A group of fans of 7th Avenue wants to march to the SABC in Auckland Park on Thursday to protest against the decision to cancel the soap.
Joel Wilson, a member of the team that runs the Facebook group 7de Laan My Nou Official, says they want to challenge the SABC’s motive for the decision. This group has more than 525,000 members and has been focusing on content since 2015 7th Avenue.
“Then 7th Avenue is limited to three days, we argued. With the cancellation of the soap opera, we will fight even harder,” says Wilson. “We contacted the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Okosa), the National Prosecuting Authority and the Public Protector where we informed them how cancellations put Afrikaans on the sidelines.”
Wilson says the options for soap operas are shrinking more and more. “The SABC responded to us, but the reasons for the cancellation are being questioned. The SABC made very little effort to obtain advertising or sponsorships and did not allow the program to explore these options.”
Wilson says the program is unique because it celebrates our culture, language and heritage in a way that no other program does. “It resonated with South Africans.”
The petition will be handed over to the SABC in collaboration with the Good party.
