We take a look back to some of the best and worst that took place in the SA Entertainment. From TV to Music 2014 brought us a lot of drama and interesting events. From yoMzansi here is what made the best & worst of 2014 in SA Entertainment
The losss of Former Isidingo actress – Lesego Motsepe
Former Isidingo actress Lesego Motsepe who played Letti on the SABC3 popular soapie has passed on earlier this year, 20 Jan.
Bonang Matheba claims her throne
We cannot ignore Queen B’s presence especially each year, but 2014 she managed to put her brand on another level. Bonang Matheba launched Lingerie line ‘Distraction By Bonang’.with Woolworths in February. In March she made a big move in the radio industry when she joined Metro FM. She did 2014 Fifa World Cup coverage with Supersport TV and hosted Gauteng Sports Awards. In August she set a trend after rocking a cover shoot with $2 million worth of jewellery. Recently Bonang has been chosen as the ambassador of Ciroc Africa along side David Tale, DaLes and Dj Dimplez. She continued her shine when she recently landed a cover feature on international mag – Glamour Magazine. Well if you didn’t know she is also the number 1 twitter most followed female in SA. Keep shining Queen B*
Burger King now in Jozi
Was not popular in SA, But Burger King managed to set their footprint in SA by opening a chain of their restaurants across Mzansi from February 2014. Burger King managed to open stores at Park Station, Rivonia Road and Centurion and Rosebank.
A New 24-hour channel for the Oscar Pistorius trial
A new thing in our TV platform..…MultiChoice launched a 24-hour pop-up channel on DStv Channel 199 in March, specifically focused on the trial of the Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius. The Oscar Pistorius Trial: A Carte Blanche Channel featured a round-the-clock coverage of the legal proceedings, as well as exclusive documentaries, profiles and in-depth expert analysis.
Vinolia Mashego (V-Mash) makes a come back on TV
The vivacious Vinolia Mashego, fondly known to her fans as V-Mash made a comeback on our screens after a loooooong time off-scene. V-Mash was announced as presenter of Mzansi Magic Music’s new live interactive music video show PLS CALL ME alongside the energetic Zanele “Nestum” Nyakale and funny-man Pule Welch . PLS CALL ME premiered on air from January 2014.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo scoops fourth Grammy Award
Ladysmith Black Mambazo, whose authentic isicathameya choral style has been exported and popularised all over the world, won a fourth grammy in the category of Best World Music.
Ladysmith Black Mamabazo shared the Grammy for their live album Singing for Peace Around the World.
Our own Big Brother Mzansi
What has become the most interesting and probably more interesting than Big Brother Africa….Our very locally produced and cooked – Big Brother Mzansi officially made a debut on our screens in February on Mzansi Magic. Sebokeng spaza-shop owner Mandla Hlatshwayo walked away from his 63-day stay in the Big Brother Mzansi house with the grand prize of R1-million.
Platinum, Gold….
SA music sales have been creepy lately, but 2014 has been good some of our artists. This includes Zahara who managed to hit double platinum with her latest album Phendula. Donald’s “Train Of Love” made it to platinum in May. The Soil also managed to reach platinum status with their latest album Nostalgic Moments. Heavy K reached Gold and not forgetting Cassper Nyovest who also went Gold with his debut album Tsholofelo.
DJ Sbu continues to make major moves
What we call trendsetter…Dj Sbu managed to pull through a number of moves this year. In February his book “The Leadership 2020” was distributed at CNA stores. In the same month he started hosting a new prime time show “XSGP” via Soweto TV. Few months down the line he launched a successful social youth & entrepreneur monthly event – Sunday Circle. The event was launched on 07 September and up to date it has managed to host Keynote speakers, Entrepreneurs & celebrities including Bonang Matheba, Phuti Mahanyele, Tim Tebeila, Given Mkhari, Timothy Maurice & more. Now Sbu has recently launched a 100% black owned & locally produced energy drink ‘MoFaya”.
