Renewed!
Season 23 of 7de Laan premieres on Wednesday 29 December and brings a family of new characters who step in after the recent burst of departures.
Characters have been leaving so fast it's made our heads spin and now a new crowd's moving in to their memory: the Visagies.
Here's a close-up on what's what and who's who:
The Visagies are a typical middle class, hardworking and honest family from Groblersdal, Mpumalanga.
They're generally happy-go-lucky people, who know the value of working hard to earn their keep. They have an enigmatic energy and they tend to add vibrancy to the company they're in.
Like any family, they’ve seen their fair share of highs and lows but they understand that their strong family bond can weather the storms of life.
The family consists of:
Werner Visagie
Played by Zak Hendrikz
Husband to Tanya, father to Uys and son to Augusta
Werner is the son of a poultry farmer and a straight talker with a strong work ethic. He is the youngest of four brothers and simply adores his mother Augusta.
Werner swept Tanya off her feet with his quirky charm when he was in his early twenties and they went on to have their son, Uys, out of wedlock.
After losing their family farm when his father died, Werner created a successful maintenance business with a great clientele but he suffered another setback when an injury left him unable to manage his business, which then also crumbled.
Tanya nursed him back to health and he now does odd jobs but Werner knows it can't continue like that because he is a man reared to provide well for his family.
Tanya and Werner make their way to Hillside when they decide to get hitched on the spur of the moment. Their son Uys studies near Hillside and they're keen to surprise him with the news.
Werner’s deepest aspiration is to be a good husband, father and son. He is adamant about giving his family a secure and fulfilled life. He admires Chris Welman for what he does for his family.
He debuts on 7 January 2022.
Tanya Visagie
Played by Liezl de Kock
Wife to Werner, mother to Uys and daughter-in-law to Augusta
Tanya, a former beauty queen is the centre of Werner's world and a proud mother to Uys Visagie. She is also the youngest of three sisters, of which Hettie, Tjattas’s mother is the eldest.
Tanya caught Werner's attention at a bar during a beauty pageant and he was instantly smitten with her.
They had Uys at an early age but Tanya still pursued a career in nursing with the help of Augusta, who helped take care of Uys.
Tanya doesn't have an amicable relationship with her sister Hettie because of an incident that divided their family years ago.
As a registered nurse and her kind and caring nature, Tanya easily makes friends in Hillside, although some may see her as a threat.
She also debuts on 7 January.
Uys Visagie
Played by Daniel Coetzee
Son to Tanya and Werner and grandson to Augusta
Uys is a handsome, charming young man who doesn't have a lack of ladies lining up at his door. Being an only child, he is Werner and Tanya's pride and joy. They are determined to give him a stable life that enables him to reach his full potential.
Uys is currently studying to be a Pilot on a bursary at an academy near Hillside. All Uys really wants to do, is to make his parents proud but as a typical youngster, he occasionally finds himself in trouble.
His physical appearance and cool attitude earn him a popularity spot in his friendship circles.
He debuts on 31 December.
Flash fact >> Daniel is one of two cast interns on 7de Laan for the season.
Augusta Visagie
Played by Hannelie Warren
Mother to Werner, mother-in-law to Tanya and grandmother to Uys
Augusta is a free-spirited hippie who studied journalism at university. She abandoned her studies three years in, to become a farmer's wife.
Augusta adored her husband and her sons - Werner and his three brothers - dearly. She was an aspiring actress with a successful start in television when bird flu ravaged their poultry farm and halted her acting career.
She did her best to keep her husband motivated through this devastation but his depression led to further health ailments and he died of a heart attack.
Augusta moved in with her eldest son and his wife when they were unable to rebuild their farm. A domestic dispute with her daughter-in-law leads Augusta to Werner and Tanya's doorstep in Hillside.
She debuts on 2 February 2022.