Endurance
Channel: National Geographic Channel (DStv 181 / StarSat 220)
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: Documentary
In a legendary feat of leadership and perseverance, polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton kept his crew of 27 men alive for over a year despite the loss of their ship in a frigid pack ice in 1915.
Over a century later, a team of modern-day explorers set out to find the sunken ship.
Endurance tells the inspiring stories of these two landmark expeditions, bound by their shared grit and determination.
The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust organised and funded the expedition to locate the shipwreck off the coast of Antarctica, where the Endurance sank in 1915.
The ship remained inaccessible and undiscovered for over a century until its discovery on 5 March, 2022 - 100 years after Shackleton's death.
The expedition was led by polar geographer Dr. John Shears with marine archaeologist Mensun Bound as director of exploration and Nicolas (Nico) Vincent as expedition subsea manager.
Joining them on board the South African icebreaker Agulhas II, which set sail from Cape Town, was a crew of scientists, archaeologists and a team of highly experienced extreme environment filmmakers, led by director Natalie Hewit and Dan Snow, who documented the events leading up to the historic discovery in real time.
To help locate the shipwreck, the team used submersibles called Saab Sabretooths equipped with 4k cameras and lighting arrays.
The ship continues to remain untouched and without any artifacts removed, but the results of the discovery will provide significant insights into Shackleton's imperial trans-Antarctic expedition and offer an incredible opportunity to bring the stories of Shackleton and the 27 men on his crew to new generations.
Medieval Murder Mysteries
Channel: HISTORY (DStv 186)
TX Time: 21h05
Genre: Documentary Series, Docu-Drama, History
The medieval period gave us some of the greatest, most enduring stories in history.
Even today, films are made and books are written about some of the famous and infamous characters and events from those days.
Some are of them were real – some fictional. Many of them had somebody doing dastardly deeds – normally a murder shrouded in mystery.
Medieval Murder Mysteries brings together good old fashioned whodunnits with some of the most vibrant stories from the medieval world.
This series combines magnificent castles, chivalrous knights, powerful kings and queens with dark deeds, illicit lovers, greedy nobles and mad cardinals.
In the series premiere, "Christopher Marlowe: Death in Deptford": Experts investigate the strange circumstances surrounding the death of Shakespeare mentor and fellow playwright Christopher Marlowe.
SAFTA 18 Craft Awards
Channel: S3
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Awards
The SAFTA Craft Awards celebrate excellence within the technical craft of the film and television industry, in particular behind-the-scenes production and non-fiction shows.
Categories include awards for directing, editing, sound design and score, wardrobe, makeup, cinematography, children's programming and factual and reality programming.
The 2024 Craft Awards were held at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg on Friday 25 October and were streamed live on the SAFTAs YouTube channel.
The ceremony is hosted by Christopher Jaftha and Kuhle Adams.
Beng'semathandweni
Channel: Mzansi Magic (DStv 161)
TX Time: 19h30
Genre: Reality
Reality show offering an intimate glimpse into the lives of those who have been wronged in love.
Beng'semathandweni will examine how fairytale relationships fall apart due to betrayal.
This betrayal often leads to revenge and wrongdoing, as former lovers struggle with the pain and confusion of their broken relationships.
From the bliss of their initial romance to the eventual collapse of their bonds, Beng'semathandweni delves deep into a scorned lover's revenge story.
The show is a blend of revelations, confrontations and moments of dark humour.
The show is hosted by Dr. Khosi Jiyane, a therapist and life coach. Each episode will feature Dr. Jiyane guiding participants through a process of either reconciliation or confrontation.
One episode focuses on a Celestina who, after assuming her boyfriend was cheating on her because of her physical appearance, resorts to drastic measures out of insecurity.
In a moment of anger, Celestina resorts to using 'umuthi' on her boyfriend to make him love her more and only see her, but everything spirals out of control.
Now, she faces the difficult decision of confessing to him so they can begin the journey of undoing the ritual.
Beng'semathandweni offers a mix of real emotions and surprising twists, revealing the complex drama of love, betrayal and revenge.
In the series premiere: Slindile and Simphiwe's relationship took a turn when Simphiwe started disappearing and lying.
