The Phoenix
Channel: e.tv
TX Time: 19h00
Genre: Drama
Drama series set against the ruthless and high-stakes world of cannabis farming which tells the story of Kholeka, a young woman thrust into the spotlight when her powerful farming tycoon husband is murdered and she becomes the prime suspect.
Dismissed by many as merely a materialistic trophy wife, Kholeka must fight to clear her name and reclaim her dignity in a world determined to see her fall.
When the dust settles and suspicion begins to fade, only Mawande – her late husband's trusted ally – stands firmly by her side.
Together, they embark on a relentless journey to prove her innocence while rebuilding the fallen empire left in the wake of her husband's death.
But their fight is not without obstacles, as opportunistic in-laws and ruthless business associates circle, ready to seize control at the first sign of weakness.
At the heart of The Phoenix lies a powerful story of rebirth.
As Kholeka rises from scandal and grief, she must navigate the dangerous, male-dominated cannabis industry, determined to prove she is far more than the label society has placed on her.
Her journey is one of resilience, identity and survival as she learns to command respect in a cutthroat environment where mistakes can be fatal.
As alliances deepen, Kholeka finds herself falling in love with Mawande – the one man who believed in her when no one else did.
But their relationship takes a dark and unexpected turn when she uncovers a devastating truth: Mawande may be connected to the very people responsible for her husband's death.
Faced with betrayal of the highest order, Kholeka must choose between love and justice, truth and ambition, and ultimately confront the question that defines her journey: who is she really?
Just as she begins to find her footing, another shocking revelation threatens everything she has fought for – the emergence of her husband's illegitimate child, who arrives to claim a share of the empire.
With her legacy under threat, Kholeka must once again rise to protect her future and everything she has sacrificed to build.
The Phoenix is a drama about reinvention, ambition and the price of power and stars Tango Ncetezo, Dumisani Mbebe, Zikhona Bali, Lulama "AJ" Nyembezi, Yonda Thomas, Tyson Mathonsi and Brenda Ngxoli.
In the series premiere, "Accused": Kholeka and Vuyisile's anniversary celebration turns dramatic when Vuyisile's farming success sparks conflict with Khangelani, and rape allegations against him disrupt the festivities.
The series is an eVOD Original, created by Siphosethu Tshapu and produced by The Milton Empire.
TVSA Show Page: The Phoenix
Patience
Channel: BBC Brit (DStv 120)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Drama, Police Procedural
Patience Evans is a young civilian worker in the Police Criminal Records Office.
She lives a quiet life with her godfather, Douglas, in York in northern England.
Patience is autistic, which means she experiences the world through her own unique perspective — one that doesn't always align with how others might see or navigate it.
Patience loves a puzzle and her ability to untangle tricky cases soon brings her to the attention of top crime fighting officer DI Bea Metcalf.
When a seemingly routine investigation into a suspected suicide crosses Patience's desk she remembers connections to a series of similar cases in the past and soon the investigation takes on international dimensions and involves more unexplained deaths.
With Patience's help the case is solved, and DI Bea Metcalf is grateful for her contribution and recognises her potential and talents.
The relationship between Bea and Patience is a mutually beneficial one.
Bea takes Patience under her wing and pushes to get her made into an official Civilian Investigative Officer.
At times however Patience feels overwhelmed and out of her depth and retreats into her safe space.
She seeks advice from her Autism support group who meet regularly to discuss how to adapt in a neurotypical world.
As the series progresses, we learn more about Patience's early life and how she was abandoned by her mother and brought up by her father, George, who was a police officer himself.
When he dies, she is taken into the care of a god father, Douglas, who is very protective of her and really understands Patience.
She grows to like and admire Bea and really wants to help the police.
DI Bea Metcalf is a brilliant but unconventional cop. Beatrice, or Bea to her friends, loves her job, and she boasts the best clear-up rate in the county.
Bea is curious, instinctive, and empathetic. Bea is divorced with a young son, Alfie, who she worries about constantly.
As she grows closer to Patience, professionally and personally, Bea will be forced to reassess everything in her life, from her approach to Police work to Alfie's particular needs.
The cases the police solve with the help of Patience are baffling and unusual and set in extraordinary places around York, they include the case of a locked room with a dead man inside, a drowning in a museum with no water, and a 'corpse' that walks off a mortuary slab.
Patience is a thrilling, crime drama with neurodiversity at its heart.
Patience learns a lot about the world from Bea this series, we also see Bea learn a lot from Patience, and these two come together to make the perfect combination in friendship and solving crime.
History's Deadliest with Ving Rhames
Channel: HISTORY (DStv 186)
TX Time: 20h15
Genre: Documentary Series, History
This series tells the stories of astonishing places, people and events throughout history that have killed in the most spectacular ways.
Each hour-long episode reveals the strange truths behind the world's most prolific and powerful killers: from criminals, tyrants and natural disasters to the deadliest weapons, battles – or even islands.
Expert interviews, rare archival footage, illuminating graphics and cutting-edge AI visuals provide historical context, analysis and insights into how it all went down... and how it could happen again.
