7de Laan

Odendaal originally conceived of the series when he was a resident of the Melville section of Johannesburg.[2] At the time, Odendaal would watch the people of his community over breakfast and a cup of coffee at his favourite coffee shop.[2] He would make up fictitious characters based on what he saw.[3]

The working title for the show was Die Koffiekan (The Coffee Pot).[2] Later it was renamed Hoe Meer Dae… (The More Days), but the name was considered too similar to the American soap opera, Days of Our Lives.[2] Eventually, the title 7de Laan was chosen because it reflects a place where people live and work and because it is a common street name in South Africa.[2]

The series made its debut on Tuesday, 4 April 2000, on South African public television network SABC 2.[2] Initially, 7de Laan was broadcast on Tuesday only, then on Tuesday and Thursday, and eventually five days a week, Monday to Friday.[3]

After airing at 18:30 daily for much of its broadcast history, in July 2016, 7de Laan was moved to a later timeslot, 19:00.[4] In February 2017, 7de Laan's timeslot was changed again, this time moved to 18:00.[5] The move was part of an ongoing programme shuffle of the SABC's three TV networks, the third such major change in a year's time.[5] It was feared that the timeslot change would erode 7de Laan's audience, "working-class commuters," were not yet at home.[5]

In February 2017, SABC 2 announced that it would no longer air the omnibus edition of 7de Laan on Sunday afternoons.[6] However, in May 2017, SABC 2 announced that the Sunday omnibus would resume in July.[7] As of February 2017, Episodes continued to be repeated daily on SABC 2 at 13:00 and on SABC 3 at 13:30.[8] The show also remained available on the network's YouTube channel.[8]

In April 2010, 7de Laan celebrated ten years on television. During this month, viewers got to see pictures of the show through its ten years during the end credits of each episode. On 9 May 2013, episode number 3,000 was broadcast. On 20 October 2016, the series broadcast its 3,900th episode.[3]

On 9 March 2017, 7de Laan[9] aired its 4000th episode.[10] The 4000th episode featured characters Vanessa (Ingrid Paulus) and Xander (Theodore Jantjies) renewing their wedding vows.[11] Several characters from the show's past were featured in the storyline, including Errol (Christo Davids), Dezi (Elma Postma), Wilmien (Nina Swart), and Karien (Christi Panagio).[11]

In 2009 7de Laan received 1.95 million viewers per episode.[2] In 2015, ratings were considered "still big but flat."[12] To improve the ratings, the show underwent changes in 2015, including a new theme song, opening credits, and sets.[12] At the time, almost half (45,3%) of the soap's viewership across all race groups was older than 50 years of age.[12]

In 2016, it was reported that the series was considered to be in "an ongoing ratings slide" but still drew 1.8 million viewers in September 2016 and was the 7th most popular programme on SABC 2.[13]

In 2018, the show's viewership surged and passed the 3.0 million viewership mark. Weekly omnibus episodes also draw an additional 1.0 million viewers on average each week.

The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) found the series and SABC 2 guilty of contravening the South African Broadcasting Code of Conduct for episodes aired on 27 and 28 April 2012, in which one of the actors drank heavily and contemplated suicide after his wife had left him.[14]

In May 2015, SABC2 was forced to "humbly apologise" by the BCCSA for depictions of graphic violence and inappropriate language aired during February 2015.[15] The broadcast scenes depicted a hostage drama at the show's coffeehouse, Oppiekoffie.[15] The BCCSA ordered 7de Laan and SABC2 to broadcast an on-screen statement, accompanied by a voice-over telling viewers that 7de Laan and SABC2 had erred in broadcasting the scenes.[15]

In May 2016, the BCCSA fined the SABC R15,000 for breaching the broadcasting code.[16] The show had been charged with broadcasting a depiction of violence during family viewing time with insufficient warning to viewers.[16] In an episode aired on 24 March 2016, the character Willem was shown strangling the character Gita in a violent scene.[16]

For the first time in its then 17-year run, on 2 March 2017, 7de Laan aired a kiss between two male characters, Logan and Divan.[17] The kiss generated a mostly positive reaction from viewers who commented on the TV show's Facebook page.[18]

In January 2019, an interracial kissing scene between Fikani Chauke and Alexa Welman (portrayed by Nicholas Nkuna and Carina Nel respectively) sparked outrage, condemnation and was subject to racist remarks on the shows social media pages from fans who felt the scene was inappropriate.[19][20][21] The show defended its decision to include the interracial kiss and its creators called for an end to hate speech.

As much as we respect our viewers’ right to voice their opinion, 7de Laan will not tolerate hate speech, racism or instigation of such narratives by any member of the public or media. We stand by our diverse story lines that tell stories of a real South Africa in which we all strive to live harmoniously.

