7de Laan reaches new milestone
4 000 episodes aired in 17 years on SA TV screens.
t’s been 17 years and there’s no sign of SABC2’s popular soapie 7de Laan slowing down. Tonight the soap will air its 4 000th episode, making it the fourth longest-running soapie in South African TV history (only Generations, Egoli and Isidingo have aired more episodes). In celebration of this TV landmark here’s a look at some of the biggest moments and characters in 7de Laan’s history. Jan Hendrik and Petra There’s been many unions on 7de Laan but the wedding between Jan Hendrik and Petra was the very first.
Viewers waited with baited breath for it, since Petra cheated on Jan Hendrik with his brother Tiaan shortly before their nuptials. Mandla and Alyce In 2009 7de Laan celebrated its first traditional wedding between Alyce (Vuyelwa Booi) and journalist Mandla (Freedom Hadebe). There have been many stand-out recurring cast members on 7de Laan, but it was fictional character Flooze from Witbank who managed to crawl into the hearts of South Africans from all walks of life.
This tough-as-nails, rough character, portrayed by Sorina Erasmus, has been a talking point around office water coolers since her introduction. 7de Laan’s premise has always been around South Africa’s multicultural landscape, but there were no interracial relationships until after 2010, when Felicity (Melanie Catch 7de Laan’s 4000th episode at 6pm tonight on SABC 2. du Bois) and Herman (Deon Coetzee) claimed the title of the show’s first interracial couple.
Since then the show also featured the much publicised kiss between Nandi (Mbali Mlotshwa) and Bernard (Werner Coetser). In 2012, patriarch Neville Meintjies (Zane Meas) was killed off on the show.
In a giant plot twist, he returned to the show in 2014, after it was revealed he faked his own death. Last week 7de Laan made history again with its first on-screen kiss between two men when Logan (Simon Tuit) kissed his husband, Divan (Arnu de Villiers).