SABC2 ends Afrikaans telenovela Paradys after one season

SABC2 will not renew Paradys. The Afrikaans telenovela will end its first and only season with its 260th episode in February 2027, the channel said in a statement published by TVSA on 19 October.

SABC2 pointed to the numbers. Between its launch on 23 February and 9 October, the 19h00 weekday broadcast averaged about 275,000 viewers an episode, with an audience rating of 0.71% and a 2.2% audience share, according to SABC2. The channel said the show "did not reach its audience or revenue targets for the slot".

How the call was made

SABC2 said every programme it commissions gets a full season to find an audience. At the end of that season it is judged on the audience it draws and the revenue it earns. "Those results decide whether a show returns and where we invest next," the statement said.

Paradys arrived in February as part of SABC2's new schedule. Sunday World reported before the premiere that Roderick Jaftha, the former Generations actor known for playing Glen Majozi, would play Pastor Clive Booysens, with Zane Meas, Ilse Klink, Lorcia Cooper and Vaugn Lucas in the cast.

What happens to the slot

The channel hasn't said what will take over its Monday to Friday 19h00 slot; it will announce the new programme for 2027. Until the final episode, Paradys stays on SABC2 at 19h00 on weekdays.

SABC2 said Afrikaans remains part of the SABC's mandate to serve audiences in all official languages, and that it is looking at how to keep delivering Afrikaans drama and entertainment. It thanked the cast, crew and production teams.

Afrikaans drama has been a sore point for the public broadcaster before. When the SABC dropped 7de Laan, the Afrikaans soapie that had run since 2000, the communications minister of the day ended up defending the decision in 2023.

The Paradys news also follows the SABC's cancellation of Pimville in May, for different reasons. In that case the broadcaster cited unresolved contractual obligations and breaches by Bakwena Productions, after reports that the show's cast and crew had not been paid.