SABC1 introduces season 3 of the drama series MTV Shuga Down South on Sundays at 19:30, starting on 12 May 2024.

MTV Shuga Down South is a 10-part series featuring young people from different walks of life who navigate dramatic life challenges and learn how to take control of their sexual and mental health issues.

Ayanda Makayi returns as Sol, together with his sister Thuli, played by Dineo Rasedile, face their demons, and navigate life and the relentless challenges three years after losing their mother at the hands of their father. With their father now in jail and the two of them living in two different provinces, they rely on the support of their newly chosen friends and family to make responsible choices as young people in their sexual prime.

Season 3 kicks off with Thuli living unhappily with her aunt in KwaZulu-Natal. After an attempted rape incident, Thuli decides to take control of her own life and make her way back to Jozi so she can be with her brother. But Sol has his problems. He has since moved into a hijacked building in the heart of the CBD, barely able to feed himself and hustling hard to make ends meet. When Thuli pitches up on Sol’s doorstep, he faces the challenge of dealing with what he has been running from – his past. He agrees to let Thuli stay with him, but only if she promises to never breathe a word of what he has done to anyone in his new world and life. Thuli agrees to keep her brother’s secret as she looks forward to starting over.

Thuli soon finds a sense of belonging at a downtown NGO recreation centre, the Khanyisa Centre, that offers free health care services and after-school activities like drummies.

Through the centre, viewers get introduced to a host of new characters. Through the friends that they meet, we will cover issues around sexual health, substance abuse, TB, GBV and gender identity politics.

The series continues to be youthful and vibrant, reflecting on the realities of young South Africans while empowering them with the tools to lead meaningful lives, no matter what their circumstances are.

Cast List

‘Being a channel for the youth and being at the forefront of youth matters, SABC1 creates a mirror and possible solution to the issues faced by the youth through content pieces. Each year, SABC1 selects issues that become the focus for the year, and the focus this year is on gender-based violence, HIV, mental health and education, jobs and careers. MTV Shuga Down is the first series acquired this year that intentionally addresses the pillars.’ – Channel Head SABC1: Ofentse Thinane.

Angeke Bas’khone with MTV Shuga Down South on Sunday at 19:30 only on SABC1 Mzansi FoSho!

Johannesburg, 7 May 2024 – To commemorate the seventh South African General Elections, S3 is pleased to announce the launch of The Big Debate on Thursdays at 18:00, from 9 May 2024.

This special edition of The Big Debate is South Africa’s top town hall debate, running for 15 years and the highest profile to date as it coincides with the national elections.

The Big Debate gives a platform to South Africans to talk about their experiences of 30 years of democracy, looking for solutions and accountability from our leaders. The show aims to give South Africans from every walk of life a voice in shaping our shared future. The show will give people of all cultures, ages, and identities across South Africa a chance to contribute to a national conversation from race and identity, leadership, equality and socioeconomic rights to climate change and the energy crisis.

This season of The Big Debate will be hosted by leading radio and television news anchor Thembekile Mrototo. Thembekile will drive the conversations, hosting political leaders, government ministers, social activists, and other experts.

“I’m thrilled to have been asked to host this important season of The Big Debate. As South Africa marks 30 years of democracy and we hold what could be our most important elections, this is still the best platform for dialogue to unpack and even try to find solutions to our many problems. My goal going into the season is to hold the powerful to account whilst ensuring that all voices at the table are heard.” – Thembekile Mrototo.

The TV show will be on air for thirteen weeks. Leading up to the elections the following topics will be covered:

Episode 1: Tintswalo, Democracy’s Child

Our first episode will look at the accuracy and representativity of the story of Tintswalo, as described by the President in his 2024 SONA speech, when it comes to meeting the socioeconomic rights of the marginalised majority. We will be asking what it will take to ensure that the constitutional rights to health, education, and housing are extended to millions more people beyond the Tintswalo’s who have benefited so far. In this episode and the coming ones, we have invited government ministers, social activists, and other experts to the debate. We will also be hosting young people born at the dawn of democracy and those who voted for the first time in 1994.

Episode 2: Election Debate (Part 1)

Episode two is expected to be more of a traditional election debate where the larger political parties are invited to answer questions driven mainly by our audience members. The focus will be on the manifestoes and the records of the largest political parties in South Africa.

Episode 3: Youth and Leadership

This episode focuses on the Leadership Youth Workshop, with an audience of 30 years old or under – driving the conversation, asking questions to the new kids on the block (political parties contesting national elections for the first time in 2024) and some independent candidates.

