Skeem Saam's original title card
Skeem Saam first debuted as a weekly drama on 13 October 2011 and next month - on 9 July - it reaches Season 7 as the third most popular show in the country.
It's been a popularity-fest since the start when it aired on Thursdays at 20h30 for its first two seasons.
It feels as if it's been part of weekday TV since it began, but it only became daily in 2014 after scoring more and more episodes as a result of its success.
And now it's attracting over 8-million viewers, with an audience share of 63.4 for its most watched episode
last month.
This means that 63.4% of all South Africans who were watching TV at 18h30 on the day, were tuned into Skeem Saam.
This is a "take note!" number because it's right up there with primetime heavyweights Generations and Uzalo, who pulled in 67.9 and 69.5% respectively.
As Season 7 of Skeem Saam approaches, we thought it would be cool to raid our archives to look at the show Then and Now.
This is what we found... the very first pics released of Tbose (Cornet Mamabolo), Kwaito (Clement Maosa) and Katlego (Patrick Seleka), who've been at the centre of the show's success since the start:
Tbose (Cornet Mamabolo)
Then:
Now:
Flash fact: Tbose was 16 when the show first started.
Kwaito (Clement Maosa)
Then:
Now:
Kat (Patrick Seleka)
Then:
Now:
Flash fact: Patrick knows what it's like to have a life wish come true.
This is what SABC1 said about him when they first announced the news of the show in 2011: "Patrick’s wish for the future is to see himself in a lead role in one of South Africa’s big soapies."
His wish was granted three years later.