Surviving Jeffrey Epstein
Channel: Lifetime (DStv 131)
TX Time: 20h05
Genre: Documentary Series, True Crime
A year after disgraced financier and sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein was found hanged in his jail cell, Lifetime reveals the horrifying truth of his three-decade reign of abuse, through the eyes of the survivors: some of whom are speaking here for the first time.
The four-hour documentary series Surviving Jeffrey Epstein divulges the full extent of the international sex trafficking network devised by the reclusive billionaire to feed his sexual cravings.
In addition, it reveals how he used his connections with the rich and powerful to evade detection and prosecution.
The series provides a platform for the survivors of Epstein's systematic abuse to share their stories as we gain unparalleled insight into one of the most talked about and widespread abuse scandals in history.
With testimonies from attorneys on both sides of the case, psychologists and expert journalists offer a comprehensive view of the case of Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged global human trafficking network for the rich and powerful.
The first two parts of the series detail the survivors' stories of the mysterious billionaire who lured them, as young teenagers, to his home through an elaborate series of female recruiters they thought they could trust.
As the documentary progresses into part two, we hear how Epstein replicated his assaults at a number of his properties.
With Epstein's behaviour continuing unchecked for years, Virginia Roberts Giuffre offered explosive insight into the exploitative operation Epstein had created.
Epstein's crimes weren't just committed on the east coast - his sprawling compound in New Mexico was also the location of many assaults on young girls that were lured to his property, made possible by the vast donations he made to political figures in the state.
Episodes three and four focus on Epstein's private island and how his sex trafficking operated on a global scale, as well as the recent arrest of alleged co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew's alleged complicity.
To date, Prince Andrew has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime.
Nigel Latta Blows Stuff Up
Channel: Curiosity Channel (DStv 185)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Reality, Science
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be struck by lightning or be propelled by hurricane-speed winds? What it's really like inside a burning house?
In this fun (and funny!) science series, Nigel Latta subjects himself to a variety of 'don't try this at home' experiments to explore some of the more dramatic aspects of fundamental science.
In the series premiere, "Lightning": Nigel tests conductivity by putting electricity through a small child, we see what kind of destruction a whole lot of amps can do, and what small electric shocks do to a human - as well as big electric shocks - when Nigel tries to survive a lightning bolt.
In the second episode of the weekly double bill, "Explosions": What's the difference between movie explosions and real explosions?
Maybe Nigel can walk away from a movie explosion in slow motion like an action hero, but can he walk away from a real explosion?
Nigel blows stuff up to find out.
I'm Still in Love with Kwaito
Channel: SABC1
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: Documentary Series, Music
A character-driven, two-part documentary that follows hip hop pioneer Enzo Tema, a hip hop pioneer who used to look down on Kwaito and now finds himself feeling nostalgic, realising the amount of love he has for Kwaito.
A range of views are explored as Enzo travels to numerous destinations interviewing legends and industry peers.
These include Mandla Spikiri, Zwai Bala of TKZee, Ntsiki Mazwai, Kwesta, Professor Bhekizizwe Peterson, DJ Okapi and Perfecta Khumalo.
I'm Still in Love with Kwaito comes at the same time as a marked uptick in nostalgia for the 90s and 2000s.
My Octopus Teacher
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00
Genre: Documentary, Wildlife, Nature, Science
A filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world.
My Octopus Teacher captures the story of Craig Foster's year with a wild octopus. He followed this individual animal for most of her life – something that has seldom been achieved in the wild, let alone underwater.
In 2010, debilitated by adrenal fatigue, Craig began free diving in a freezing underwater forest at the tip of Africa.
As the icy water re-energised him, he started to film his experiences and in time, a curious young octopus captured his attention.
By visiting her den and tracking her movements everyday for months, he won the animal's trust and they developed an unlikely relationship.
As the little octopus shared the secrets of her world, Craig became witness to the beauty and drama of a wild creature's life.
In the process, he underwent an incredible mental and physical transformation.
Sarah Off the Grid 2
Channel: The Home Channel (DStv 176)
TX Time: 12h00
Genre: Docu-Reality, DIY, Home Improvement, Reality Makeover
Designer Sarah Richardson tackles a new, sustainable living project in Season 2.
After working with her husband Alex to successfully build their biggest project yet – a 5,000 square-foot off-the-grid house – Sarah's looking for her next big build and design challenge.
She's discovered a historic house in the charming, small town of Creemore, and plans to convert it into a seasonal rental.
