The 10 new contestants of the 2nd season of Koekedoor on kykNET will create new baking heroes. Here's your first look at who they are:

The 10 contestants of the second season of Koekedoor on kykNET (DStv 144) will create new baking heroes and this time include a mother who've lived in France, a coffee shop owner who baked for her wedding fund, a psychology graduate, a Sasolburg canteen manager and an eclectic mix of bakers as far afield as Delmas, Simonstown, Saldanha and Bloemfontein.

The beautifully filmed second season of Koekedoor, a spin-off from the cooking show Kokkedoor on the Afrikaans M-Net channel on DStv, will start on 14 April on kykNET at 20:30 for 13 episodes and the premiere episode this season will be a 90-minute episode similar to Survivor, making it easier for viewers to get an initial introduction to the various contestants.

Filmed by Homebrew Films with director Sanet Olivier at the historic Twee Jonge Gezellen estate outside Tulbagh in the Western Cape, the Koekedoor contestants this season also include an architect, a dietician baking wedding cakes, an animal lover, a "boerevrou" macaron entrepreneur, a retired nurse and a grandmother helping children with learning problems.

With 9 women there's one man, Wessels who is a bailiff clerk but who desperate wants to bake for people who are not banting.

The first episode has special guests giving the contestants their baking tasks, including news anchor Riaan Cruywagen, singer Annelie van Rooyen, Miss World Rolene Strauss, rapper and Pasella presenter Hemelbesem and the kykNET glam ghuru Hannon.

"The new season's themes and surprises are imaginative and excellent family entertainment," says Marguerite Albrecht, kykNET commissioning editor.

"Inspiration comes from the catwalk, the park, music lessons, kitchen tea, from under the Christmas tree, from inside the butter tray and even old congregation recipe books. There's bakes for the guys and ballerina fine creations".

"Viewers will quickly find themselves immersed in their favourite contestants baking achievements and flops."

The judges for this season include the universally adored Elizabeth Cloete, judging doyenne of the Vroue Landbouvereniging (VLVK), Mari-Louis Guy and Tiaan Langenegger.

The winner gets a car and R200 000 cash as well as other prizes, along with prizes for the runner-up. A Koekedoor baking recipe book from Human & Rousseau will go on sale immediately after the conclusion of the second season with a collection of recipes from the various on-screen challenges.

Anja

Corli

Elmari

Kanya

Martie

Sanet

Suretha

Tara

Wessels

Wilandi

Actress Mbali Mlotshwa reportedly 'too busy' to help the SABC with details and the exact nature of her 7de Laan on-set racism allegations.

Actress Mbali Mlotshwa is reportedly now "too busy" to help the SABC and Danie Odendaal Productions with details and the exact nature of her racism claims about the SABC2 soap 7de Laan.

The starlet who had a walk-on bit-role on the SABC2 soap as the character of Nandi last week made waves when she claimed she suffered racial abuse on the set of the Danie Odendaal Productions soap broadcast on weekdays on SABC2.

Mbali Mlotshwa who has now gone silent after her initial racism bomb, has since joined the cast of a new season of the SABC1 local legal drama Sokhulu & Partners produced by Paw Paw Films.

Mbali Mlotshwa who said she expected the racist remarks from the public over her character's interracial relationship with the character of Bernard, said she was shocked to experience racism on the soap's set over "Bernandi". 

She however didn't specify whether the alleged racism was from on-screen talent and actors or from production staff behind the scenes. 

The SABC has since ordered an investigation into the 7de Laan on-set racism allegations although no formal complaint has so far been made or received.

Mbali Mlotshwa reportedly told Rapport newspaper "I'm too busy" to answer questions regarding her 7de Laan racism allegations, while insiders revealed that she apparently struggled on set because she couldn't remember her words.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the public broadcaster is worried about the serious allegations of racism on the 7de Laan set and wants to know exactly what happened. The SABC asked Mbali Mlotshwa what happened but that the actress is reportedly not responding.

