The build-up to the 2017 SAFTAs has begun with a public vote for the country's Most Popular Soapie - and a fiasco.
The awards will be held on the weekend of 16 to 18 March this year, at Sun City for the first time, and the full list of nominees will be announced later this month.
So the venue's new but the controversy isn't. As per usual, the awards are surrounded by wackadoo, twilight zone phenomena that characterise them each year.
This year the big elephant in the room is the fact that two of the country's top four soapies haven't been nominated in the Most Popular Soapie category.
Neither Muvhango nor Skeem Saam has been nominated which means that fans can't show their support for them in the category. For more about this, please see:
SA's top soapies boycott 2017 SAFTAs.
The rest of the country's soapies and telenovelas have been nominated and voting lines opened on Thursday, 26 January. The three soapies that get the most votes will be announced on Thursday, 16 February. Voting lines will open again after this so that viewers can vote for the winner.
Updated on 16 February: Voting for this has been extended to 16 March.
If you want to vote, you can have your say by SMS'ing the corresponding number of your chosen soapie to 48430 (SMS's cost R1,50 each):