Here are this week’s topics coming up on Carte Blanche – you can watch the show on Sunday 12 December in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it on Showmax International in most countries from Tuesday 14 December if you’re abroad. INVESTIGATIONS Chemical Alert It’s banned in several countries and at the heart of […]

A film in development, featuring the first armed female anti-poaching group in Africa, has won a grant of $25,000 from the Red Sea Fund… which will help ensure the film – Akashinga (working title) – is completed. Writer and director Naishe Hassan Nyamubaya, who lives in South Africa and writes for eTV, present via video, […]

Troukoors (Wedding Fever), the first Showmax Original romcom, will be available to binge from 13 December 2021. Talented Ilse-Lee van Niekerk (Getroud Met Rugby, 4 Mure, Die Boekklub) stars as Jessica, a wedding planner who’s surrounded by love but struggling to find it for herself. Troukoors is made by SAFTA winner Louis Pretorius and SAFTA […]

South African actor and producer Sharlto Copley’s new film Ted K was featured at this month’s inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia… where the director told SAPeople, Sharlto was “an amazing actor” and “in another league”. The film, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival before its Arab premiere, stars […]

Netflix has parted the waves to reveal the trailer for Cape Town-based Triggerfish’s third animated feature, called ‘Seal Team’. This fun feature film will be available to stream from 31st December 2021. Seal Team is the story of Quinn, a seal who spends his days relaxing in the sun, splashing in the beautiful waters off […]

Bravo to ‘Des and Dawn’ – with the booklaunch of their memoir in Johannesburg on Sunday morning… writes Georg Knoke. I say Des and Dawn – because they were inseparable, as we all know! Despite Dawn Avril Lindberg passing away, literally a year ago to this date (Dawn passed away on 7 December), they wrote this […]

As if travel bans weren’t bad enough, many South African families have had their holiday plans around the country ruined by last week’s petrol price hike. Popular Carte Blanche presenter Derek Watts says: “The inland price of petrol tipped over the R20-a-litre-barrier and, earlier this week, there were queues at the filling stations. We set out to find out how […]

We all need some good news in South Africa, and this Sunday on Carte Blanche, the show will be celebrating Capetonian Chris Bertish. Chris is the ultimate waterman. From surfing death-defying waves to paddling solo 4500 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, he has set several world-first paddle records. And he has an exciting – and […]

For a limited time, Showmax is offering a 2-for-1 deal on all packages, including Showmax Pro. Buy one month of Showmax and get a second month on the house. Get the deal. The mobile-only version of Showmax starts at R39 per month, which means you can watch the latest and greatest movies, series, kids’ shows […]

South Africa’s award-winning flutist Wouter Kellerman has been nominated for yet another Grammy Award, this time in the Best New Age Album category. The ultra-talented ‘flute painter’ (watch the beautiful Desert Moon video below!) announced the fabulous news on Wednesday morning South African time: “Wow, just received a GRAMMY®️ nomination for ‘Pangaea’ with David Arkenstone […]

From 25 November until 9 December 2021, Showmax, the streaming service that bundles the best of African and international entertainment with live sport from SuperSport, is offering new and existing subscribers a Black Friday 2-for-1 deal. Customers will pay for one month of Showmax and receive an additional month at no extra cost. The offer is available across all packages including Showmax, Showmax Mobile, Showmax Pro […]

You can watch Carte Blanche today – Sunday 21 November – in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from 23 November if you’re abroad. Here’s this week’s offerings: Sports in a Bubble   Playing for a national team like the Springboks or the Proteas means constantly performing in a high-pressure environment, […]

Popular South African singer and songwriter Theuns Jordaan, has sadly passed away at the age of 50, after a battle with cancer. Condolences have been pouring in from South Africans nationwide, with many saying he’ll leave a huge gap in Afrikaans music. AfriForum’s Ernst Roets said: “Rus in vrede, Theuns Jordaan. Dankie vir jou ongelooflike […]

The new Neill Blomkamp horror, Demonic, will have audiences on the edge of their seat from the start to the finish. This film with its high-tech twist will open in local cinemas nationwide this Friday, 19 November 2021! The South African Canadian film-writer – who is world famous for the Oscar-nominated District 9 as well […]

Showmax’s first telenovela, The Wife, has broken Uthando Lodumo’s record for the most first-day views of all-time on Showmax, as well as Devilsdorp’s record for the most hours watched within four days of launch, outperforming the launch of any film or series on Showmax ever, including the likes of Game of Thrones, The Real Housewives […]

Justin Bieber today announced new dates for his much-anticipated Justice World Tour, including 28 September, DHL Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa and 1 October, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa. Taking place from May 2022 through to March 2023, Bieber will tour five continents, travelling to over 20 countries and playing more than 90 dates, with […]

Worldwide bestselling author Wilbur Smith has died at the age of 88, at his home in Cape Town, South Africa. He had spent the morning reading and writing, with his wife by his side. A message on his Facebook page says: “We are sorry to announce that the beloved, global bestselling author Wilbur Smith passed […]

“Credited with pulling (South Africa) from the brink of civil war, those who would valorise FW de Klerk argue his political contribution is underappreciated. Others say his hand was forced by shifting global power dynamics.  Whatever his motives as its leader, is it possible to ignore the role he played in a National Party determined […]

The Wife is one of the most hotly anticipated shows in South Africa, with ‘fan anticipation’ being like nothing Showmax has seen before. With the first three episodes dropping tomorrow, here’s what author Dudu Busani-Dube has to say. See the Q&A below. The Johannesburg Review of Books calls Dudu “a publishing phenomenon.” She’s become the […]

South African soprano Elza van den Heever has been named as a recipient of the 17th Annual Opera News Awards. The 42-year-old will be celebrated, along with two other singers from the US, for her achievement in opera at the Awards Gala on 3 April 2022. Elza – who is based in France and is […]

The first South African Muslim film shot in Afrikaans, Barakat, has been selected as South Africa’s official submission for the 94th Annual Academy Awards (the Oscars!). It’s an award-winning film that brilliantly explores how a family moves on after the death of a father. Uniquely South African, yet absolutely universal. Watch the trailer below and […]

Johannesburg media witnessed the return of live theatre on Sunday, in an emotional fairytale night for all, as they watched the stars of pantomime Cinderella light up the Joburg Theatre stage for the first time in far too long. Gauteng publicist Georg Knoke was there… “Yiphee! The stages of South Africa are opening up again! […]

Charlize Theron says she has no regrets over the projects she’s starred in or turned down. But when it comes to her career, Charlize says she’s most proud of its longevity. The 46-year-old Oscar winner made her professional debut in the 1995 direct-to-video horror film Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest, and over the […]

A raft of confessions have been published in the past three decades chronicling the stories of white men in uniform who plied their trade as apartheid heavies and enforcers. The brutality they dispensed – killings, assassinations, torture, beatings – also came to light in two commissions: the Goldstone Commission, which exposed the a dirty tricks […]

This article may contain spoilers. Damon Galgut, a white South African playwright and novelist, has won the 2021 Booker Prize for his novel The Promise, a satirical portrait of a white family living in Pretoria in post-apartheid South Africa. The story is a very personal one for Galgut, who grew up in Pretoria and witnessed […]