For more information and interview opportunities, contact S3 Publicity.

Don’t miss The Big Debate every Thursday at 18:00. Starting 9 May 2024, on S3, simulcast on SABC News channel 404 and SABC+.

Johannesburg, 3 May 2024 – In the next episode, Deal or No Deal Celebrity welcomes media personality Candice Modiselle who hopes to win R250 000,00 for her chosen charity, Unchain Our Kids. Unchain Our Kids is a non-profit organization that endeavours to assist in the combat against child prostitution, child abuse, and other violations of human rights.

Winning R250 000 will make Candice the third celebrity to walk away with a jackpot amount, following the Funny Chef and Rorisang Thandekiso since the Deal or No Deal gameshow debuted on SABC1 in 2023.

The Deal or No Deal gameshow makes dreams come true for ordinary South Africans to stand a chance to win in the battle against the stingy banker. Viewers have also seen two surprised contestants walk away with Suzuki cars.

At the beginning of the show, one of the “Money Models” will hand over her briefcase, which will then be the one that will earn Candice cash for the charity that she is playing for, Unchain Our Kids. Round after round, Candice will eliminate boxes from the money tree with the hope that they contain the smallest amount of money. After each round, the show’s host, Katlego Maboe, receives a phone call from the mysterious banker, offering her a certain amount of cash in exchange for her briefcase. If she accepts the deal, the game is over. If not, she continues to play until she accepts the offer or leaves with the money inside the box initially given.

“I consider it to be a great honour whenever I have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in society. This particular initiative was close to my heart. I admire their courage in alleviating the staggering numbers in woman and children falling victim to human trafficking. To commit to the therapy and rehabilitation of said individuals is a dire need that I was honoured to support. More people should know about them.” – Candice Modiselle.

Tune into SABC 1 on Saturday at 18:00 to see how Candice battles the banker to win money on behalf of Unchain Our Kids.  You can also catch the rebroadcasts of Deal or No Deal Celebrity on S3 on Sundays at 12pm and again on SABC 1 on Tuesdays at 22:00.

For media enquiries

Johannesburg, 24 April 2024 – S3, in partnership with BBC Studios, introduces BBC Primetime, a brand-new content block broadcasting from 21:00 to 23:00, Mondays to Fridays starting on the 1st of May 2024.

This new offering will feature a hand-picked selection of award-winning dramas, factual entertainment and documentaries.

The Monday to Wednesday 21:00 slot will debut with a 6-part series, Luther on the 1st of May,  a comedy series Cheaters on the 15th of May and the drama series Death in Paradise on the 22nd of May.

Renowned actor Idris Elba stars as maverick detective John Luther in the gripping and entertaining thriller Luther the series that won him a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Luther. Luther works for the London Serious Crime Unit as a dedicated policeman, an inspired maker of connections and a whirlwind genius. He is dazzling, obsessive and sometimes dangerous in the violence of his fixations. Throughout the series, Luther faces a succession of psychological duels between a hunter and the hunted and a predator and a prey.

From Oliver Lyttelton,  a sexy, messy comedy-drama about morality, monogamy and everything in between Cheaters debuts on S3 on the 15th of May; featuring Joshua McGuire and Susan Wokoma as Josh and Fola who discover that they are neighbours after a cancelled flight led to an unlikely night of drunken airport-hotel sex between the two strangers.

A warm, light-hearted detective series, Death in Paradise takes place against a stunning Caribbean island backdrop. Sent to the tiny island of Saint-Marie to solve a mysterious murder, quintessentially British cop Richard Poole is a total fish out of water. Awaiting Richard is a ramshackle station and a very different type of policing.

On the Thursday 21:00 timeslot S3 introduces Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next? on the 2nd of May, The Tik Tok Effect on the 9th of May, This World: The Black American Fight For Freedom on the 16th of May, The Ultimate Guide To Cryptocurrency on the 23rd May and Young Sex For Sale In Japan on the 30th May.

Model Jessica Davies exposes the world of deepfake porn and the psychological impact it has on its female victims in the investigative documentary Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next? Hundreds of thousands of women are exploited as part of the sinister rise in this online culture. Jessica meets just a few of the victims who tell their stories for the first time, including fitness influencer Maiken Brustad whose iCloud was hacked and her private images turned to deepfake porn. Thousands of pictures and videos of deep fake porn are generated each month, and Jessica tries to uncover the people behind this digital sub-culture and the lasting emotional damage it has on its victims.

