Rockville 5
Channel: Mzansi Magic (DStv 161)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Drama
The previous four seasons of Rockville told the tale of JB (Shona Ferguson), a high-flying underworld figure involved in a ring of prostitution at his top-class cigar lounge in Rockville, Sandton.
The business dominated the underworld scene and caused a rift between JB's middle class family and that of his in-laws, a working-class household.
Season 5 explores how the owner of a now five-star, legitimate establishment and his wife Lindi (Enhle Mbali) have to turn Hotel Paradiso into a money-spinner again.
The aftermath of previous seasons has dried up their coffers and put many livelihoods on the line, as room bookings dwindle.
Thuli Phongolo joins the cast this season as Buhle, an unemployed law graduate from rural KwaZulu-Natal whose fortunes change after an attempted abduction thrusts her into a sophisticated criminal network run by Kalashnikov (Siyabonga Shibe).
She becomes a hostess at a high-class brothel disguised as a hotel.
Other actors joining the cast this season include Wiseman Zitha, Kwezi Ndlovu and Thabisile Zikhali.
As Season 5 begins we find JB dealing with the aftermath of what COVID-19 did to his business.
TVSA Show Page: Rockville 5
Forensics
Channel: CBS Justice (DStv 170)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: True Crime, Documentary Series, Docu-Drama, Science, Technology
If you are a fan of real crime 'whodunits' and CSI forensic science, this show will have you clinging to the edge of your seat.
But be warned – sometimes the truth can be stranger than fiction.
In this series, forensic scientists and police are the 'heroes', science is the 'secret weapon' and the presenter the 'guide' as we unravel the evidence, put science to work and discover the truth behind real crime case files.
Each episode focuses on a real single crime case that has occurred in the last decade that was solved by the combination of clever crime investigation and forensic science.
The cases are pulled straight from the files of New Zealand forensic experts, police and scene-of-crime officers.
The cases cover all facets of forensic science including blood spatter, DNA, tool marking, digital forensics, toxicology, entomology and the latest in cutting-edge scientific technology.
These spine-chilling tales are told in a mixture of stylistic recreations, real forensic and police evidence, interviews and archives.
Although each episode follows the story of a homicide, the focus is not on the 'gruesome and gore' but on the complexity of crime and cunning of crime-solvers.
You are taken through the events as they unfolded for the police and the forensics team, finding clues directly from the crime scene and as the data is assessed, the intricate puzzle of what, when, where, how and who will begin to unfold.
Francesco
Channel: Discovery Channel (DStv 121)
TX Time: 22h00
Genre: Documentary, Religion
Features unprecedented access to Pope Francis, providing an intimate look at a global leader who takes on challenging and complex issues.
Spanning issues such as climate change, migration and refugees, women's empowerment, sexual abuse and LGBTQ issues, pandemic, border walls and many more of today's headlines, this documentary takes audiences on a worldwide journey to spotlight a leader who continues to inspire hope during an extraordinary moment in our lifetime.
In doing so, the film examines how people might take action to transition into a new way of living and thriving in the 21st century.
In addition to unprecedented access to Pope Francis, the film features interviews with those who have been part of his journey, including his nephew Jose Ignacio Bergoglio, His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, as well as Juan Carlos Cruz, a victim and activist for survivors of sexual abuse, and Sister Norma Pimentel, an advocate for refugees.
Francesco paints a portrait of a man who has dedicated his life to bringing together people to thrive as a global community.
Prince William: A Planet for Us All
Channel: BBC Earth (DStv 184)
TX Time: 16h10
Genre: Documentary
With exclusive access across two years, this film is an intimate portrayal of Prince William, following him as we've never seen him before on a global mission to champion action for the natural world and celebrate the pioneering work of local heroes.
The Duke of Cambridge reveals that young people hold the key to a more positive future relationship with the environment, and that their determined drive to tackle climate change has made him an optimist.
He explains how his mission to give nature a voice has felt even more personal since he became a father and that he wants to leave behind a better world for future generations.
Working together to protect the planet, he believes that local communities have the power to protect and repair the natural world on which we all depend.
He believes that community action is a vital part of the solution and that working together to protect nature – from the smallest moth to the largest elephant – each and every one of us has the power to protect and restore our planet.
The documentary follows Prince William from Africa to Asia, from London to Liverpool and to the Sandringham Estate, charting his journey as the world has awoken to the urgent need to restore our planet.
It shows The Duke as he has developed his lifelong passion for African conservation into a global leadership role on the environment.
We see him join conservation heroes great and small: from Sir David Attenborough to children and young people protecting the natural world close to home.
Alaska's Deadliest: Predator Prowl
Channel: Nat Geo Wild (DStv 182 / StarSat 221)
TX Time: 18h00
Genre: Wildlife, Documentary
Alaska's deadliest predators fight to survive in one of America's last wild frontiers.
When winter breaks, carnivores clash on Alaska's waterways and wide-open spaces to make the most of the endless sunshine.
The shores along its open ocean create a path for giant hunters like orcas, salmon sharks and walrus.
Inland, wolverines chase prey with ferocious intensity and Bears reap the benefits of brutal ocean kills along the coastline and waterways.
Outback Lockdown
Channel: eReality (Openview 108)
TX Time: 16h10
Genre: Docu-Reality
The Australian outback is one of the world's most remote places with scorching temperatures and deadly animals at every turn.
But is it as unforgiving as it seems?
Aussie survival expert Ky Furneaux and British chef Calem O'Grady decide to go on lockdown after a whirlwind romance in the wild outback of Australia.
