Nelisiwe Sibiya won Best Actress in a Telenovela at the Saftas for her role in 'iThonga'.
Image: Instagram/@SAFTAs
South Africa’s film and television industry gathered for a night of celebration at the 19th annual South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas), held at the Gallagher Convention Centre on Saturday, March 14.
The ceremony brought together some of the country’s biggest names in front of and behind the camera to honour outstanding work across film, television, soaps, dramas and telenovelas.
The stars dazzled on the red carpet and accepted their accolades with pride and excitement.
The main awards show was hosted by Anele Mgudlwa and Alphi Mkhwanazi, while the stunning red carpet coverage was led by Pamela Mntanga and Katleho Sinivasan.
Amapiano artist Kamo Mpela brought the vibes, making the venue come alive as she opened with a medley of her songs before performing her hit song “Partii”.
Production house Tshedza Pictures emerged as the biggest winner, taking home seven Golden Horns across the two-night ceremony. The craft awards were held on Friday, March 13.
The awards celebrated the best in South African film and television, recognising productions released over an extended eligibility period from early 2024 to mid 2025.
Among Tshedza Pictures’ major wins were the acting categories for the telenovela “iThonga”. Actors Bonko Khoza and Nelisiwe Sibiya took home Best Actor and Best Actress in a Telenovela, respectively, cementing the show’s strong showing at the awards.
Another Tshedza production show that stood out was “Gqeberha: The Empire”, which wrapped up in January 2025, and secured Best Supporting Actor in a Telenovela. The award went to Anele Matoti for his role in the popular series.
“Youngins” won Best Telenovela, Best Achievement in Directing Telenovela, Best Achievement in Original Music/Score in Telenovela and Best Achievement in Editing.
Production companies Quizzical Pictures and Wolflight Films also had a strong presence at this year’s ceremony, each walking away with six Golden Horn awards.
In other key categories, the feature film “Death of a Whistleblower” won Best Feature Film, while “Reyka” season two claimed the award for Best TV Drama. Long-running soapie “Scandal!” took home Best TV Soap.
In the acting categories for television drama, Gail Mabalane won Best Actress for her role in “Unseen” season two, making it her first Saftas nomination and win, after 15 years in the industry.
Zenande Mfenyana also bagged her first Saftas when she took home her first Golden Horn after winning Best Supporting Actress in a Telenovela for “Inimba”.
Actress Vele Manenje became a two-time Saftas winner when she took the award for Best Supporting Actress in a TV soap for her role in “Skeem Saam”.
In the public vote categories, Fezile Mkhize won Best TV Presenter, while the telenovela “Inimba” was named Most Popular TV Soap or Telenovela.
Veteran actors Magic Hlatshwayo and Bobby Heaney were the lifetime achievement honourees; they were both celebrated with a Lifetime Achiever award in recognition of their decades-long contributions to the country’s television industry.