Hidden Gems: South Africa
Channel: BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Travel, Advertiser-Funded
Hidden Gems: South Africa is a travel format featuring local travel influencers who compete to uncover South Africa's untouched luxury escapes.
Over the course of five episodes the show follows six influencers, with their plus one, as they discover 10 hidden destinations dotted across our beautiful and vibrant country.
Each gem introduces a new theme for the influencers to explore; from the vibrant plant life of Skukuza to the mountains of Winterton and the desert landscapes of Cederberg, unveiling the ultimate bucket-list gems only a few travellers have been fortunate enough to have uncovered.
But here's the twist: at the end of each episode the viewer gets to decide which hidden gem takes the top spot by casting their weekly vote for their favourite hidden gem experience.
In Episode 6, one month after the fifth episode airs (Wednesday 8 July 2026 at 20h00), the ultimate South African Hidden Gem will be crowned.
By voting, viewers also stand a chance to win big: every week, audiences who cast their vote will go into a draw to win a R10,000 sponsor voucher, with five weekly chances to win across the first five episodes.
All voters will additionally be entered into a grand prize draw for a R25,000 voucher, awarded after the final episode.
The "gemfluencer" whose destination receives the highest number of votes overall will also take home a R25,000 voucher.
The Influencers
Tebogo Pin-Pin is an award-winning South African travel writer who swapped a career in banking for a life spent uncovering the country's most beautiful hidden destinations.
Known for his meticulous factchecking and storytelling, he has worked across all nine provinces and has received multiple international accolades for his content.
Linda Munnik is a hiking enthusiast dedicated to exploring the country's most scenic, and often overlooked, trails.
She has a practical, honest approach.
Senzelwe Mthembu is a Johannesburg-born travel storyteller whose artistic photography and thoughtful narratives showcase South Africa through a culturally rich lens.
Featured on CNN's Inside Africa, she champions immersive, community-centred travel experiences.
Rhett & Claire are a Johannesburg duo who left their nine-to-five jobs to travel the world fulltime, creating cinematic YouTube guides that help viewers plan unforgettable trips.
Their content breaks down everything from costs to must-see attractions across both local and international destinations.
Melissa Blanche is a Cape Town–based filmmaker and photographer known for capturing luxury lodges, boutique hotels and standout destinations across South Africa.
Her refined visual storytelling spotlights the country's hidden gems while inspiring intentional, adventure filled travel.
In the series premiere: Tebogo visits Yzerfontein and Linda takes a break in the Drakensberg mountains.
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
Channel: M-Net (DStv 101)
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: Drama, True Crime, Miniseries
From 1972-1978, 33 young men were kidnapped, murdered and buried in a crawl space beneath their killer's house.
And no one was the wiser. Not for all those years. Why?
He was charming and funny. Had a good, all-American job. Was a community leader. He even volunteered to entertain sick kids... while dressed as a clown.
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy peels back the twisted layers of Gacy's life while weaving in heartrending stories of his victims; exploring the grief, guilt and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror.
In the series premiere, "Ten Days": When teenager Robert Piest disappears on his mother's birthday, police officers track, interrogate and tail John Wayne Gacy, the contractor that Piest was last seen with.
Worst Ex Ever 2
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00 (all episodes)
Genre: True Crime, Documentary Series, Docu-Drama
From chilling betrayals to murder plots, this true crime docuseries dissects the dark side of love through eyewitness testimonies.
The format - built around the universal feeling of wondering how much you really know about your partner - brings you more shocking tales of betrayal, violence and deceit.
Composed of compelling testimonials, bodycam footage and animated reenactments, Worst Ex Ever reveals the disturbing stories of monstrous past relationships.
Worst Ex Ever returns for Season 2, featuring gripping testimonials, startling bodycam footage and vivid animated reenactments that bring harrowing tales of betrayal, violence and deceit to life — exposing some of the most monstrous relationships and exes you'll ever encounter.
The Weakest Link Celebrity Specials 5
Channel: BBC Brit (DStv 120)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Game Show, Comedy
Presented by comedian Romesh Ranganathan, this gameshow sees nine contestants work together to answer questions and bank as much money as possible.
At the end of every round, contestants vote for the player they believe is letting the team down – and the weakest link is eliminated until just two contestants remain to battle it out in the final.
Fun, humorous and, at times, ruthless.
In the Season 5 premiere, "BBC Radio 2 Special": Romesh is joined by some of the biggest names in BBC radio broadcasting: Scott Mills, Rylan, Zoe Ball, Tony Blackburn, Jo Whiley, Trevor Nelson, Michael Ball and Sally 'Traffic' Boazman.
American Detective with Lt. Joe Kenda 5
Channel: Investigation Discovery (DStv 171 / StarSat 223)
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: True Crime, Documentary Series, Docu-Drama
With a 92% solve rate, Joe Kenda is one of the most experienced and successful homicide detectives in the USA.
His career was profiled in nine seasons of ID's Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda, and now he's back to tip his cap to the other great men and women who answered the call.
Over the years, Kenda has heard about cases that defy logic and expose the depravity of human nature: investigations so confounding that the twists and turns feel more scripted in Hollywood than reality.
In American Detective, Kenda trades in his own case files to bring astounding investigations from across the country, with each episode profiling a different homicide detective whose tireless efforts helped bring justice for the victim.
Kenda guides us through the nuances of each case and the dogged detective work it took to solve the seemingly unsolvable.
Joe Kenda knows that it takes a rare breed to be an American Detective, and he uses his new series to showcase other detectives whose tireless efforts solved a tragic puzzle and helped put a killer behind bars.
In the Season 5 premiere, "Man's Best Friend": A murder victim's lost dog becomes the key clue in solving her murder.
Ice Road Truckers 12
Channel: HISTORY (DStv 186)
TX Time: 19h25
Genre: Reality
Ice Road Truckers is back for an epic return.
From its original series premiere in 2007 to a several years long hiatus, the fearless truckers return like never before to the treacherous terrain of icy roads and frozen lakes in Northern Canada delivering crucial supplies and necessities to isolated communities.
With a winter window shorter than ever and no time to waste, these drivers risk everything to haul in a lifeline of goods while chasing big paydays before the opportunity melts away under their chained tires.
At the world's northern edge, people and cultures cut off from civilization are briefly connected by a lifeline of roads paved with ice.
Each year, a group of skilled, highly trained and thrill-seeking truckers put their lives on the line to beat nature's clock - battling dangerous roads, deadly frostbite and brutal conditions to deliver life-saving supplies such as food and building materials to remote communities.
This season, veterans like Todd Dewey and Lisa Kelly return with no hesitation - and no practice runs - while rookies emerge, determined to prove they have what it takes to reign supreme on the ice.
With higher stakes, greater risks, and bigger rewards than ever before, it's them vs. nature.
In the Season 12 premiere, "The Northern Frontier": On their first runs of the new season, Lisa is forced to stop when the unrelenting road knocks her engine apart.
Meanwhile, Todd attempts an ambitious bush fix to muscle his load back onto the trailer.