On The Tik Tok Effect, the BBC’s disinformation correspondent investigates the truth behind TikTok’s meteoric success.TikTok has taken the world by storm, with over one billion monthly users. Marianna Spring speaks to ex-employees, providing our first real insight into what happens inside the company.

This World: The Black American Fight For Freedom documentary, on the 16th of May, exposes the racial injustices that are faced by black people in America.  In 1964, the Civil Rights Act told all Americans: ‘This is not a racist world anymore’, but today, America’s system continues to be rigged against black people – less likely to be wealthy and more likely to be incarcerated. The show uncovers four key legislative moments where the American government extolled racial equality but secretly cemented white power, from housing and education to criminal justice and democracy.

In The Ultimate Guide To Cryptocurrency, Ade Adepitan offers a timely guide to consumers considering the entry and the potentially lucrative but unregulated financial world of cryptocurrency, unpacking the latest trends and need-to-know information. With cryptocurrency going mainstream, is it time to take the plunge before it is too late? Or is it an over-hyped, modern-day Ponzi scheme we should avoid? Ade explores how to make money in this high-risk market – and how easy it is to lose. We follow him as he weighs up the pros and cons, unpacking the latest crypto trends and providing the ultimate guide for consumers: from how blockchains work, to which of the 14,000 coins on the market to purchase and when, to how to distinguish genuine opportunities from scams.

In the hard-hitting investigative documentary Young Sex For Sale In Japan, Stacey Dooley travels to Japan to explore the dark side of one of the world’s strangest sexual cultures. Stacey is horrified to learn that measures to protect children against sexual abuse are virtually non-existent child sexual exploitation cases, where it is often the young victims who get the blame. And while it is now illegal to own child pornography in Japan, she learns that the enforcement of this recently changed law is often weak. Stacey also explores whether the widespread acceptance of manga magazines containing brutal cartoon images of explicit sex acts with school girls contributes to real children being sexually objectified in Japanese society.

S3 adds Top Gear to the Friday night line-up at 21:00 on the 3rd of May. The series features Richard Hammond counting down the top 41 best moments from the last decade of Top Gear, as chosen by the Top Gear team. Highlights are wide and varied golden moments from Top Gear. The series kicks off with James May driving up an active volcano while Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are on a supercar road trip through Romania, and the identity of the Stig revealed! The action-packed eight-part series continues the countdown with memorable moments from 37 more fantastic Top Gear films.

The second block of the BBC Primetime will close off with comedy on Mondays to Wednesdays at 22:00 as we bring you Live At The Apollo from the 1st of May, Louis Theroux: Forbidden America on Thursdays from the 2nd to16th May, Louis Theroux: Trafficking Sex on Thursday 23rd of May and Louis Theroux: The Night in Question on Thursday 30th May 2024.

A British Stand-Up Comedy, Live At The Apollo from the 1st of May, features the roll call of stand-up comedians who have performed in front of the famous Live At The Apollo lights. Each episode features a stand-up legend treating the crowd to a rip-roaring set before introducing two of the most exciting acts around.

Award-winning filmmaker Louis Theroux returns with a gripping series exploring three controversial corners of American entertainment and meets those accused of dangerous, toxic, and criminal behaviour in the documentary feature Forbidden America. He meets the content creators of the far right and their leaders, who are breeding a fast-growing ‘dissident’ nationalist movement. He meets the rappers striving for glory, those who have risen fast and those who have fallen hard. And as the porn industry grapples with its own MeToo movement, he meets the accused and the accusers. Is justice being handed out fairly?

The second instalment of the Louis Theroux specials is Trafficking Sex. Houston is the fourth largest city in the US and the number one hub for human trafficking in North America. The US Department of Justice estimates that at least one in five of all the country’s victims get trafficked through the city – and most forced to work in the sex industry. Louis explores the often complex dynamic between prostitute and pimp as he tries to understand what stops these women from breaking free. He also embeds with law enforcement and meets Vice Division officers tasked with persuading the working women to speak out against their pimps.

In The Night in Question, Louis Theroux heads to America’s East Coast to explore the rise of sexual assault cases on university campuses. Louis meets young men accused of rape and sexual assault who, while not guilty in a court of law, are being taken through specialist investigations by the universities – and face expulsion if found responsible for the alleged assaults. Louis also talks to complainants who feel let down by the current legal system. And he hears how professionals are trying to establish new rules of consent among America’s younger generation.