Part 1 of 3: WHAT GOGGLEBOX SA TAUGHT US: What Gogglebox South Africa on the Sony Channel actually reveals about MultiChoice's DStv and repeats.

This is part 1 in a 3-part series about educational reflections and observations regarding Gogglebox South Africa.


Five episodes in, there's something that Gogglebox South Africa on the Sony Channel (DStv 127) on Thursday nights at 21:00 actually perfectly illustrates about MultiChoice's DStv and repeats.

What do you think it is?

It's that the majority of the complaints and incessant rants from DStv subscribers about too many repeats and rebroadcasts of old content are actually largely unfounded and uninformed.

Why?

Well, look closely. While it would be disingenuous to hypothesize based on a single show like Gogglebox South Africa that all DStv subscriber complaints regarding repeats should be dismissed outright, using just the empirical evidence from the five episodes on the Sony Channel so far, it's actually very clear that DStv repeats are not the massive, big, bad, insane, evil, unending, cheating, robbing, overstated problem a lot of people are making it out to be.

Instead, it seems more likely - as I've felt for a long time (now check my own confirmation bias!) - that the majority of DStv subscribers who are complaining about repeats are doing so because of two issues inherent in themselves and their own unevolved TV viewing patterns.

Firstly, perhaps a lot of people complaining about DStv repeats are too lazy when watching TV and should be more pro-active about finding programming that they haven't seen before.

Secondly, perhaps people complaining about repeats are watching DStv with too much of a tunnel-vision, unwilling to expose themselves to shows, programming and channels they don't know, think they won't like, and simply dismiss, instead of trying it and widening their scope of what they watch and follow.

Keep this in mind about Gogglebox South Africa:
- The various family permutations are from a wide and very big representative cross-section of South African society.
- They all enjoy (or at the very least have big reactions to) all of the content they're watching.

After five episodes of Gogglebox South Africa, none of the families have watched the same thing on DStv twice (with the exception of M-Net's The Voice South Africa which featured twice in two different episodes).

Everything they've watched is new to them (although a lot of it is actually old and not first-run content).

In other words: Everything they saw on the various DStv channels have been new to all of them - although not all the content is actually "new".

None of the families are watching anything they would call a "repeat", although some of it has been shown multiple times, and yet none of them have ever bothered to see it or by chance found it and watched it.

All of the Gogglebox South Africa families watched the old Disney movie UP on M-Net Movies. None of them have yet seen it, none of them knew it, and none could predict the story's ending.

A lot of them haven't seen Snakes on a Plane; only one person have seen the old (great) film Big from 1988 with Tom Hanks on TCM years before.

Absolutely none of them have watched The Impossible on M-Net Movies before which has been shown several times already on TV. Yet they were all engrossed and had a very emotional reaction to the visceral story.

All of the Gogglebox South Africa families watched an episode from the first season of Four Weddings SA on Lifetime. None of them saw it the first time. The first season is currently on its umpteenth rebroadcast and what they actually watched is an episode that was shown back in October 2015 - 5 months ago!

The same goes for things like The Hunt on BBC Earth (a rebroadcast) and Secret Life of Babies and The Vikings are Coming (BBC Lifestyle)- old content that's been shown before; yet somehow none (and remember the families are from a wide spectrum of households) have watched before.

The families are "forced" to watch movies like Selma - clearly something none of them have watched, but then all enjoy - TV content they would not have chosen themselves.

White people watched Clash of the Choirs, Utatakho and Our Perfect Wedding on Mzansi Magic - clearly shows none of them have ever watched before and very likely wouldn't choose themselves. And surprise ... they enjoyed it.

Black families watched the older local movie Spud about a white kid at a white KZN boarding school and very likely wouldn't choose themselves. And surprise ... they enjoyed it.

None of the families have ever watched Checkpoint on eNCA, its regular weekly investigative magazine show - yet they all responded to it and became emotional, angry and involved with the story of injustice they were shown.

