Acclaimed web-based South African puppet satire show, ZA News, will be on pay-TV bouquet TopTV’s flagship channel, Top One, as from Sunday, 11 September at 9pm.
The weekly slot will feature some of the country’s most famous and infamous characters, who will make viewers laugh (and sometimes cringe) at local foibles, themselves, political leaders and South Africa as a whole.
Says ZA News producer / director Thierry Cassuto: “Our puppets are very happy to have a weekly slot on television at last. Laughter and satire are the best antidote to doom and gloom that may result from watching other well known Sunday night shows.”
ZA News was created by famous satirical cartoonist Zapiro and Cassuto.
Comments Gugu Sibeko, TopTV VP for Local Content: “ZA News is a strong well known South African brand. We are excited to have the programme on our platform as it is local, relevant, innovative and above all else, entertaining.”
ZA News keeps an ear to the ground, bringing viewers a mix of the latest and most controversial current events in a witty and unorthodox way – parodying the formulaic style of media broadcasting in order to remind people that it is possible to engage humorously with societal issues that can often be a source of tension and frustration. From Julius Malema’s ramblings to Jacob Zuma’s soothsaying and Helen Zille’s calculated tirades, ZA News captures the strange, rainbow-coloured wilderness of South African politics in its own quirky, latexed fashion. With puppets designed by Zapiro, ZA News offers a scathing yet side-splitting take on the local milieu of South African life. No one is safe, but everyone is welcome.
