Viewers confusion over Zola 7 TV show concept.

Written by Authentic views from the blog Authentic views on 25 Jun 2009
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Zola 7 is one household brand name in out tv and entertainment industry. The show Zola 7 makes 5 of SABC’s flagships. Since its inception 7 years ago hundreds of youth had a taste of their dreams in a glamorous tv spotlight through Zola’s help and several sponsors who shared the vision of that particular individual.
The goal of the show was to inspire young people about dreams, to encourage them to look at possibilities the show has been able to facilitate also as an educational tool for the youth to see options and channels they could capitalize on in pursuit of their dreams.
It served as the motivation that SA is indeed alive with possibilities, Zola and his producers will look at unique challenge and consider its feasibility to make 24 minutes of reality tv show within SABC and ICASA requirements and guidelines.
But the show turned into being mini charity, moving beyond youth dreams to desperate needs of the elderly and Zola’s commitment to the cause earned him a UN Goodwill ambassador and elevated to fifth spot of the world’s youth brands. The charity route the show has taken led to it being flooded with thousands of letters each month with requests ranging from people claiming evictions, leaving in appalling conditions and need Zola to build them homes, to replace their broken furniture, to find them jobs or solve unfair dismissals or family disputes, while others need help to obtain ID books, driver’s licenses and even calling upon Zola to address problems of their villages with no electricity, construction of roads or fix potholes, also build churches and so forth.
More than 80% of letters that come through for the show are impossible for 24 minutes tv show or would require more than 100% of the show’s current budget infact if Zola were to meet every need that has been directed to him the show would require huge amount of budget from the government hence lots of these request are the State’s service delivery, such as houses, electricity, schools, roads etc which ordinary people have been patiently waiting for from the government.
I watch very little of television, I’ve seen few episodes of Zola 7 over the years, but the content of the many letters to the show leaves me wondering if this is the people’s interpretation of dreams or it’s because they see part of Zola’s work towards the cause of the poor and so they regard him as the man with answers to all their questions.
I also wonder if the show producers are communicating efficiently to the viewers the goals of the tv show, its regulations and limitations. The only way the show can achieve meeting the needs of all those who write would be partnering with NGOs, Government departments but it would be total impossible that every story get the tv limelight coverage.

7 Comments

Brown Shuga
24 Jun 2009 16:08

Bathong, is the show still on kanti? Tjo!

Tashi
25 Jun 2009 04:38

Interesting Authentic - the one thing it has stuck with is that it's never started making it all about companies getting involved and getting airtime to "help" people i.e it's consistently felt as if the intention is to empower people in whatever way it happens to be.

realist
25 Jun 2009 06:54

More than 80% of letters that come through for the show are impossible for 24 minutes tv show or would require more than 100% of the show’s current budget infact if Zola were to meet every need that has been directed to him the show would require huge amount of budget from the government hence lots of these request are the State’s service delivery, such as houses, electricity, schools, roads etc which ordinary people have been patiently waiting for from the government.
In essence, what you are saying is that this show is watched by 80% poor household or am I missing the point?

mjj
25 Jun 2009 08:24

seriously speaking now - is this show still on TV? What time? Is Zola still wearing the same Levi jean and jacket show after show?

Green.arrow
25 Jun 2009 08:31

I was teeling my friend about my dream yesterday and i was worried it would take me a life time to achieve and he told me that....the problem is not the unavaiablity of resources, its the lack of selfeless visions in our country that makes the people with resources to wanna keep them in their pocktes...

I dont watch the show, but it is one of the shows i respect a lot on sabc.....Zola has a vision for people (i dont care much about his personal life)..and people are willing to contribute millions for him to build libraries, because they are confident that he will account for their contributions in the long run....and i hope he does (i belive he can)
So i salute him for having this vision of his..and i am only happy that she is able top inspire hope in the little people he has while some of us are sitting back and watching.

the show leaves me wondering if this is the people’s interpretation of dreams or it’s because they see part of Zola’s work towards the cause of the poor and so they regard him as the man with answers to all their questions
...And if thats the case...i really dont blame them.....a lot of our people are hopeless (about their dreams or "non dreams"...what seems trivial to me and u could be big to some people)......they are desperate and the will go anywhere were it seems help will come from......

Also, some time ago, i rememebre watching the show and they were doing highlights, and the crew of the show were talking about their time on the show....and one of the things they mentioned regarding the next season is that they are getting rid of the 3 days period they have been using. No more time frames, because they realised that some of the derams take too long, and they wont drop them because they are too big for 3 days.....
So I hope they will get the opportunity to do even bigger and better things (no limits)...

Authentic views
26 Jun 2009 12:02

Thanks for all the responses, the new season starts sometime in july.
I don't mean that the show is watched by more than 80% of poor but those who bother to write to the show are definitly expressing poverty and need for Zola to bail them out. I'm also don't watch the show regularly to understant it episode by episode but the impression I get is that the show may be raising too much expectation or either miscommunicating what is possible or not or else it's a misinterpretation from those who watch and write to the show.

tshepo leonard
06 May 2010 18:17

It is indeed hurts me to see my favourate tv chanell SABC 1 terminating its contruct with Zola 7 becouse despite of his mistakes he has helped many young and old south africans to make thear dreams come true and with extention to that he has also helped homeless ppl by suplyng dm whth shelter, reuniting children with thear long lost parents, n most importantly talking yuoth from the stereet to schools which is of the world's main aim presently but by making few mistakes SABC desided to terminate his contract, my advise to them is dont only look at the mistakes he made in lyf but also consider hs effort to the whole world, to be honest Zola is the world's most heartful young man becouse most of the youth just care about being the celebrities,getting rich n driving fancy cars, forgetting about disadvantaged young and old individuals whum sleeps with empty stomach, whum thear dreams are jst washed in to the drain becouse they dont even know where to start in order to make theme come true more especially those from rural areas, SABC must'v first considered all those factors before they reach thear useless decission of terminating thear contract with Zola, today becouse of SABC sum of us are just sitting with talents becouse we even know wher to begin, my appeal to SABC is please..please..please im begging with my two hands to bring back ZOLA 7 show to us the viewers please.....

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