Access pictures on the link below.

https://we.tl/t-zWVKMk85Ap

Channel your inner curiosity with the new BBC Primetime content block on S3 weekdays from 10 pm – 11 pm, starting on the 1st of May 2024.

The third episode of The Mask Singer South Africa Season 2 promises to be a jolly affair. Comedian Jason Goliath, who trumpeted on stage in the first season of Mzansi’s craziest singing contest as the larger-than-life Elephant, will be on the detective panel to unravel who the celebs behind the new masks are.

At this stage, the show’s four detectives – J’Something, Somizi Mhlongo, Sithelo Shozi and Skhumba Hlophe – need all the help they can get. None of them had an inkling that Springbok was legendary actress Nthati Moshesh, and in the previous episode, only Somizi managed to identify Tortoise correctly as comedienne and actress Celeste Ntuli.

On Saturday, 20 April, The Masked Singer South Africa viewers will meet the third group of the initial 16 disguised celebrity contenders singing off for a spot in the next round.

Ice cream will put a sweet foot forward to melt some hearts while fashionable feline Cheetah is ready to deliver a spot-on performance. Fans will also see The Masked Singer South Africa ‘s beautiful version our national Bird, Blue Crane, in action and can look forward to a priceless act by a shining star called Gold,

Who are the famous South Africans hiding in these exquisite costumes, and who will have to take off their mask this week?

Everybody’s favourite guessing game is screened on S3 (formerly known as SABC 3) on Saturdays at 18:30. The rebroadcasts are on SABC 1 on Thursdays at 21:00 and S3 on Fridays at 18:00.

Join the conversation on social media using #MaskedSingerSA.

Instagram- @MaskedSingerZA

TikTok- @MaskedSingerZA

Facebook- Masked Singer South Africa

X- @MaskedSingerZA

YouTube- Masked Singer South Africa

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Generations: The Legacy is excited to announce that the captivating talent of Didintle Khunou will be gracing our screens from Mid-June. This comes as we wish Muzi Mthabela and Ronnie Nyakale all the best in their upcoming projects.

Didintle has won numerous awards and accolades for her work on-stage and on-screen, including a Naledi and Broadway World Online Award for her lead performance in The Colour Purple Musical. She has featured in numerous local television productions and now brings her enchanting beauty and powerful performance to Generations: The Legacy. She will play the role of Tumelo Gcabashe, a high-powered financial expert with links to business and criminal elites.

We would also like to take this opportunity to wish Muzi Mthabela, who plays Nkosiyabo Cele and Ronnie Nyakale, who plays Cosmo Diale, well in their upcoming projects. These stalwarts of the show will be on an indefinite hiatus as they pursue other avenues for creative expression.  We are sure they will only achieve success as the talent and dedication we have become accustomed to serves them going ahead. Muzi can be seen on Generations: The Legacy until 05 June, exiting in a spicy storyline and Ronnie can be seen until 28 August.

Our viewers have lots more entertainment, thrills and tension to look forward to as we continue shaking things up and delivering the drama our viewers love so much!

For more information, follow Generations: The Legacy on:

• Facebook:                        GenerationsTheLegacy1
• X (formerly Twitter):    @Gen_legacy
• Instagram:                       generations_the_legacy
• Tik-Tok:                            generationsthelegacy

As she determinedly set out to do, Rorisang Thandekiso wiped out the notorious Deal or No Deal banker for a worthy cause in a goosebump-inducing episode of Deal or No Deal Celebrity. The R250 000 jackpot, made possible by the show’s proud sponsor, LottoStar, will be donated to Paediatric Care Africa, an NGO providing general and specialist medical care to children countrywide, including secluded areas with no or limited access to doctors and hospitals.

With her Deal or No Deal Celebrity siege against the banker, Rori yet again rewrote local television history. Earlier this month, the effervescent radio and television host, actress and singer became the world’s first-ever female anchor of the legendary game show Wheel of Fortune. Now, she is also the first Mzansi A-lister to win the elusive R250 000 in Deal or No Deal South Africa’s glitzy weekly spin-off on SABC 1.

However, that’s not Rori’s only unprecedented Deal or No Deal achievement. It has never happened before that a South African contestant, including the daily Deal or No Deal South Africa, ended up with the last three remaining unopened briefcases representing the highest three amounts on the show’s Money Ladder – R100 000, R150 000 and R250 000. But Rori did it! Then, our new “First Lady” of local television smashed her own record, knocking off the R100 000.

That meant the R250 000 was either in the briefcase she chose at the start of the game as her bargaining chip in battling the banker or the last unopened briefcase.