The same with the documentary He Named me Malala on the National Geographic Channel. How many families would have watched this without being prompted, and yet they were all visibly moved (literally to tears).

Several of them had/have no clue and are clearly not following and never watched even one episode of Empire (already in its second season) or The People vs OJ Simpson (both) on FOX. Both are good series television. Ditto for Code Black on M-Net.

What does it mean?

It means that there's a lot of content spread across DStv that DStv subscribers are too lazy too find, or too lazy to sample, that they too quickly dismiss out of hand although they would perhaps actually like it, and that there's clearly a lot of brand-new and "old new" content people are paying for but simply have never seen.

As a TV critic I never watch repeats. Every day is literally a battle to keep up with just new content coming to viewers now or soon and to try and watch it, read and report about it and to structure and plan and diarise when to fit that content consumption in.

It's not necessary for ordinary DStv subscribers to ever be that frenetic as a TV critic.

But with a little more pro-active planning, with a little more willingness to "experiment", and with a little less "plonking down and switching on waiting to be served" the ordinary DStv subscriber can elevate and reduce not only your perceived level of repeats and watch more "new" stuff, but also learn to like more new stuff.

I'm not saying DStv repeats are not a problem.

I'm suggesting that DStv repeats are not as big a problem as people want to make it, and that a part of the problem is actually viewers not taking enough responsibility and not making enough effort for making sure they find content that's new for them on an ongoing basis.

Find a place where you find the best TV guide for yourself and make it a habit of going back to it daily, weekly or whenever. Make it work for you. Make it functional and use it to plan a bit better when to watch something or when to record something.

Stop randomly plopping down in front of the telly and then expecting something brand-new and interesting to simply be on your default channel. That is most likely the cause of complaining about seeing something yet again you've seen before.

Watch something new you've never tried watching. Tune to a channel, tune in for a show, record something if you can that you've never watched before or thought you'd not be interested in.

Who knows, maybe you find a new favourite or more "new" things to constantly watch - just like the Gogglebox SA families who are being exposed to more "new" TV that they haven't watched before.

You are not all that different from the Gogglebox South Africa families - and yet they are watching stuff that's new to them during the course of the week, every week.

Isn't it time that you start complaining less about "DStv repeats" and make your own plan to use what is already available, to also watch some more of all the things you've never seen before?

SABC1's on-screen PG13 over inappropriate-for-children Generations - The Legacy saved it from being fined by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission.

The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) has found that a "PG13" on-screen advisory for an inappropriate episode of SABC1's Generations about snakes, bloodletting and sangomas saved the public broadcaster and channel from getting a fine.

Viewers, churches and the Traditional Healers Organisation alike have complained the last few months about Generations - The Legacy's witchcraft and sangoma storylines on SABC1.

Complaints - also including SABC2's Muvhango similarly incorporating witchcraft from a witch doctor and a zombie - centre around the content being inappropriate for younger viewers and that the SABC is "showcasing" African spirituality in a negative and derogatory manner.

Following complaints the BCCSA found that what the SABC is showing in Generations - The Legacy at 20:00 is "stressful to children" and that the public broadcaster was not allowed to do so - "adult content" can only be shown after at least 21:00 on free-to-air public TV channels after the so-called "watershed" time period.

"Broadcasters may include any topic in its programme, even satanism and witchcraft, although we do not make a finding that that satanism or witchcraft was part of the episode or not," the BCCSA said.

"What we are concerned about, is the effect of this episode on children. For young children the scenes of a sangoma performing rituals and especially the scene with the large yellow snake would surely be distressful."

"Had there not been a viewer advisory of PG13 the BCCSA would have found SABC1 in contravention of the code of conduct. The warning thus saved the broadcaster from a finding against it," the BCCSA ruled.

"One positive aspect that resulted from the hearing is that representatives of the SABC undertook to broadcast in future oral warnings over and above on-screen warnings under similar circumstances," the BCCSA said.

After SABC journalist Jacques Steenkamp is kidnapped, robbed and held hostage for two hours, two Nigerian suspects will appear in court today.

