The Boer War: 1899-1902
Channel: HISTORY (DStv 186)
TX Time: 20h15
Genre: Documentary, History
The Boer War was fought between the British and the Boers of the Transvaal and Orange Free State between 1899 and 1902.
Journey back in time to this war which was a turning point in British military history and would revolutionise their tactics, battlefield strategy, equipment and training.
The discovery of bountiful gold mines in the Transvaal in 1886 ensured that the control of southern Africa would become a keenly contested issue.
Britain pressurised Paul Kruger's Transvaal government to allow it a degree of control, backed up by the threat of war.
In 1899 those threats were carried out.
Discover how bands of Boer commandos, often comprising grandfathers, fathers and sons fighting side by side, fought against the might of Britain's armed forces on the sun-baked veldts of Africa's southern Cape, while the British army was forced to re-think tactics that had been used for centuries.
It was a conflict that would claim tens of thousands of lives and leave both countries scarred and wounded.
With rare archive footage, photographs and illustrations from the time, this documentary reveals the full story of the Boer War as never seen before.
Demon in the White House
Channel: Travel Channel (DStv 179)
TX Time: 21h10
Genre: Paranormal, Documentary
The seat of power at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue may be the most haunted site in the world.
This Shock Doc uncloaks the historic origins of the horror of two grieving First Ladies.
Did they unwittingly invite an evil presence with a malevolent agenda that may still torment America's presidents, as well as their families, visitors and closest advisors?
President Franklin Pierce and First Lady Jane Pierce lost their son Benjamin at age 11.
President Abraham Lincoln and First Lady Mary Todd's son, William, died at the same age.
Both children perished during their father's administration.
The Shock Doc thriller opens archival papers, correspondence and diaries to document a timeline of supernatural events that unfolded after these grieving families sought solace in the fashionable new spiritualism and seance movement – and the potential catastrophic consequences that followed.
As new presidential families moved into the White House over the past 150 years, there continued to be supernatural activity and strange happenings within the walls of this famous residence.
One of the presidents most vocal about paranormal activity was Harry Truman, who wrote several letters to family members explaining the disturbances.
Historians count nine separate occasions that he wrote about the ghost of the White House, and once said, "sure as shooting the place is haunted."
It is believed that renovating a building can stir up ghostly activity.
When the White House was being gutted, Truman hired National Park Service photographer Abbie Rowe to document this historic process.
One ordinary photo shows a bulldozer and three men standing in a corner.
On the other side of the frame, is a figure that appears transparent.
The three men standing at the same distance are obviously solid, their shirts and ties are identifiable, and the other figure has no discernible articles of clothing.
This enigmatic photo may be the first documented ghost photo at the White House.
Demon in the White House aims to uncover if the presidential home is haunted by something demonic, and if so, what it could possibly want.
Outrageous Pumpkins 3
Channel: Food Network (DStv 175)
TX Time: 19h00
Genre: Reality Competition, Food
A traditional Halloween pastime is taken to the next level as host Alyson Hannigan welcomes seven expert pumpkin carvers to compete for the title of Outrageous Pumpkins Champion and a sweet $25,000 Halloween treat.
The carvers face off in outrageous challenges that test their creativity and pumpkin prowess as they sculpt gravity-defying scenes that celebrate Halloween and impress judges Terri Hardin and Paul Dever.
In the Season 3 premiere, "Giant Jacks": Host Sunny Anderson asks seven carvers to create massive jack-o'-lanterns that tell a ghost story.
Then, each carver must create four nesting jack-o'-lanterns that are just as enchanting on their own as they are when they come together.
Paul and Terri send one carver packing while the rest continue on their journey for the title of Outrageous Pumpkins Champion.