To reach this favourable and extremely rare stronghold against the bean counter, Rori’s perfect gameplay was driven by incredible faith, positive energy and unusual strategies.

It all started when she had to pick the briefcase with which to battle the banker from the 20 held by Deal or No Deal Celebrity’s Money Models. Rori tossed up between two dates: November 2, International Children’s Day, and her birthday coinciding with Women’s Day on August 9. Her unwavering support for Paediatric Care Africa resulted in going with briefcase number 2.

From there, Rori’s quirky strategy for opening the first round’s six cases was to lift her soul by eliminating all the numbers of ex-boyfriends’ birth dates. It worked like a charm, landing her a higher-than-average banker’s offer to buy her briefcase.

Once Rori ran out of former beaus, she fortunately didn’t run out of luck. Her new strategy entailed trusting her intuition and remaining to play with a desire to “create greater good”. So, more and more fantastic offers from the banker followed until she rejected the final offer and literally jumped for joy, finding the R250 000 blessing for Paediatric Care Africa in her briefcase.

Rori expressed on the show that this quarter of a million rands will give the amazing medical professionals at Paediatric Care “more wings to do more”.

“You guys could feel entitled to be in the most comfortable hospitals because of your degrees and accolades, but you keep giving back to a world that is forgotten. Thank you to every nurse, every doctor, every specialist, psychologist, occupational psychologist. Thank you for loving those kids in a way we can’t reach to love them,” Rori said.

About Rori’s heartfelt win, Maria Pavli, Head of Marketing, said: “At Lottostar, we consider it a privilege to be able to sponsor Deal or No Deal Celebrity and the incredible charities it champions. Making a difference in our society is at the heart of what we do. We are thrilled with Rorisang Thandekiso’s winning moment. It reminds us of the profound impact charity has on our communities. Together, we look forward to changing lives and spreading positivity throughout South Africa because, at LottoStar, charity is our privilege, not an obligation”.

While Deal or No Deal Celebrity contribute to worthy causes with the help of famous stars, Deal or No Deal South Africa continues to transform the lives of ordinary South Africans.

The weekly Deal or No Deal Celebrity is broadcast on Saturdays at 18:00, with a rebroadcast on S3 on Sundays at 12:00 and SABC 1 on Tuesdays at 22:00. 

You can also catch Deal or No Deal South Africa Mondays to Fridays on SABC2 at 19:30, repeated on SABC2 at 11:00 and on S3 at 17:30.

LottoStar is Licensed by the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator. No U18. National Responsible Gambling Programme 0800 006 008. Ts & Cs apply. All games are fixed-odds betting events.

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Earlier this week, Rorisang Thandekiso gave away the top cash prize of R100 000 on the local version of the legendary quiz show Wheel of Fortune. Now, the effervescent quiz show host is geared to win big money herself by moving into the Deal or No Deal Celebrity hot seat. 

In this glitzy weekly hour-long Deal or No Deal spin-off, aired on SABC 1 on Saturdays at 18:00, famous Mzansi stars put their hearts on the line to battle the show’s notorious banker for the benefit of a worthy cause. 

The former YOTV presenter, actress, musician and radio presenter is adamant in her quest to bankrupt the banker on behalf of Paediatric Care Africa. In support of this NGO, which supplies free medical and specialist medical care to children whose parents can’t afford it, Rorisang has even picked a special outfit for the occasion that matches the word “Africa” in the charity’s name. 

Rori has a huge respect for the incredible work done by Paediatric Care – from their outreach programmes ensuring kids in secluded areas receive proper medical attention to facilitating life-saving surgery. 

“We love to say things like children are the future, but sometimes forget how vulnerable babies and small kids in many communities are when it comes to health care,” she says. 

As is the case with the hugely popular Deal or No Deal South Africa, which transforms the lives of individuals from all across South Africa, the A-listers playing the celebrity version can win anything between R1 and R250 000 based on the deal they strike when the banker offers to buy the briefcase they chose at the start of the game. 

Tune into SABC 1 on Saturday, 20 April, at 18:00 to see how much Rori manages to donate to Paediatric Care Africa. Deal or No Deal Celebrity is proudly sponsored by LottoStar, and the rebroadcast is on S3 on Sundays at 12:00 and SABC 1 on Tuesdays at 22:00. 

LottoStar is Licensed by the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator. No U18. National Responsible Gambling Programme 0800 006 008. Ts & Cs apply. All games are fixed-odds betting events.

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