‘7de Laan’ Fans Plan SABC Protest Against Soapie Cancellation

Dedicated followers of the long-standing SABC 2 soap opera, “7de Laan,” have rallied to express their discontent with the sudden cancellation of the beloved show. Fans, united under the banner of the ‘7de Laan MyNou – Amptelik’ Facebook group, are taking a determined stance to petition SABC executives, imploring them to reconsider the cancellation as reported by Swisher Post.

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Scheduled for Thursday, September 28, 2023, at 10:00 AM, these passionate fans plan a public protest at Campus Square Auckland Park in Johannesburg. The SABC’s decision to axe the show, effective since July 2023, was primarily driven by financial constraints, rendering it unsustainable to maintain “7de Laan,” which stood as SABC 2’s second most-watched program.

The curtain is set to fall on the “7de Laan” production on October 24, 2023, at Sasani Studios in Johannesburg, culminating with the final episode airing on December 26, 2023. Recent troubles escalated when production on the show had to be halted for three days due to unpaid dues from the SABC. While the SABC eventually made a partial payment after the production shutdown became public knowledge, it still owes a significant sum to Danie Odendaal Productions, the show’s producer.

Responding to the mounting wave of protests, SABC publicist Caroline Phalakatshela explained, “The decision taken is a business decision aligned with audience viewership and the financial state of the business. The fact that SABC 2 cannot afford to continue carrying a drama such as ‘7de Laan’ due to the accumulative costs and the dropped viewership numbers still remains. The show would need to double in audience numbers and also drop production costs to realise a positive return on investment. This we don’t see happening in the next few months, as the channel has been monitoring this program for the past years.”

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Photo: Facebook / @ Swisher Post