The SAFTAs have introduced a viewer voting aspect to the soapie categories again this year with a Most Popular Soapie award.
Which means that the awards have two overall soapie categories: one voted for by the SAFTA judges (Best Soapie) and one voted for by the public (Most Popular Soapie).
The nominees for the first were announced when the SAFTA nominees were announced last month (
see the full list here) and nominees for the viewer category have been confirmed today.
As you know, the SAFTAs are always characterised by Twilight Zone phenomena* and the Most Popular Soapie category is a true classic when it comes this. There are two eye-popping omissions to the line-up this year: neither Uzalo nor Muvhango has been nominated.
According to the National Film and Video Foundation, the reason for this is that Muvhango didn't enter the awards this year and Uzalo entered as a drama instead of as a soapie. All of the other nominees entered as a soapie and were therefore automatically included in the category.
These are the nominees, with details on how to vote:
Most Popular Soapie
| Show |
Voting code |
| isiBaya |
1 |
| 7de Laan |
2 |
| Ashes to Ashes |
3 |
| Binnelanders |
4 |
| Skeem Saam |
5 |
| Scandal! |
6 |
| Rhythm City |
7 |
| Generations The Legacy |
8 |
| Villa Rosa |
9 |
| Isidingo |
10 |
To vote, you can SMS the code of the soapie you would like to vote for to the number: 33104.
Voting lines close during the main ceremony on Sunday, 20 March 2016 at 21h30.
SMS's cost R1.50.
*Bizarre, mind-bending events that no-one can comprehend.