Two Nigerians are in police custody and will appear in court today over the alleged kidnapping and robbery of the SABC News investigative journalist Jacques Steenkamp on Friday during which he was allegedly also held hostage.

Jacques Steenkamp was in Krugerdorp investigating and working on a story regarding child trafficking and prostitution when he was allegedly kidnapped by the Nigerians who demanded that he withdraw R5000 from his bank account.

The men - aged 26 and 36 - allegedly held him hostage for two hours. They were caught on Saturday night in Krugersdorp and will appear in the Krugersdorp Magistrate's Court on Monday. They are charged with kidnapping and robbery.

According to a statement from the South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) the men were in the company of members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) who did nothing to help Jacques Steenkamp and in fact helped them with their crimes.

"They are alleged to have been in the company of police officers who assisted them. Jacques Steenkamp was held for a number of hours and only released after the group had withdrawn about R5 000 from his bank account," says Sanef.

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela again asks the SABC when it is going to take proper action over its famously matricless COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

The Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has again asked the SABC when the public broadcaster will take the remedial actions as outlined in the Public Protector's report, "When Governance and Ethics Fail", from February 2014 over the SABC's famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

It follows after South Africa's Constitutional Court last week ruled that the remedial actions and recommendations as made by the Public Protector regarding president Jacob Zuma's upgrades to his Nkandla homestead are binding.

It means that the Public Protector's report on Hlaudi Motsoeneng in which she found serious mismanagement at the public broadcaster and implicated Hlaudi Motsoeneng in a string of ethical lapses and maladministration, and the remedial actions asked for, is also similarly binding on the SABC.

The Public Protector found that Hlaudi Motsoeneng had lied to the SABC about having a matric certificate. "He admitted to me, and I have a recorded interview with him," said Thuli Madonsela.

"Secondly the position [of COO] was initially advertised as a position requiring certain qualifications. Therefore Hlaudi Motsoeneng didn't have those qualifications. One of them was a tertiary degree which he didn't have".

The Public Protector slammed the SABC and Hlaudi Motsoeneng for the 3 "irregular" salary increases from R1,5 milion per year to R2,4 million in a single year.

The Public Protector's report says Hlaudi Motsoeneng shows "a lack of ethical conduct" and noted that he should never have been appointed at the SABC.

The Public Protector's report finds that Hlaudi Motsoeneng's appointment as the acting chief operating officer (COO) at the SABC was "irregular" and that the SABC board is in violation of the Broadcasting Act, and that Hlaudi Motsoeneng serving in this position "constitutes improper conduct and maladministration".

The Public Protector's report found that Hlaudi Motsoeneng "directly initiated the termination of the employment of Bernard Koma, Hosia Jiyane, Sello Thulo, Montlenyane Diphoko, Mapule Mbatathi and Ntswoaki Ramaphosa who participated in Hlaudi Motsoeneng's disciplinary hearing held in Bloemfontein".

The Public Protector found that Hlaudi Motsoeneng "unilaterally increased the salaries of certain SABC staff members, adding R29 million to the public broadcaster's salary bill.

According to the Public Protector, Hlaudi Motsoeneng was allowed by multiple successive SABC board's to interfere in financial issues and human resource matters he shouldn't have.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng purged SABC staff which cause losses of millions of rands to the SABC according to the Public Protector, since the SABC had to pay out settlements for wrongful and irregular termination.

The Public Protector says Hlaudi Motsoeneng's conduct of misrepresenting his qualifications is fraud - that it is "improper and constitutes a dishonest act" and that Hlaudi Motsoeneng committed fraud when he indicated that he had completed matric.

In October 2015, the the Supreme Court of Appeals ruling found in favour of, and confirmed Thuli Madonsela's findings. 

The SABC then convened a bizarre and extremely odd, three times postponed disciplinary hearing for Hlaudi Motsoeneng, finding him not guilty on a suddenly dramatically reduced charge sheet.

