Social media was lit this week as news spread that the iconic SABC 2 comedy series Vetkoek Paleis will be replacing the long-running soapie 7de Laan.
SABC’s Head of Platforms for Video Entertainment, David Makubyane, told Daily Voice: “One of the first repeat programmes as the 7de Laan contract ends on 26 December, will from the 27th, broadcast Vetkoek Paleis as a placeholder. These will be placeholders until the new and fresh content comes onto the channel.”
He says the SABC 2 will be repositioned to be a mass market channel. The channel would be running repeats in the first quarter of next year but exciting changes were on cards.
A community of fans who formed an official 7de Laan Facebook page, however, said the SABC’s decision to bring back the 27-year-old sitcom Vetkoek Paleis was a slap in the face.
The group called “7de Laan My Nou Amptelik” wrote: “This is a ‘wise’ move just so that we [Afrikaans community] do not complain about them having a mandate to air shows that are in Afrikaans as well and that they are not fulfilling that mandate. What a way to shut the mouths of Afrikaans-speaking citizens and make people believe that they actually care about diversity.
“If it was ‘too expensive’ to keep 7de Laan on air, why did they not produce something that’s cost effective because airing old content won’t save the jobs of +-120 workers?
“This is one of the biggest mistakes the SABC could have made.”