Do you remember the early days?

WOULD you believe they put a man the moon – and as the whole world watched this giant leap for mankind, South Africans just listened.

That was back in July 1969, when Albert Hertzog, Minister of Posts and Telegraphs, was warning parliament television would mean the downfall of civilisations.

So South Africans listened – and waited until television officially came on line on February 6, 1976. That will be 40 years ago next week, but many South Coast Herald colleagues remember it clearly. The coming of television was a momentous occasion for South Africa but it was gradual, with some cities seeing test programmes in 1975.

I was then living in Zimbabwe, where television had arrived in 1959, but I remember visiting my parents in Carletonville shortly before the big switch-on. They were staring at their big bulky set, complete with its bunny ears, when we arrived. Of course they sheepishly denied it, but, as my workmates pointed out everyone watched the test patterns.

TV was beamed into the sitting rooms of South Africa for a brief 48 minutes on January 5 1976, when Heinrich Marnitz and Dorianne Berry made their local television debut. It was another month before South Africans like the South Coast Herald editor Colleen Haggard were thrilled to see the very first programme ‘Haas Das se Nuuskas’.

Interestingly, the newsreading rabbit was voiced by Riaan Cruywagen. One of South Africa’s first television newsreaders, his broadcasting career ended in 2012 when he retired to become a full time grandfather. Another early SABC television newsreader was the late Christopher Bennett. He was a much-loved member of the Herald team from 2003 until 2012 so he is much in our thoughts as television’s 40th anniversary approaches.

Television in Zimbabwe was black and white, so it was a treat to watch colour TV when we visited South Africa. However, we were used to the excellent British television programmes that made up most of our home viewing. Because of South Africa’s apartheid policies, there was a British Actors’ Equity Association boycott of programme sales to South Africa so most of its TV had a distinctly American flavour. Not that this worried South African viewers. Whatever it offered the small screen was a huge hit and dominated life for quite some time.

During the early TV era Liz Coulson’s aunt and uncle in Southport would prepare a flask of tea and platter of sandwiches every evening then settle down to watch the box, undisturbed. Everyone I spoke to remembers how, on Tuesday evenings when ‘Rich Man, Poor Man’ and, later, ‘Dallas’ were screened, restaurants were closed and social life was put on hold. Sue Westoby refused to go on holiday to the Transkei without her little black and white television set so she could watch Dallas.

The ‘haves’ were willing to share TV access with the ‘have nots’ and there are happy memories of communal telly watching. Shannon Trollip and her mother had a standing Tuesday evening date with a friend to watch Dallas at her house. Shannon eventually met her future husband at one of these Dallas evenings. The whole country wanted to know who shot JR and waited impatiently for the episode that would reveal all. Liz remembers a friend being furious as she went into labour just as the crucial episode was due to start.

Of course daytime TV was once a foreign concept and our early telly choice was limited to one channel, served up in English and Afrikaans on alternative nights and only for about five hours.

TV viewers of a certain age will remember how many imported programmes were dubbed into Afrikaans, the first being the British series ‘The Sweeney’, known in Afrikaans as Blitspatrollie. Colleen, whose introduction to television was watching the test patterns in Rustenberg, always thought Blitspatrollie star John Thaw was Afrikaans until she encountered his plummy English accent in ‘Inspector Morse’. Eventually English viewers could tune into Radio 2000 to listen to the simulcasts of original sound tracks for dubbed American programmes like ‘Miami Vice’.

On the whole, viewers were treated to some excellent imported series. Family sitcoms like ‘Eight is Enough’, ‘Family Ties’ and ‘Brady Bunch’ abounded and were popular. For action fans there were must-watch series like ‘A Team’, ‘Knight Rider’ and ‘Air Wolf’. The littlest viewers were served up a delightful selection of programmes like ‘Wielie Wielie Walie’, ‘Liewe Heksie’ and ‘Pumpkin Patch’.Their dads wouldn’t miss an episode of ‘Bay Watch’.

Of course, not all TV fare was imported. South African film makers came up trumps, creating excellent series. Everyone’s favourite was ‘The Villagers’, starring South African acting heavyweights like Gordon Mulholland, Brian O‘Shaugnessy and Clive Scott. Another big South African hit, ‘Shaka Zulu’ was screened all over the world. As for entertaining programmes everyone loved ‘Turn on the Telly’ and Johan Stemmet’s vintage ‘Noot vir Noot’ still hits the high notes with viewers after 25 years.

For sporty viewers sports coverage was a revolutionary development in South Africa even if it was served up in limited helpings. Advertising manager Sue Pillay, an avid sports fan, remembers crowding into a neighbour’s home, along with the rest of the neighbourhood to watch a rugby test match that featured the All Blacks. She clearly recalls the thrill of watching her first live recording of a big rugby clash.

For a couple of years there were no television advertisements but when they did arrive they were amazingly funny, witty, entertaining and catchy. Not long after a Cremora advert aired, “It’s not inside, it’s on top” became a catch phrase throughout the country.

Over the years, South African television has grown exponentially, but sometimes viewers of a certain age still miss the simple charms of its infant years.

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