SA's top soapies boycott 2017 SAFTAs

Written by TVSA Team from the blog Awards on 02 Feb 2017
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The build-up to the SAFTAs has only just begun and already there's a fiasco.

Neither Muvhango nor Skeem Saam has been nominated in the Most Popular Soapie category which will be decided by South African viewers. Believe it!

The two shows are the third and fourth most popular shows in the country when it comes to viewership and yet they haven't been included in a category that claims to be about popularity.

Both soapies have confirmed to TVSA that they haven't entered the awards this year. This is why they haven't been nominated in the category because the SAFTAs have only nominated shows who've entered the awards.

Which renders the category meaningless. If all soapies aren't up for selection, the final winner isn't actually the Most Popular Soapie as voted for by fans because not all of the country's soapies have been represented.

Ultimately there's a flaw in the selection process of the category because it denies a soapie the right to choose to not enter the awards while claiming to represent the public and the overall South African TV landscape.

Every soapie should be nominated whether they've entered the awards or not.

Of particular interest is the fact that Skeem Saam won the category last year so its exclusion is as loud as a drunk Big Brother housemate.

As for why the two soapies haven't entered... we're waiting for statements from both. We presume that Muvhango's reason will be similar to the reason they gave when they boycotted last year, which you'll find here: Why Muvhango didn't enter the SAFTAs.

We'll update here once we receive their statements.

Shows in this post: Skeem Saam, Muvhango, The South African Film and Television Awards

Channels in this post: SABC1, SABC2

11 Comments

max85
02 Feb 2017 06:17

Here we go again .SAFTA time ,drama time .i wonder why Skeem Saam decided not to participate this year .we know Gen and 7de laan wont get nominated .that leaves isidingo from the Sabc .there will be anger when they announce the noms o 16 feb.

Ingenuity
02 Feb 2017 08:20

No real loss here. The acting on both shows leaves a lot to be desired.

deziclesthagawd
02 Feb 2017 08:25

Skeem Saam probably didn't enter because they are still salty over not getting noninated last year. Mfundi should've pulled Gen from these nonsensical awards a long time ago. It never gets the recognition it deserves. Especially after a year of strong, high profile storylines that had the nation talking. I don't fxck with the saftas honestly.

deziclesthagawd
02 Feb 2017 08:26

*nominated*

TVSA Team
03 Feb 2017 11:09

This statement just in from Muvhango's associate producer Morishe Matlejoane, confirming that their view has remained the same as they expressed in their statement last year:

"Our stance remains as is. There has been little if any effort from the organisers to improve the judging process or allow the public vote to hold higher rank. We remain stern in our views until a significant change is noticed. As mentioned previously, we seek to protect the integrity of our hard working crew and actors from the narrow views of a few individuals. It’s just not fair."

Show-Time
05 Feb 2017 19:38

I've long held a grudge against those contentious awards, anyway! Generations should have pulled out too to leave the credibility of the SAFTAs in tatters.

TVSA Team
07 Feb 2017 15:14

Just in... this statement from Skeem Saam:

It goes without saying that the SAFTAS both celebrate and represent the epitome of creative excellence within our industry. Given this, it would only be courteous for Skeem Saam to submit what we feel is our finest content from our vast footage. However, 2016 was a particularly hectic year for us, as we dedicated much emphasis to the development of our writers and actors. The reason for this is to continue to produce television that will entertain our viewers.

As a result, too much time was spent on the efforts mentioned above, preventing us from investing enough time to get all the required material. We have since had to prioritise what is meaningful for the betterment of the series. We hope to participate in the SAFTAs in the near future, and wish everyone involved all the success moving forward.

max85
07 Feb 2017 15:50

Ok skeem saam we believe you.

TVSA Team
07 Feb 2017 16:58

Please note: Skeem Saam has retracted the above statement. Another statement's going to be issued by the SABC in due course. We'll keep you posted.

max85
07 Feb 2017 19:06

Lol whats going on? .what if SABC pulls out all its shows from the awards.

TVSA Team
08 Feb 2017 17:42

So this is the National Film and Video Foundation's response to the situation...

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) has taken note of conversations, and media articles pertaining to Muvhango and Skeem Saam’s choice not to enter into the 11^th Annual South African Film and Television (SAFTAs) Awards.

The SAFTAs are a platform to celebrate a multicultural and creative industry. The Awards are centred around recognising the film industry in its entirety. We also aim to acknowledge the respect and integrity that must be given to the world class talent surfacing from our country. The NFVF is in full support of all TV Soapies in South Africa, as well as recognising the efforts made by Muvhango and Skeem Saam.

The NFVF has taken liberty to recognise room of improvement in making sure that the film industry is serviced in a manner that can be satisfactory to South Africa. With the SAFTAs 11 championing the vision of improved collaboration, The NFVF have appointed over 181 judges across the industry which include members within the industry to adjudicate a fair voting process that started in December 2016.

The SAFTAs 11 judging process has been under the directorship and guidance from industry practitioners such as Jerry Mofokeng, Dr John Kani and Firdoze Bulbulia. All the auditing for the SAFTA’s 11 judging process has been officially procured by PWC South Africa.

To date, the SAFTAs 11 nominations have received more than 441 submissions from production houses across the country ranging from 89 categories across feature films, animation film, special public vote, and most popular TV presenter. The SAFTAs 11 nominations have not been announced. The announcement will only be done on 16 February 2017 where all nominees will be listed publicly.

The NFVF judging committee also consists of credible affiliates and stakeholders which are CCISFA, SASFED, ETV, SABC and Mnet. The NFVF is confident that the improvement to the judging process which has been implemented across the country with dedicated teams assigned to educate and induct the film industry through workshops during 2016 has assisted with clearer communication.

Viewers are currently judging from the 17 nominees who have submitted their work for Most Popular TV Soap (including telenovelas). The public can cast their vote using the number 48430, all sms’s are charged at R1.50.

The NFVF is looking forward to SAFTAs 11 which will be taking place from the 16th March 2017 to the 18th of March 2017 in Sun City and will be televised on SABC 2.

Pease refer to our website for more information on Call to entries procedure that informs our fair and transparent judging process.

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