It's a big project with a fixed budget, too-tight timelines, and the unpredictability of an old building.
To top it off are the strong opinions and even stronger personalities of her husband, Alex, and Sarah's design partner in crime, Tommy.
She's gone off the grid before, but is her dream to give a rundown country house a Cinderella-makeover a stroke of genius or more marital stress than anyone needs?
The Coffee Trail with Simon Reeve
Channel: BBC Earth (DStv 184)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Documentary Series, Food
Adventurer and journalist Simon Reeve heads to Vietnam to uncover the stories behind the UK's morning pick-me-up.
While we drink millions of cups of the stuff each week, how many of us know where our coffee actually comes from?
The surprising answer is that it is not Brazil, Colombia or Jamaica... but Vietnam. Eighty percent of the coffee drunk in Britain isn't posh cappuccinos or lattes but instant coffee, and Vietnam is the biggest supplier.
From Hanoi in the north, Simon follows the coffee trail into the remote central highlands, where he meets the people who grow, pick and pack our coffee.
Millions of small-scale famers, each working two or three acres, produce most of the coffee beans that go into well-known instant coffee brands.
Thirty years ago Vietnam only produced a tiny proportion of the world's coffee, but after the end of the Vietnam war there was a widescale plan to become a coffee-growing nation, and Vietnam is now the second biggest in the world.
The coffee industry has provided employment for millions, making some people very rich indeed, and Simon meets Vietnam's biggest coffee billionaire.
But he also learns that their rapid success has come at a cost to both the local people and the environment.
American Monster 5
Channel: Investigation Discovery (DStv 171 / StarSat 223)
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: True Crime, Documentary Series, Docu-Drama
If you looked into the eyes of a killer, would you know? In American Monster, you find out.
This series gets you closer than ever to some of America's most shocking and surprising crimes.
Filled with never-before-seen footage of these devils in disguise, from home movie shots of them playing with their kids to musical performances at high school, from the church cook-out to the wedding video, American Monster interweaves twisting-turning stories of astonishing crimes, with 'behind-the-scenes' footage of killers at their seemingly most innocent.
Mom next door; dad across the street; the kid who never broke the rules. Anyone can be a monster.
In the Season 5 premiere, "Once a Princess": A millionaire doctor and his wife enjoyed a glamorous lifestyle.
But behind closed doors, they were troubled by deceit and violence which eventually turned deadly.
Genius of the Modern World
Channel: Curiosity Channel (DStv 185)
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: Documentary Series
Historian Bettany Hughes retraces the lives of three great thinkers whose ideas shaped the modern world: Karl Marx, Frederick Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud.
In the series premiere, "Marx": Bettany investigates the revolutionary ideas of Karl Marx.
Born to an affluent Prussian family, Marx became an angry, idealistic radical, constantly on the run for his political agitating and incendiary writing.
In Paris, he first formulated his explosive analysis of capitalism and its corrosive effects on human nature.
In Brussels, he co-authored the Communist Manifesto with Frederick Engels. In London, his obsessive theorising dragged his family into poverty and tragedy.
Marx's masterpiece Das Capital was largely overlooked in his lifetime, and only 11 people attended his funeral.
Yet his ideas would generate one of the most influential, and divisive, ideologies in history.
Drawing on expert opinion and new evidence, Bettany reveals the flesh-and-blood man and his groundbreaking ideas.
Border Wars 4
Channel: eReality (Openview 108)
TX Time: 18h10
Genre: Docu-Reality
An estimated 10+ million people live in the US illegally. From the controversial border fence to controversial immigration laws, illegal immigration is hotly debated.
For those responsible for securing the borders, protecting the nation goes beyond politics, as they intercept daily an illicit flow of narcotics, money and weapons.
The risks have never been higher, with the violent Mexican drug wars a stone's throw from U.S. soil and criminals armed with increasingly sophisticated technology.
Ride shotgun with agents patrolling the Rio Grande, just across from the epicenter of violent cartel wars, where heavily armed criminals outnumber agents.
See how ground and air units use the latest military-grade technology, including drones, thermal imaging and mobile cameras.
And join agents as they raid stash houses to break up smuggling operations, or risk their own lives to save those close to succumbing to harsh weather and terrain.
In the Season 4 premiere, "Bullets Over the Border": Agents put themselves in harm's way searching for armed smugglers fleeing a shoot-out with the Mexican military.
Once at the riverbanks, they find a suspected smuggler who has been shot five times.
Their mission quickly changes as they rush to save the man's life.