MTN pulls out as sponsor for SAMAs
The official sponsor of the South African Music Awards (SAMA) – MTN have pulled out as the main sponsor of this annual music ceremony., this was announced in January this year.
Facebook Buying WhatsApp For $19B
The billion dollar Social Network – Facebook purchased messaging giant WhatsApp for $16 billion in cash and stock, according to a regulatory filing. The deal was cut for $12 billion in Facebook shares, $4 billion in cash and an additional $3 billion in RSUs for employee retention.
WhatsApp messenger goes down
Messaging service WhatsApp had a breakdown earlier this year due to server issues just after it was purchased by Facebook. Now this was one to remember as it caused and outrage on social media when people couldn’t communicate using this messaging service.
DJ Cleo now on soccer
Known for his popular music – DJ Cleo amazed a lot of people when he announced his soccer career. Cleo took on this sport as a goalkeeper and went to trial trying to get a spot in PSL clubs. He is still at it and trying to get a big break with at least that one PSL team.
Majoro goes to Orlando Pirates
The Mighty Buccaneers Orlando Pirates signed Lehlohonolo Majoro from Kaizer Chiefs earlier this year. A very massive move in our soccer, Majoro joined the club after a DRC Order declaring him a free agent.
Graeme Smith retires from cricket
Ofcoz it’s usual and it happens most times when we see sportsmen & women call it quits either in soccer, cricket etc. Well former Proteas Test captain Graeme Smith announced an end to his 347-match international career earlier this year.
yoMzansi.com launches a Digital Magazine
SA Multi-Award Winning Blog – yoMzansi.com went digital with a launch of their digital magazine #yomzansiMAG. The 1st issue of #yomzansiMAG was launched in March 2014 . Focused on 101% local Entertainment | Lifestyle | Business & Entrepreneurship, the mag managed to score an average of +10 000 downloads per month with a record of +15 000 downloads on the November issue.
Muvhango & Isibaya a 5 Days dessert
We saw Mzansi popular shows Muvhango & Isibaya score a 5days slot from Mon-Fri. Muvhango premiered their 5days slot from March , same month Mzansi Magic’s telenovela Isibaya also premiered their 5days slot.
The Radio biz…..
Lets starts from slots changes that occurred in April. We saw DJ Fresh taking over the breakfast show after Gareth Cliff called it quits with his team to start his internet uncensored radio “Cliff Central”. Another noisemaker move….YFM released Dj Warras, Tumi Voster whom joined 5fm. And the ground breaker – Bonang joined Metro FM, taking over Azania’s slot.
Movies biz,…..
A successful year for many of our local production teams. We saw a lot of talent getting exposed and more exciting the work reaching the international market. iNumber Number locally produced film managed to set a trend locally & internationally. Other local movies that made the year include “Hard To Get”, “Between Friends” and Spud 3.
More SA celebs & brands gets Twitter verification
This year twitter managed to reach local celebrities and brands with their verification badge. You can notice that most of SA brands have just recently been verified by twitter. This includes brands like SABC1, Local banks, local and radio stations. SA celebs who has just been verified includes: Itumeleng Khune, LootLove, Minnie Dlamini, AKA, Cassper Nyovest & more.
Celebs forks in the TV industry….
Celebs and TV…We saw most our local popular faces getting into a whole lot of tv shows. This began from Nonhle making a comeback on Club 808, Phat Joe hosting SABC1’s dating show “Take Me Out”, iFani hosted Stumbo Dance show on SABC1, Penny Lebyane joined e.tv morning news team- etv sunrise. Zonke, Oskido & Arno were chosen as XFactor SA judges. Naves, Sphe & Thando Thabethe chosen as hosts for music show on SABC1. DJ Fesh joined the SA’s Got Talent judging panel. And recently DaLes, Maps, Trevor Gumbi & TallAssMo were announced as Jozi A-Listers. J.Something of MiCasa has also launched his own cooking show “Something’s Cooking” with Mzansi Magic.
