Television Programs in South Africa

Send in your SA TV tips!

SA Blog is not the biggest fan of South African television, but feels obliged to list a few “highlights” for visitors who have taken the day off to veg out. Daily papers print TV guides, while the best weekly TV guide is in the Sunday Times. See also: Television in South Africa.

Readers are welcome to augment this list of the best local TV. Note that many of the shows below are repeated at different times during the week.

Best of SA TV:

• Soap opera: Isidingo, weekdays, 14:30 & 18:30, SABC 3.
  SA’s best soapie by a mile: go Cherelle go!
• Investigative journalism: Special Assignment, Tuesdays, 21:30, SABC 3.
  Conducts regular “sting” operations to expose corruption, etc. Pretty good by any standard.
• Kids: YO TV, weekdays, 15:00-16:30, plus weekend mornings, SABC 1.
  Hyperactive in the extreme. For alternatives, see Tube (SABC2) or CRAZe (etv) at similar times.
• News in English: weeknights 19:00, SABC 3.
  TV news is dire in South Africa. ‘Nuff said.
• Sport: Supersport 1, 2 & 3.
  Broadcasting 72 hours of sport per day. Satellite TV required. No satellite? Get a TV guide and hunt for the spotty coverage on the public broadcaster, mostly confined to Saturdays and major events.
• Culture: Eastern Mosaic, Sundays 11:00, SABC 2
  A look at Indian culture from an SA perspective.
• Game show: Noot vir Noot, Fridays 19:30, SABC 2
  It’s wholly in Afrikaans, and an absolute, evergreen classic.