Megastructures: Icebreaker
Channel: National Geographic Channel (DStv 181 / StarSat 220)
TX Time: 19h00
Genre: Documentary, Science, Technology
Through immersive CGI animations, exclusive backstage access across Europe, and extreme weather exploration scenes, Megastructure: Icebreaker will take you to the heart of an incredible challenge: the building of the most innovative icebreaker in the world, both an polar exploration ship and an itinerant scientific laboratory.
They are the most expensive type of ship to build, and they're costly and dangerous to run.
But they're vital for keeping trade routes open. They're icebreakers.
Icebreakers usually clear ice-clad ocean paths for the tankers, containerships and shuttle carriers that follow in their wake.
But now, the very latest in icebreaker technology is being employed within the same structure as the carrier.
The Aker CS 650 is the world's first an Icebreaking Arctic containership, the largest commercial icebreaker ever to be built.
We follow the story of the creation of this remarkable vessel.
It will take 11 months to build, and measure 169 metres in length and 23.1 metres wide.
Its cargo will be 650 tonnes of metallurgical products which it will carry across ice-clad seas to Murmansk, the largest city north of the Arctic Circle.
What makes this icebreaking container ship unique is that when it is in icebreaking mode it sails sideways, breaking through ice 1.5m thick.
But it takes two years from initial design to delivery of the complete ship.
Only if she passes all her trials she will be delivered to the client in a lavish naming ceremony 11 months after construction began.
KGB: The Sword and the Shield
Channel: Curiosity Channel (DStv 185)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Documentary Series
An exploration of the violent history of Russian intelligence services from 1917 to the Putin era as told by former members and victims.
Russia, the largest country on Earth. Misunderstood by many and feared by even more.
For the past century, Russian history has also been the history of its security services.
They were used by the Soviet state to crush dissent. Millions suffered at their hands.
Mass executions, secret wars, coup d'états, spies capable of stealing the atomic bomb from America, hacking and poisoning scandals all add up to the most extraordinary and dangerous security network the world has ever known.
But while many things have changed in today's Russia, that security network is arguably stronger than ever.
And the reason behind this is the rise of a lowly lieutenant colonel to President of this vast country, Vladimir Putin.
In the series premiere, "Dserschinski & Co.": Lenin's secret police begins a reign of terror in 1917.
Stalin's intelligence chief Yezhov presides over murder on an industrial scale and thousands of people disappear into the gulag.
Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars 7
Channel: Discovery Channel (DStv 121)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Reality, Motoring
Renowned antiques dealer and self-confessed petrol head Drew Pritchard is back on the road with automotive guru Paul Cowland in search of iconic cars to buy, restore and sell on.
In this series, the quest for hidden motoring gems takes them round the UK - and beyond.
With Drew driven by passion and design while Paul tries to make the numbers add up, the pair don't always agree, but with help from Britain's army of automotive craftsmen they're determined to create special and bespoke cars that will earn them a handsome profit.
And this time, they have even bigger plans to take the classic car business by storm - but as they find out, it's rarely an easy ride.
In the Season 7 premiere, "Datsun 280Z": The restoration of a rare Japanese icon is a chance for Drew to pay homage to one of his automotive heroes.
But work stalls when Paul struggles to find essential parts.
Mnakwethu 3
Channel: Mzansi Magic (DStv 161)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Reality
Hosted by Musa Mseleku, Mnakwethu is a reality show that gives married men a chance to overcome the fear of introducing polygamy to their current wives.
Mnakwethu sees Mseleku walking the tightrope between guiding the men towards fulfilling their aims while also helping the women accept what is sometimes a shocking request to them.
In the Season 3 premiere: Shamase married a woman from Zimbabwe but now wants a second wife who feels closer to home and understands the Zulu culture.
He already has a child with her.
History by the Numbers
Channel: Curiosity Channel (DStv 185)
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: Documentary Series, History
Takes a global dive into the extraordinary and often overlooked numbers that have created our world's history.
Each episode delves into the numbers and over-the-top stats behind a different subject such as the massive growth of the global fast food empire, the wealth and bloodshed of the world's top crime bosses, the herculean numbers behind Mount Everest, and the lives of the richest people on Earth.
In the series premiere, "4 Trillion French Fries": We are what we eat: a drive-thru history of a hundred years of fast food, from the burger's humble beginnings to its conquest of America and the world beyond.
In the second episode of the weekly double bill, "Everest": Where Earth meets sky: discover how the most thrilling and dangerous point at the top of the world continues to fascinate us, and what it takes to conquer the Big One.