome catfights, bitch slaps, dramatic lines, dramatic scenes, shootings, faintings . . .Egoli in its heydey was wonderful.

Make sure you watch the special Egoli commemorative episodes every weekday at 18:30 on M-Net.

Programming note: Egoli looks back to 1993 with Chantel Stander.

In today's second commemorative episode of Egoli at 18:30 on M-Net Chantel Stander who played evil bitchy Kimberley will look back at 1993 and the key events and scenes of the second year that Egoli was on the air.

Did you know . . . that during the heydey of portraying Kimberley, Chantel Stander needed bodyguards as protection when she attended some events because of fans who couldn't distinguish between the actress and the character she portrayed?

Programming note: Egoli looks back to 1992 with David Rees and Deon Coetzee.

In today's first commemorative episode of Egoli at 18:30 on M-Net David Rees and Deon Coetzee will look back at 1992 when the soapie started and the story that played out during the first year that Egoli was on the air.

Did you know . . . that Egoli was first offered to the SABC, but that M-Net was eventually the broadcaster that snapped it up.

BREAKING. Egoli movie going back in the past?

You're reading it here first.

Okay, so here's what I'm hearing about the Egoli movie set for June.

Or wait. First this. Everything I write, everything you read here on this blog, are always, always facts. I'm a journalist and I verify and check everything. So I have to tell you that the following blog entry at this point is really just a rumour: possibly true, possibly partially true, possibly not even true at all.
I didn't check it, nor wanted to - and at this stage I doubt that anyone would officially tell me anything.

Today I wanted to tell you about those additionally filmed scenes that were filmed but never made to really air just to throw people off, and M-Net and Franz Marx Productions declined. So I doubt they'll spill or confirm anything regarding the movie.

Anyway, with the final new TV episode of Egoli going out last night on M-Net, there is also the Egoli movie set for the big screen in June. Last night at my place I had some people over, we had champagne and snacks and we watched the Egoli finale. One of my visitors and good friends are also a great source and has never been wrong.

So, he says about the Egoli movie that it will start in the past, about 20 years ago, before the events in the soapie to give some never-seen background and perspective on things that occured and will be relevant to the plot, then jump back to the present. Interesting . . .

BREAKING. Egoli ends with Louwna on the stairway.

You're reading it here first.

I have my own personal thoughts which I'll keep to myself but I think a lot of longtime Egoli fans are seriously upset after the just concluded final episode of Egoli on M-Net.

Just one month shy of its 18th anniversary, the longrunning (and South Africa's first locally produced) daily soapie Egoli came to and end with a very open-ending after multiple, lingering exterior shots of the ertwhile Edwards mansion viewers have been invited to over the years.

In the final new TV episode. . .

Rex didn't get to propose to Candy after all. A door opened - and there was Joe. Suddenly back.

Louwna wasn't seen for the whole episode right up until the end - gliding down the mahogany staircase with a vacant, tortured expression on her face - all dressed in black and shaking.

The rest of the cast were all sitting at the small dining room table, waiting for her and to start a commemorative dinner. And then the end. Longtime viewers and fans who waited and longed for a fitting conclusion and a wrap-up of the storylines didn't really get any.

Egoli finale tonight! Why you have to watch.

At the end of 17 years Egoli, South Africa's first locally produced weekday soap opera is drawing to a close with the final episode going out tonight at 18:30 on M-Net where the soapie has been a mainstay since its debut on April 6, 1992.

How will it end when the dramatic cursive ''E'' rolls over TV screens this evening? Very dramatically.

There will be closure, shocking surprises and more and if you want to know what viewers will see, click on READ MORE below.

Egoli's super finale: Big surprise guest dropping by one last time!

You're seeing it here first.

''Hallo Stephen. Don't tell me you've forgotten who I am.''

''Of course . . .''

I was absolutely spot-on and feel proud for having been able to puzzle it out all by myself when I put all the pieces together a while ago, on who the mystery surprise guest would be in tonight's final episode of Egoli on M-Net at 18:30 that you simply have to, have to, watch.

I have the photos revealing the identity of the mysterious visitor to the Edwards mansion and the grand entrance if you click on READ MORE below.

BREAKING. Shaleen Surtie-Richards, Brumilda van Rensburg Thursday on All Access about the end of Egoli.

You're reading it here first.

I can tell you first that if you're a fan of Egoli don't miss Thursday night's episode of All Access at 19:30 on M-Net when Shaleen Surtie-Richards and Brumilda van Rensburg will be in the All Access studio to talk about the end of longrunning soapie Egoli.

Earlier today RIGHT HERE I told you about the final episode of Egoli going out on M-Net this coming Tuesday at 18:30 on M-Net which you simply HAVE to watch.

Egoli filmed fake ending for the final episode.

The longrunning soapie Egoli ending next Tuesday on M-Net at 18:30 filmed an alternative fake ending, fake additional scenes and taken extreme other measures to keep the final conclusion of the soapie secret.

''Egoli fans are bound to be moved by the show's last moments before the final credits roll,'' says Burgert Muller, Egoli's executive producer.

To keep the finale a secret, only Egoli creator Franz Marx knew exactly how the story would conclude. A fake ending was filmed, as well as additional scenes. The editors working on the final episode, were only called in at the last minute. ''We knew that the guessing-game would be on and had to go to all this effort to ensure that nothing – or nobody – spoils the story for all our loyal fans,'' says Burgert Muller.

As I told you first, Egoli will be followed by 18 special episodes from 3 March (the final new Egoli episode is on 2 March), presented by actors from the show now and roped in from the past.

BREAKING. Sport won't interfere with Egoli, promises M-Net.

I just heard back from M-Net regarding Egoli - of which there won't be any this evening on the pay broadcaster.

''The Egoli episodes have been adjusted in such a way that the sport on Friday evenings won't have an effect on the storylines,'' M-Net just told me. ''On these evenings there would mostly have been omnibus episodes of Egoli.''

''Viewers can therefore look forward to a fresh episode of Egoli up until the final episode of the series on 2 March. And, with Chris Edwards dying this past week, one can only wonder what will be happening next,'' says M-Net.