Now the Public Protector wants to know from the SABC when the public broadcaster is going to comply with its report and the remedial actions requested. "It does not look like the SABC understood the court directive," says the Public Protector spokesperson Oupa Segalwe.

According to the Public Protector, the SABC has in two years since February 2014 and counting, failed to comply with the Public Protector's findings and remedial actions asked for.

"What [the SABC did so far] did not amount to implementation of her remedial action. It appeared as though the SABC misunderstood the Supreme Court of Appeals judgment," says the Public Protector's office.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago didn't respond to a media enquiry seeking comment on the Public Protector's latest letter to the South African public broadcaster.

Muvhango's top actors NOT fired; acotrs demanding better contracts and the SABC's Hlaudi Motsoeneng ordering them fired all part of an April Fools' Day joke.

Muvhango's top actors have not been fired from the SABC2 weekday soap, saying fake reports that surfaced saying that the SABC ordered the top cast to be jettisoned like SABC1's Generations for wanting better contracts were part of an April Fools' Day joke.

On Friday, 1 April, breathless media couldn't wait to report or bother to  first verify before reporting a social media announcement on Muvhango's Facebook page that Word of Mouth Productions fired the Venda soap's five top actors, Sindi Dlathu (Thandaza), Siyabonga (Dingaan) Khumalo (James), Gabriel Temudzani (Azwindini), Maumela Mahuwa (Susan), and Buhle Samuels (Matshediso).

According to Muvhango, the actors demanded a re-evaluation of their contracts and had "nasty words" with executive producer Duma Ndlovu.

According to Muvhango, the SABC's chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng then told Muvhango producers to fire all the actors similar to what the SABC did with SABC1's Generations, with Muvhango saying the soap was "not going to be held ransom by a few actors".

On Monday Muvhango said no actors were fired after Duma Ndlovu got frantic phone calls from viewers and even the cast members.

"No-one had warned me and I did not know what was happening," said Duma Ndlovu.

"It is back to business at the SABC studios where cast and crew are running around with scenes for the day," says Muvhango PR manager Amanda Ngudle.

Shake-up at SABC3's Isidingo in front of and behind the scenes as Kgomotso Christopher exits; head writer Rohan Dickson now the new show runner.

There's yet another shake-up in front of, and behind, the scenes at SABC3's ratings challenged local soap Isidingo with Kgomotso Christopher who've exited the soap and head writer Rohan Dickson taking over as new show runner.

Viewers will see Kgomotso Christopher as Katlego Sibeko for the last time on 13 April, a role she's portrayed for half a decade that's abruptly coming to an end. 

Production company Endemol Shine who've kept the actress' departure under wraps isn't saying why Kgomotso Christopher is leaving. The actress says she wants to explore new acting roles.

"We will miss and thank her for the pivotal and positive part she's played," says Sivan Pillay, Endemol Shine CEO. "Kgomotso's talent, grace, charm and absolute professionalism will be missed by cast, crew and fans alike".

The soap that will turn 18 in August struggles in the ratings race, overshadowed by the American soap The Bold and the Beautiful that lures more viewers than the expensive local production on SABC3, and paling in viewership comparison and buzz to other soaps of the public broadcaster like Uzalo, Muvhango, 7de Laan and Mzansi Magic's (DStv 161) isiBaya.

Behind the scenes Rohan Dickson who has been Isidingo's head writer for two years and had to rebuild the gutted writing team is now taking over from Pumla Hopa as executive producer of Isidingo, while Leo Phiri has been promoted to the producer on the soap. 

Pumla Hopa who had steered the soap for many years will now help with new scripted programming projects at Endemol Shine in the production company's scripted entertainment division headed up by Sam Shale.

"The combined strengths of Rohan Dickson and Leo Phiri will lead Isidingo into a new era," says Sivan Pillay. "It's an exciting time for cast and crew alike".

Rohan Dickson says "our talented team at Isidingo is passionately committed to this new adventure. Horizon Deep has many twists and turns, shocks and scandals in the pipeline".

