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- The SABC has refuted rumours that the soapie Skeem Saam has been cancelled.
- The show which has one month of production left before shutting down has not yet been renewed.
- New episodes of the current season will continue to broadcast on SABC1 until June.
The South African public broadcaster told Channel24 on Friday in response to a media enquiry that it is refuting rumours on social media that Skeem Saam has been cancelled.
Skeem Saam on SABC1 is the latest long-running, big-budget and locally produced SABC now getting a possible question mark behind its future. The public broadcaster is going through a retrenchment process and recently announced that SABC2's 7de Laan and Muvhango, will be cut to three episodes per week.
READ MORE | SABC2 cuts 7de Laan and Muvhango to just 3 episodes per week in shock scheduling shake-up
With Skeem Saam that has just a month of production left before shutting down and with no renewal in place, the danger is that current crew and cast members might not all be back and could jump ship to other productions in the period where it's not filming and before the SABC recommissions the youth drama series.
Skeem Saam has been a perennial ratings heavy-hitter on SABC1. In December the soapie lured a strong 4.4 million viewers (11.72 ARs) as the third most-watched show for the month on SABC1, also making it the fourth most-watched show on South African television after Uzalo (SABC1), Generations (SABC1) and Scandal (e.tv).
Although production on Skeem Saam will be shutting down with no word on when it might resume, the show will remain on-air, uninterrupted on SABC1, until June.
"The SABC refutes allegations that Skeem Saam is cancelled," says Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson. "Skeem Saam remains a successful pillar of SABC1's schedule and is the 3rd-most-watched programme in South Africa."
"The SABC has duly fulfilled its contractual obligations in relation to the production of Skeem Saam for the current season which is scheduled until June 2021".