— 7de Laan[22]

In October 2016, it was reported that 7de Laan's production company, Danie Odendaal Productions, had not been able to negotiate successfully a new contract with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).[13] The company revealed that it had footed the bill for the series since July 2016 and could no longer afford to fund the production.[23] As a result, cast and crew were told they would not be paid.[13] It was also speculated that the 21 October 2016 episode could be the last one for several months.[24]

However, contract negotiations for both 7de Laan and fellow SABC 2 soap Muvhango were resolved satisfactorily.[25]

7de Laan has won the following awards:

• Best Soapie, 2010, South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA) (determined by public vote)[26]
• Best Soapie, 2011, South African Film and Televisions Awards (SAFTA) (determined by public vote)[27]
• Best TV Soap, 2014, South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA) (determined by public vote)[28]

In 2011, 7de Laan won the SAFTA public vote for Best Soapie, despite an issue with voting.[27] The initial SMS voting number given for 7de Laan in the TV promos was wrong and had to be changed so the votes cast before the correction were lost.[29] Voting lines opened on 14 February and the correction was made on 16 February.[29]

In 2012, the show did not enter cast and crew into SAFTA categories, leading to its being removed from consideration from the Best Soap category.[30]

The series' original theme song was composed by Louis van Rensburg and performed by the Soweto String Quartet.[12] Having been the theme song since the series' inception in 2000, the tune was considered "iconic" but was replaced in June 2015 with a new composition by Joe Niemand and Nomansland.[12] The theme-tune is so well-loved that many viewers complained when the instantly recognisable tune was replaced by the newer more modern theme.[31]

In 2010, a cookbook featuring recipes inspired by the programme's characters was published.[32] Characters featured include Hilda, Matrone, Charmaine, Maria, Vince, Lukas, and Paula.[33] The book was released in two languages, in English as Cook with 7de Laan and in Afrikaans as 7de Laan Kook.[33]

7de Laan is set in Hillside, which is a fictional suburb in Johannesburg. Within the suburb, there are many businesses and shops where the characters work and hang out. These are some of the locations featured in the series:[1]

• Hillside Heights

The Hillside Heights is the centre of Hillside. It is an old residential building that has small apartments where most of the characters reside. The Hillside Heights building is owned by Rickus Welman and Lesedi Moloi. Many a spookstory made its appearance in the building's alleys, and so often somebody gets locked-up in the store room by accident.

• Oppiekoffie[1]

Vince Ngwenya-Meintjies owns Oppiekoffie, which is a coffee shop located on the ground floor of the Hillside Heights building, directly opposite the Eclectic E boutique.The current waiters are Ludo and Gabby.Many of the young characters who worked there as waiters in the past: Amorey, Annelie, Bernard, Clara, Connie, Danielle, Dewaal, Dezi, Diederik, Kabelo, Kim, Liezl, Lucas, Monique, Nozi, Paula, Pieter, Tessa, Tumi and Zinzi.

• Eclectic E Boutique[1]

Eclectic E is the local boutique located opposite Oppiekoffie. It is owned by former model Connie van der Lecq, and was previously owned by Felicity Daniels, a well-known fashion designer. It was closed down for a time when Felicity left, but it has since reopened. Past assistants were Alyce, Pulane, Irma, Paula, Annelie, Clara, Monique, Tessa, Vernon, Emile, Elaine and Khethiwe. It is a popular meeting place for many of the females.

*The Hillside Deli The Deli was owned and managed by Vince Meintjies. Jerome, Bart, Vanessa, Matrone, Lukas, Bernard, Pieter, Hilda and Amorey used to work here at different times.

• The Hillside Bookshop[1]

The bookshop is owned by Ryno Lategan and is managed by Frikkie. It was formerly managed by Matrone Netta Nortjè. The bookshop has featured many real life book-releases on the show with the author guest-starring in the particular episode to sign autographs and to answer questions.

• Bruynwaves

Bruynwaves is an events organising company, owned by Vanessa Meintjie. Aggie is a organiser,and Bonita is the event stylist.

• Theron & Terreblanche (T&T)

T&T is the local sporting equipment shop, formerly owned by Madel Terreblanche (the matriarch of the wealthy Terreblanche family and the namesake of the shop), and now owned by Fikani Chauke. The Hillside Gym is located on the first floor of the building. Rickus and Marvin work in T&T as shop assistants, and Shawn works as a biokineticist. Lukas, Marko and Vanessa were previous shop assistants.

• O'Malley's

O'Malley's is the pub where the young crowd like to hang out. Former bartenders included Lucas, Pieter and Bernard.

• Stasie Ses

The after-work recreation and relaxation venue in Hillside. Owned and run by Marko Greyling.

• The Welman House

This is a real, old time mansion, owned by DeWet Basson. It was previously owned by Madel Terreblanche and author Ryno Lategan, then by the Croukamps and the Welmans. It turns out to be a popular venue for house parties, fashion shows, book launches as well as wedding receptions. Evelina (an unseen character) was formerly the residence's cook, famous for her dish Evelina se niertjies. She started working there when it was still Madel's house in early episodes.

• Hillside Clinic

Whenever there is a medical emergency, this scene comes into play. "Patients" are kept in bed for a short while, visited by the other characters, and then discharged home. Doctors Alexa Welman and Fikani Chauke work here. Romeo Peterson works there as a nurse and Tjattas Bothma is a paramedic.

• Beleef

The cafe' is located above Stasie Ses, and was built by Chris Welman as a replacement for the Hillside Deli. It is jointly owned by Chris' ex-wife Mariaan and former deli owner Vince Meintjies. Ivy Peterson works as a chef and Chad is a waiter. Previous waitresses were Esti, Olivia and Gabby. Ben also previously worked here, but was killed by the co-owner Mariaan Welman.

Other places (seldom seen on screen):

• The squatter camp
• Restaurant "Le Petit Paris"
• The Cherry On Top (Restaurant)
• Mostly Matise (Restaurant)
• Laura Lee Beauty Salon
• Felicity Fashions' factory
• Die slaghuis (butchery)
• Die apteek (pharmacy)
• Police station and magistrate's court
• The Church (mostly for weddings)

• TheQueen2019
• TVSA's 7de Laan Mini-Site