Slindile forgave Simphiwe, who promised to make amends. Now Slindile is harbouring a secret, and she's ready to come clean.
Africa's Wild Side
Channel: Nat Geo Wild (DStv 182 / StarSat 221)
TX Time: 18h00
Genre: Wildlife, Nature, Documentary Series
All life is shaped by one powerful driving force: the need to breed. Every animal on the African plains is a player in the mating game.
The survival rituals of the charismatic creatures of Botswana are as mysterious, elaborate and varied as the animals themselves.
Botswana is a land of epic beauty, where the wildlife itself shapes the land. Every animal builds, maintains and renovates their structures.
There is no tougher place to bring up baby than in the wilds of Botswana and every parent will do what they can to give their young a fighting chance.
Truth Be Told
Channel: SABC2
TX Time: 21h30
Genre: Documentary Series
Truth Be Told is a six-part documentary series that puts South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) process under the microscope.
Very few of the several hundred cases that the TRC recommended for prosecution or investigation more than 20 years ago have been pursued by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The first instalment in the series explores the murder of Phila Portia Ndwandwe, who was only 23 years old when she was tortured and killed by Apartheid security police in KwaZulu-Natal in 1988.
The documentary looks at Ndwandwe's murder through the eyes of her son, Thabang Mabuza, now a chartered accountant in his 30s who suffers from transgenerational trauma and is still trying to cope with the loss and anguish caused by his mother's death.
The documentary's title, Breastfeeding Warrior, alludes to the fact that Mabuza was just five months old and still being breastfed when his mother, an Umkhonto weSizwe soldier, was murdered.
Using heart-rending archival footage from the exhumation of Ndwandwe's remains and TRC archive material and intimate interviews, the documentary explores issues of trauma, reconciliation, accountability and forgiveness in South Africa.
In a sense, Ndwandwe is given a voice through the documentary as her exhumed bones start to "speak" back to us and invoke her spirit.
The film unpacks questions such as whether Mabuza can reconcile himself with the trauma of his mother's death as he goes in search of answers as to why she was killed.
Was his mother's sacrifice worth it?
The series is aimed at unpacking the impact of the apartheid era's gross human rights violations, which extend beyond each single criminal incident and continue to affect South Africans individually and collectively.
The series explores six disturbing cases: those of Ndwandwe, Bheki Mlangeni, Ntombi Kubheka, Topsy Madaka, Richard and Irene Motasi, and Matthews Mabelane.
In each case, the adult children and family members of the murdered activists take centre stage, giving searing accounts of transgenerational trauma and how it has affected their lives.
The selection of stories aims to provide a tapestry of past events that still resound in the present as the film asks why the NPA failed to rise to the task of investigating and prosecuting those to whom the TRC did not give amnesty or those who did not apply for amnesty.
National Parks from Above
Channel: S3
TX Time: 17h00
Genre: Documentary Series
From the frozen expanse of Iceland's Vatnajökull ice cap to the steep limestone gorges of the Cévennes in southern France, this series explores national parks from above.
The series takes a cinematic journey to meet the people who use these landscapes everyday, discovering the often extreme jobs they undertake and the unique lives they lead.
In the series premiere, "Scotland": The Cairngorms National Park in Scotland is a rugged expanse of mountains, forests and atmospheric lochs where a vibrant local community ensures their unique heritage is preserved and celebrated.
Medieval Dead 3
Channel: HISTORY (DStv 186)
TX Time: 20h15
Genre: Documentary Series, Docu-Drama, History
Experts Tim Sutherland, Malin Holst and Simon Richardson travel to battlegrounds and battlefields, towns and villages, churches and burial grounds to search for clues hidden in the bones of the dead from the medieval period.
Dramatic reconstructions and skeleton analyses are used to help tell the stories of people who lived in the medieval world.
Combining atmospheric, dramatic reconstructions of gripping stories with archaeological science, Medieval Dead takes you deeper into the Dark Ages than ever before.
In the Season 3 premiere, "Crusaders of Vadum Jacob": The siege of Vadum Jacob in 1179 saw Muslim forces overcome the Knights Templar.
Now, forensic analysis of the battleground can shed light on this conquest.
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