Viewers demand 7de Laan’s return after its win at Royalty Soapie Awards

Nearly eight months to the day it last aired, 7de Laan won the Viewer’s Choice Most Popular Show Award at the 7th Royalty Soapie Awards on the weekend and its viewers want the show back on screens.

“We are incredibly humbled and honoured to have received the Viewers Choice Most Popular Show Award at the 7th Royalty Soapie Awards 2024,” read the soapie drama’s statement on their official Facebook page.

“If the power of your love and support alone could have saved 7de Laan, we have no doubt it would have. You’ve been an extraordinary part of our story, and we will cherish it forever.”

After a 23-year run on SABC 2, 7de Laan’s final episode on the channel was on 26 December 2023.

In July 2023, the channel announced that the series would not be recommissioned for another season when Season 24 ends in December.

ALSO READ: ‘It’s an attack on the Afrikaans community’- fans petition to save 7de Laan

Bring back 7 de Laan…

Things became a bit tense in the comments section of the soapie’s statement when SABC 2’s Facebook admin congratulated the sopaie on their win which viewers of the show didn’t take kindly.

“It would’ve been better if you guys kept quiet,” wrote Nompumelelo Nicholene Sibiya responding to the channel’s post.

“Bring back 7 de laan you can see how popular it is and how many viewers it has,” wrote Aneke Aletta Kruger.

“Fam my foot,” averred Ĕric Blăq Ğuy disgruntledly.

So shocking was SABC 2’s decision to cancel 7de Laan, that a petition was even initiated to try to save the long-running TV show and asked for other broadcasters to pick it up.

 The petition called on other channels to consider adopting the SABC soapie.

“We, the fans of 7de Laan, would like to urge other production houses such as e.tv or even KykNET to buy into the idea of 7de Laan, not just saving the jobs of cast members and crew but also the number one Afrikaans soapie in South Africa,” read the petition’s statement.

ALSO READ: SABC ends relationship with soapie 7de Laan after 24 seasons

The Royal Soapie Awards

Happening for a seventh year, the Royal Soapie Awards took place in Tshwane’s Heartfelt Arena where TV stars and some politicians came out to celebrate some of the genre’s best performers over the past 12 months.

Some of the night’s winners included actress  Deli Malinga who scooped the Outstanding Female Villain for her role as Mamzobe in Umkhokha: The Curse. The same show’s director Luthando Mngomezulu walked away with the Most Outstanding Directing Team.

Skeem Saam’s Lethabo Mekoa, who portrays Ntswaki on the SABC 1 TV show won the Newcomer of the Year award.

Veteran thespian Dr Jerry Mofokeng was bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding career.

NOW READ: WATCH: Heartbreak as South Africans bid farewell to ‘7de Laan’ after 23 years