Faced with spending months apart as coronavirus hits, Ky and Calem decide to dive headfirst into an Aussie desert adventure going on lockdown - with no idea when they'll return to civilization.
Now they're surviving off the grid, in an old stone hut on 38,000 acres of desert country sheep station.
But is the lockdown together as idyllic as it seems? And just how much work will it take to survive the brutal conditions?
They'll need to forage for food, hunt for dinner and find ways to survive with only the basic necessities.
It's a love story... self-reliant, romantic and rugged, but it's also about a life of challenge and chance.
The History of Christianity
Channel: Curiosity Channel (DStv 185)
TX Time: 18h00 (binge)
Genre: Documentary Series, History, Religion
The hidden origins and turbulent evolution of the world's largest religion.
When Diarmaid MacCulloch was a small boy, his parents used to drive him round historic churches.
Little did they know that they had created a monster, with the history of the Christian Church becoming his life's work.
In a series sweeping across four continents, Professor MacCulloch goes in search of Christianity's forgotten origins.
He overturns the familiar story that it all began when the apostle Paul took Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome.
Instead, he shows that the true origins of Christianity lie further east, and that at one point it was poised to triumph in Asia, maybe even in China.
The headquarters of Christianity might well have been Baghdad not Rome, and if that had happened then western Christianity would have been very different.
Glam Guru 20
Channel: kykNET (DStv 144)
TX Time: 17h30
Genre: Reality Makeover, Afrikaans
In this season Hannon experiences the real impact the pandemic has had on everyday people.
That also influenced the themes and tips for his guests this season, which will be handy for those who are in the same boat.
An example of this is in Episode 6 with Zahraa McDonald, who felt that her appearance took a hit since working from home.
When she had to return to the office she had difficulty making herself feel pretty again.
In the new season there are several inspirational stories of women, who despite COVID-19 had to make plans to go on with their lives and careers.
In the Season 20 premiere: Nicky de Villiers has washed the car grease off her hands for the last time, because now she has to start her new career in the financial industry - with a manicure and a corporate silk blouse.
Africa with Ade Adepitan
Channel: SABC3
TX Time: 19h30
Genre: Travel
Four-part series in which journalist and athlete Ade Adepitan travels across Africa, from West Africa and city of his birth - Lagos in Nigeria - through Central and Eastern Africa and on to the deep south of the continent.
Ade is on a journey to uncover how modern Africa is changing.
He will visit a vast array of contrasting places on the continent, each providing unique and surprising experiences, from the windswept beauty of Cape Verde to the streets of Mogadishu.
What happens in Africa in the next 50 years will shape all of our futures for the coming generations.
African population growth means migration to Europe could explode - but with life expectancy rising and child mortality shrinking, economic growth may transform some nations into Asian-style superpowers.
But the challenges are daunting for sub-Saharan Africa, and with dozens of different countries and cultures there are no generalisations that can hold for this endlessly fascinating continent.
From booming new tech hubs and megacities to pockets of conflict and poverty, Africa is the most vibrant and varied continent on Earth.
Easter Basket Challenge
Channel: Food Network (DStv 175)
TX Time: 19h55
Genre: Food, Reality Competition
In a whimsical world of Easter treats, host Sunny Anderson challenges seven talented bakers to make tasty and imaginative holiday masterpieces inspired by nostalgic Easter candy and outrageous Easter themes.
Chefs Jordan Andino and Claudia Sandoval judge each round of competition, sending the best bakers hopping on their way to victory while one competitor goes home.
In the end, only one baker will claim the Bunny Money grand prize: a golden Easter egg filled with $25,000.
In the series premiere, "Pop Goes the Bunny": The Easter Bunny takes centre stage as Sunny welcomes seven bakers to the competition.
They attempt to wow the judges, Chefs Jordan Andino and Claudia Sandoval, with their jelly bean-inspired pop art pastry tarts and oversized confections worthy of hanging in an art museum.
Venom: Nature's Killer
Channel: Nat Geo Wild (DStv 182 / StarSat 221)
TX Time: 18h45
Genre: Wildlife, Nature, Documentary
Over the millennia, thousands of creatures have developed the most sophisticated of biological and chemical weapons: venom.
These complex chemicals can scramble your brain signals, paralyze your muscles, puncture your blood cells and even begin digesting you from within.
But nature's most potent toxins might also contain the keys to a new generation of advanced drugs.
Such drugs might help doctors treat heart attacks, cancer, diabetes and other serious illnesses.
Experts discover the latest developments in this rapidly changing world of creating anti-venoms and medicines to save human lives.
Mindful Earth
Channel: BBC Earth (DStv 184)
TX Time: 15h10
Genre: Wildlife, Nature
Footage of the natural world meets mindfulness in this unique collaboration between the multi-award-winning BBC Studios Natural History Unit and mindfulness experts Headspace.
A tonic for today's busy world, this series combines exquisite, often unseen footage, natural soundscapes and mindfulness narration to immerse viewers in the natural world.
Episodes explore what animals and nature can teach us about breathing, change, joy and rest.
It's the perfect introduction to experiencing nature through a mindful lens.
The four standalone 30-minute films - Breathe, Change, Joy and Rest - will feature archive footage from the treasure trove of the Natural History Unit's films, including never before seen sequences.
Narration from Andy Puddicombe will guide you on a series of gentle journeys, inviting you to engage in captivating animal behaviour and ecosystems from around the world.
A unique collaboration that relaxes and rejuvenates the viewer, each episode features archive footage that is encapsulated by a mindful theme.