[Submitted via press release]
ZANEWS’ exciting fifth season kicks off on TopTV’s flagship channel, Top One, on Sunday, August 12 at 21h00, bringing you the most fun you can have with politics and current affairs, entertainment, sport and business news.
The weekly show will be bigger and bolder than ever before with several new characters joining the already famous and infamous gathering of newsworthy characters.
Tim Modise, our sanguine news anchor, will be joined by a new co-host, seconded from eTV: Debora Patta, she of the clipped vowels, orange tan and mean flick of the fringe.
Also joining us is our very own local presidential contender, he of few words, stern demeanour and nicely trimmed chin rug.
Then there’s the president’s wobbly relative, the man with the gigantic appetite for mines, fast cars, fast women and fast food. And from the US we have the Mormon with the big bucks who is taking on Obama.
This season also sees the return of our popular voice artists, comedian Nik Rabinowitz and incomparable voice catchers, Aggrey Lonake, Nikki Jackman and Adam Behr.
New members of the team include award-winning journalist, columnist and stand-up comedian, Marianne Thamm who has been appointed head writer and who will work with the hugely popular Ben Trovato and veteran writer Andrew Donaldson on scripts. Rod Macleod has also joined us as the new web and visual editor and Chumile Goqwana, has deserted the world of advertising and joined us as an all-round copywriter.
Apart from the ZANEWS ON TOP weekly show, season five coincides with the launch of the new ZANEWS NETWORK website which is a one-stop portal for satire in South Africa
(www.zanews.co.za).
Some of the country’s funniest writers and columnists - or agents provocateurs as we prefer to call them - including Ndumiso Ncgobo, Ben Trovato, Chester Missing (the famous political analyst from the popular LNN Live hosted by comedian Loyiso Gola) and Rebecca Davis will be showcased on the website.
It will also feature cartoons from Zapiro as well as other local and African cartoonists such as Brandan and Gaddo, as well as the hugely popular Haibyo.com, South Africa’s most popular source of fake news, besides of course the SABC.
ZANEWS Network will also aim to encourage user-generated content to widen the context and reference points and to nationalize the great, untapped reservoir of humour that exists in South Africa.
Show creator and Executive Producer of ZANEWS Thierry Cassuto, says “These are exciting times, with the Mangaung showdown around the corner, the US elections brewing across the ocean, Julius Malema on his new mission to re-invent himself our writers and crew will be in overdrive,” he said.
He added that “the new ZANEWS Network website will be an interactive satirical hub that draws in all South Africans who are looking to be entertained and who need to be on top of politics and current affairs - but with a delicious sting and twist.”
“TopTV is thrilled to be bringing you this innovative satire, which adds acerbic wit from hilarious well-known local caricatures, to our line-up.” Says Pauline Cunningham, SVP Content.
Don’t miss ZA NEWS on Top One (ch.150) at 9:00 pm from Sunday 12 August and repeated on Tuesday at 8:30 pm and 11:30 pm.