The Royalty Soapie Awards, held at the Heartfelt Arena in Tshwane on Saturday night, 24 August, almost saw a dramatic shutdown by the cast and crew of popular soapie, Skeem Saam.
The drama unfolded when a technical glitch during the awards ceremony saw the wrong name announced for the Outstanding Newcomer Award.
The Skeem Saam team, believing their own actor, Nefisa Mkhabela, was the rightful winner, erupted in a chorus of "Skeem Saam" chants, leaving host Mpho Popps scrambling to clarify the situation.
"There was a clip-on screen but the person who worn, which is actress Nefisa Mkhabela is the correct one who was announced. We would like to apologise for the technical glitch," Popps explained.
Despite the initial disappointment, the Skeem Saam team's spirits were lifted when their very own Lethabo Mekoa was awarded the Viewer's Choice Award for Best Female Actress.
The team, in a show of solidarity, stormed the stage in celebration, their joy palpable as they showered Lethabo with hugs and cheers.
"I would like to thank God for giving me this opportunity today. I've been through a lot as young as I am," said a tearful Lethabo, accepting her award.
The awards ceremony, hosted by comedian Mpho Popps and TV presenter Nomalanga Shozi, was a night of celebration for the South African television industry.
The audience was treated to a trip down memory lane with performances by musicians Keabetswe "KB" Motsilanyane and Zola 7.
The evening also saw the recognition of two industry legends, Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha and Duma Ndlovu. Jerry received the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Duma was honoured for his contributions to filmmaking and production.
"Winnie, thank you for being a visionary, for coming up with these awards, to be recognised in your own country. One of the things I thank Winnie for is that people don’t understand how hard acting is," said Jerry, thanking Winnie Ntshaba, the founder of the Royalty Soapie Awards.
Duma echoed Jerry's sentiments, praising Winnie for her vision and dedication to the awards.
"Looking back to when this started, I don’t think the industry understood what she was trying to do. I think a lot of people thought she was biting what she could chew. I think actors appreciate these awards because this is the time they get awards exclusively. You have done well and we give you a big hand," he said.
Other notable winners included Zikhona Sodaka, who was awarded the Outstanding Lead Actress Award for her role in "The River".
"When I take myself to when I was 19 years and I left the Eastern Cape, this is another show for us, a province that has never had a show there but has produced legends and in 2022 we created a soapie," she said.
Motlatsi Mafatshe from "House of Zwide" was awarded the Outstanding Lead Actor Award.
"To all the artists follow your dreams. God will make it work. Let’s push passion and let us be professionals at work. This thing of you being superstars and not working doesn’t work," he said.
