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Johannesburg - Despite her gorgeous look and vibrant personality, actress, producer and presenter Masechaba Ndlovu was a poor host for the 12th edition of the SA Film and Television Awards (Saftas) nominees’ event.
She mangled many of the nominees’ names, which many thought was disrespectful.
Mamello was called “Mamella,” Thula’s Vine became “Thulani’s Vine” and actor Nakhane was called “Nakhani”.
All the Afrikaans names were mangled and she gave one film a new name, referring to “Liewe Kersfees Vader” simply as “Lewe”.
The event took place in Sandton on Friday and was to start early with guests eager to see who from the who’s who of the entertainment industry was going to be there.
The ceremony started officially at 10:00.
READ NEXT: Masechaba Ndlovu sparkles in sequin dark blue gown at Saftas nominees breakfast
Mfundi Vundla’s Generations: The Legacy and Duma ka Ndlovu’s Muvhango boycotted this year’s awards, so the nominations were not a true reflection of Mzansi’s top talent.
The controversial movie Inxeba (The Wound) received a lot of recognition as it was nominated for best feature film, alongside other great movies, including Kalushi and Beyond The River, which also nabbed a nomination for best achievement in costume design.
Two of Inxeba’s actors, Bongile Mantsai and Niza Ncoyini, received nominations for best supporting actor in the feature film category.
And the film’s star, Nakhane, was nominated in the best actor category.
(Actress Tina Jaxa (right) at the Saftas nomination event. Photo: Mpumelelo Buthelezi)
The event was not as glamorous as one would expect considering it was a national event with much at stake.
The National Film and Video Foundation CEO Zama Mkosi spoke for almost 30 minutes, explaining the process and guidelines for the judges.
But the absence of the country’s top soapies could be felt, especially when the nominees for best TV soapie were announced, which went to 7de Laan, Isibaya and Suidooster.
The awards will be held at Sun City in March.
There are only 79 awards this year compared with last year’s 90.
Categories include everything from TV nonfiction and fiction, to feature films, short films and student films.
Only South African films and television shows that had been produced and publicly broadcast between August 1 2016 to October 31 2017 were eligible to enter.
(TV producer Basetsana Kumalo at the Safts nominations event. Photo: Mpumelelo Buthelezi)
READ NEXT: All the 2018 Saftas nominees