Veteran reporter Andrew Barnes leaves eNCA; the longtime News Day anchor will exit at the end of April, closing yet another chapter at the news channel.

The senior TV anchor Andrew Barnes is done with eNCA (DStv 403), becoming the latest high-profile name leaving the Sabido-run TV news channel in the ongoing exodus of highly experienced brand names and on-screen talent.

Andrew Barnes' sudden resignation as the longtime anchor of eNCA's News Day on eNCA and e.tv came as a shocking surprise to staff in the same week as the longtime anchor and reporter Robyn Smith signed off on Monday night when she read her last eNews Direct bulletin on e.tv.

Both Andrew Barnes and Robyn Smith clocked 15 years at eNCA and eMedia Investments' eNews brand.

The reporter, editor and anchor Andrew Barnes will leave eNCA at the end of April where he brought gravitas, stability and credibility to eNCA's mid-noon schedule over many years. In a statement eNCA says it thanks Andrew Barnes for his loyalty and hard work over the years.

His exit is the latest in an ongoing string of retrenchments and resignations at the news channel that started in 2015, with eNCA being gutted by a massive loss of experienced and talented staffers in front of, and behind the scenes.

While eNCA remains the most watched TV news channel among all of the local and international TV news channels available on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform, the ongoing loss of expertise and skill in TV news channel operation and reporting on eNCA has become noticeable the past few months.

eNCA's reporting has been marred by incidence of blatant plagiarism and even pay-for-play reporting - a sign of what appears to be compromised news values at eNCA and new people who don't care, of perhaps simply don't know better, when it comes to reporting news.

The exit of Andrew Barnes also brings another eNCA chapter to a sad close.

When the veteran Andrew Barnes takes off his lapel mic for the last time at the end of this month, it will mark the final end of literally all of the original on-screen faces and several news executives behind the scenes who were at e.tv's eNews brand and evening bulletin before and at the moment eNCA launched in June 2008 and who were part of, and transitioned to the rolling TV news channel.

Andrew Barnes will close the door as the last one in a string of eNCA losses who were all part of a special group of people who started the news channel and who are no longer at eNCA: the likes of Marcel Golding, Patrick Conroy, Chantal Rutter Dros, Pat Pillai, Debora Patta, Ben Said, Robyn Smith and others.

It was Andrew Barnes who was instrumental in spotting and bringing the affable meteorologist Derek van Dam, now at CNN International (DStv 401), originally into the eNCA fold.

Michelle Craig, the umpteenth new co-host in a revolving door of presenters next to Andrew Barnes over multiple years will now continue to anchor News Day alone from May. Observers say its further evidence of the ongoing downscaling of the prominence given to eNCA's Cape Town studios on the channel with News Day that's anchored from eNCA's hub in the Mother City.

In January Andrew Barnes made headlines when he mocked the Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga's for being unable to correctly say the word "epitome" when she announced the 2015 matric results.

He apologised and was suspended with disciplinary action taken against him although eNCA refused to tell the public what sanctions were taken.

Andrew Barnes, who'd holidayed in south-east Asia and earlier this year told viewers how peaceful it was there with a cellphone without reception, is planning to move to Cambodia to launch a start-up business.

"It's been an incredible journey here at e.tv," says Andrew Barnes. "I have been able to realise my childhood dream of anchoring TV news and reporting from places like Washington DC., New York and London. Those opportunities followed several rewarding years in news management."

"I leave South Africa with my partner to start a new life in my favourite corner of the world, south-east Asia. I'll be putting the years of experience I've gained in training and development to launch my own business in Cambodia."

"While Brandon and I shall miss this country, we're excited that the time has come to spread our wings. I leave the e-family with a profound sense of satisfaction with my contribution, most especially of all the new talent I have helped train and develop."

Mapi Mhlanga, eNCA news director says Andrew Barnes will be missed. "I would like to thank him for 15 years of dedication and professionalism. Andrew will be missed and it is difficult to imagine the Cape Town office without him."