Nas & Timbaland , Wiz blows the Castle Lite Extra Cold Music Concert
This was definitely an event to remember with an experience from the crowd and enjoying the hip hop & dance culture music. The concert was headlined by Timbaland, Nas, Wiz Khalifa, Mi Casa, Black Coffee and more. Extra Cold Music Concert took place at Supersport Park Centurion on 7 June.
CliffCentral launches
From 5fm , now his own radio station – Gareth Cliff launched CliffCentral on 1 May . The station sets a unique trend in broadcasting, as it is an online radio station, multi-faceted and free from suspensions, restrictions or BCCSA complaints.
Take Me Out – new dating trend on TV
SABC1 Mzansi Fo Sho, presented a new dating show “Take Me Out” to its viewers in July this year. The show managed to get a positive response through out the season since its debut. The show proved to be a success in the UK and in Australia where the original concept was birthed. Now everyone is asking for the next chapter…season 2
BET sees local talent – Mafikizolo
Afro-pop group Mafikizolo managed to score a nomination for Best International Act: Africa at the 2014 BET awards. Though they didn’t win, the award was brought home by DAVIDO who was chosen as the winner for the award.
Big Brother Africa house burns
Who would forget that incident?……..Big Brother Africa House located in Highlands North was flamed just days before the show was to debut it 9th season. The fire made damages to the equipment forcing the production team to postpone the show. The show was accommodated to a new house & resumed the 9th season from October till December with Tanzania winning the title.
The loss of Isaac Shakes Kungwane
It is with great sadness we lost a star in SA soccer history. Former football star-turned-TV presenter Isaac Kungwane passed away this year in May. Mzansi will always remember you #RIP
The X Factor SA
Great new shows being introduced to our screens. The X Factor SA was definitely a trendsetter for this year. The talent search show was brought to SABC1 in September. Hosted by Andile Ncube the show also invited massive judging muscles to its seats – Oskido, ZONKE and Arno Castens. The show ended its first season in 2nd week of December.
Mzansi Hip Hop rules 2014
Mzansi Hip Hop saw a great shine this year ….One cannot deny; from collaborations, new music to new artists. This was a fruitful experience as this gives hope to our local rappers. For past years House music has been taking over the scene from airplays, sales, and concerts bookings. Well 2014 brought massive growth to finally see HipHop dominate. And to mention some of the artists who made it interesting “musically” Cassper, AKA, K.O, KWESTA, Reason, Ma-E, KiDx , Duncan, Riky Rick, OKmalumKoolKat & more. Most of the above mentioned artists saw themselves big recognition from audience to sales.
AKA vs Cassper Nyovest
AKA & Cassper Nyovest made 2014 an interesting hip-hop year, from Beef to Guns. We saw a whole lot of drama unfold, from social media war, gun incident and the dissing on songs. Both rappers have managed to make their music successful this year…..at the same time they couldn’t stand each other with all issues going on. As the last click from this whole situation, Cassper dropped a single titled ‘BEEF” which had harm in its lyrical content which was sparked by the MTV MC list which was released. On the list Cassper was on spot no.3, AKA on no.2. Then Cassper dissed more rappers on the single & later apologised to K.O and announced that he want to work with him and AKA. Even after the 2014 #SAHipHop confrontation drama between AKA and Cassper , the 2 seem to have made peace about their beef. This became clear after both rappers took a friendly picture together and made a huge buzz from fans to other SA musicians. Guess this has brought a new atmosphere to SA Hip hop.
#SAHottestMcs
#SAHottestMcs – This made twitter hectic…comments, mixed emotions and critics…..but it was the real deal. This was a hottest conversation as MTV needed to figure out who is the hottest local MC this year. Well the panel which included Slikour, MoFlava, Naked DJ, Lootlove, AMU and more compiled the top 10 list of #SAHottestMcs after a 2day discussion based on different factors that makes a good MC. Well the panel decide to crown K.O the Hottest Mc for 2014 followed by AKA and Cassper. Though a lot of artists were not entirely happy with the panel’s decision…the decision was final.