Along the way, we'll uncover the "wow facts", coincidences and unlikely chains of events that turn an ordinary day into one of history's deadliest.
In the series premiere, "Natural Disasters": From killer hurricanes and tsunamis to earthquakes, floods and fires, these are the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded.
Untold: Chess Mates
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00
Genre: Documentary
How did a match between chess grandmasters devolve into a bizarre scandal about anal beads?
This documentary digs into the stranger-than-fiction story.
Magnus Carlsen, widely regarded as the greatest chess player of all time, is challenged by Hans Niemann, a rising star who capitalizes on the meteoric growth of online chess.
Niemann's ascension culminates in an epic, controversy-shrouded victory over Carlsen at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, eventually leading to allegations and revelations of cheating.
Determined to clear his name, Niemann fights his way back to the top of the chess world, setting the stage for a high-stakes rematch with Carlsen in 2024.
Stina 2
Channel: Mzansi Magic (DStv 161)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Reality
Stina is a show about tests of loyalty, shocking confessions and jaw-dropping betrayals.
When someone has been secretly eyeing your bae, will they confess, or will they cross the line?
Each week Stina brings you some of the most shocking and unexpected confessions as the 'Wanter' - someone madly in love with a taken partner - lays it all bare.
As the cameras roll, they reveal their true feelings hoping to 'steal the Wanted' from their current relationship.
And just when you think you've seen it all, a third party steps in to spill more tea, exposing secrets, backstories and the real dynamics behind the love entanglement.
Presented by social media comedian Sipho "Alphi" Mkhwanazi, Stina is where emotions will run wild, love get tested, boundaries crossed, and hearts get broken.
Expect some of the most chaotic love confession stories like that "work spouse" who's tired of playing pretend, a childhood bestie who wants more than just memories, a neighbour trying to prove that love knows no fences and many more.
In the Season 2 premiere: The situation involves three people: Sizwe, Kwanele, and Mbali, who is Sizwe's younger sister.
Their close bond has weakened due to distance and mistrust. Sizwe has feelings for Kwanele, who is dating Mbali.
Laataand by Rian 5
Channel: kykNET (DStv 144)
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: Talk Show, Afrikaans
Rian van Heerden is back with his talk show in which he not only talks to newsmakers, but also to interesting people he has come across.
All of this happens around a plate of food in his eatery in Pretoria, called Delizioso.
There are two guests in every episode and the second guest is always a surprise for the first.
The first guest is someone who is in the news, but the second guest is usually an eccentric or extraordinary person who is invited to keep the conversations in a light vein, to serve as a surprise or to take the conversation to the next level.
When it comes to the newsmakers, for example, the guests are not all from the political world.
This season will once again discover a different side of a great variety of well-known personalities including:
- Rensche Bougas, Anthonie's mother,
- Rachel Kolisi, the ex-wife of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi,
- Michelin-starred chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen,
- Ruben Lambrechts from Namibia,
- politician and poet Mathews Phosa,
- singer Rudi Claase,
- Tony Leon, who served as leader of the DA from 2000 to 2007,
- and legendary comedian Barry Hilton.
The Tale of Silyan
Channel: Disney+
TX Time: 10h00
Genre: Documentary
A Macedonian folktale comes to life when a wounded white stork is rescued from a landfill by an unlikely savior, transforming both of their lives for the better.
Nikola, a farmer grappling with the harsh realities of new government policies, finds himself unable to sell his land or crops.
When his family leaves in search of a better life abroad, Nikola takes a job as a landfill attendant, where he encounters the injured white stork Silyan.
As he nurses the bird back to health, an unlikely bond forms between man and animal.
Interwoven with a local folktale of transformation and loss, the lyrical film becomes a meditation on migration, aging, nature, and the ways kindness can persist in the hollow spaces left by change.
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives 5
Channel: Travel Channel (DStv 179)
TX Time: 13h55
Genre: Food, Reality, Travel
Guy Fieri knows a thing or two about hearty, flavoursome food, and in this series he travels across America - and beyond - in search of the best "greasy spoon" eateries.
These diners, drive-ins and dives have been doing it right for decades, and these days they're booming again.
Run by a whole new generation of owners, these joints serve up delicious home-made food and Guy is hitting the road to check them out.
In the Season 5 premiere, "What's for Breakfast?": Guy checks out breakfast across the USA for some early morning eats.
A juice bar in New Orleans makes bagels from scratch and actor Gene Hackman joins him at a New Mexico roadhouse.
Sheng Wang: Purple
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00
Genre: Comedy, Special
Sheng Wang shares his thoughts on edible bras, braving the ghosts in your house and guarding expensive berries from your friends' kids.
In this special filmed at the Warner Theater in Washington D.C., Sheng delves into what it means to be a grown-up and explores ordinary life moments:
- sharing prized berries with your friends' kids,
- cooking with shallots,
- braving the ghosts in your house,
- finding joy in nature and much more.