The passing of Senzo Meyiwa
It is this very same year where Mzansi soccer lovers lost Bafana & Orlando Pirates goalkeeper – Senzo Meyiwa. Meyiwa was shot in October while visiting her girlfriend known to many as Kelly Khumalo. Mzansi will always remember you! #RIP
“Generations” drama is bigger than 2014
The Generations issue is actually bigger than 2014. What used to be SA’s most interesting soapie – Generations fired 16 of its actors in August this year. Without cast & shows to run, the show had to go off-air from September till December. However the show made a return with brand new cast & revamped name on the 1st December. And that didn’t come up well as the masses slammed the debut as bad & poor. More badly the viewership of the soapie saw a massive drop from 7.5 million to 4.1 million. Now the fired cast are in court and want Mfundi Vundla to trash the new “Generations Legacy” before January 2015.
SKEEM SAAM blows numbers
It has been a great year for Skeem Saam. The show came back with new season, on Monday – Fri from July. Later in September when Generations was off air, Skeem Saam took over the 8pm slot which blowed their viewership to a grand +7million in just 5days. Now that Generations is back to its slot Skeem Saam is back on its afternoon slot and still doing well in numbers.
Big loss in SA radio industry….the passing of Eddie Zondi
Sad year for SA radio industry……In June Mzansi lost one the radio pioneers – Eddie Makhosonke Zondi after suffering a heart attack. The broadcasting legend hosted the weekend “Romantic Repertoire” and had more than 20 years of experience in the industry. His show had over a million listeners. The 47-year-old’s passing has been described as a tragic loss by listeners, numerous broadcasters and different government officials.
TribeOneFest : the money drama
Tribe One Fest was one hell of a topic. The three-day TribeOne Dinokeng Festival would have seen performances by 130 local and international artists, including Nicki Minaj and J. Cole in September. It was all exciting until the organisers served bad news that the concert has been cancelled due to infrastructure issues at the booked venue. But the City of Tshwane denied all allegations that were thrown at them for making the show impossible to occur. The matter was taken to court with the City of Tshwane edging the organisers to resume with the concert because they have funded the concert. The matter didn’t reach a final verdict.
Boity’s Ass
Early this year, Boity Thulo made a buzz on social media after revealing her entire bum on the Marie Claire naked campaign shoot. 36 celebrities bared skin for the popular naked issues. Other celebrities included model Lee-Ann Liebenberg, comedians Marc Lottering and Anne Hirsch as well as South African Hip Hop artists Tebogo ‘Proverb’ Thekisho and Siya ‘Slikour’ Metane.
Lulu Dikana passes away
The Music industry is still mourning after the loss of Zonke Dikana’s sister Lulu Dikana. Lulu passed away early December after a short illness while being treated in hospital. Mzansi will always remember you. #RIP
Rapper Rick Ross shows love to Minnie Dlamini on Instagram
American Rapper Rick Ross showed some love to Mzansi’s TV/Radio personality – Minnie Dlamini. As he was excited with the release of his latest album #HoodBillionaire , Ross posted a photo of Minnie Dlamini on his timeline with a caption “#HOODBILLIONAIRE Worldwide”
Khuli Chana stays winning
Khuli Chana made 2014 a better year, even after the shooting incident he was involved in, he still continued shining. In July he scooped BestMaleSouthernAfrica award at the AFRIMMA Awards which took place in Dallas, Texas. Musically he pursued Hape le Hape and Never Grow up as singles from his album “Lost In Time”. Never Growup music video saw a feature on MTV Iggy. Recently he had released a single titled “9Shots” marking 1st anniversary since his shooting incident. Khuli also scored a deal with KFC as he has been part of their TV commercials. He is also part of the Jack Daniels Music scouts.
Dstv brings fresh new channels, M-Net Edge and VUZU AMP
In October M-Net and MultiChoice revealed the two high-end television channels M-Net Edge and VUZU AMP. VUZU AMP which features local and international content premiered on 13 October, and M-Net Edge launched on 20 October.
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And Let’s hear from you what story made it a trend for the 2014?