Egoli: Place of Gold

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Egoli: Place of Gold
Egoli Place of Gold.jpg
Genre Soap opera
Created byFranz Marx
StarringChristine Basson
Shaleen Surtie-Richards
Brümilda van Rensburg
David Vlok
Steve Hofmeyr
Lynne McCarthy
Joan Collins
Country of originSouth Africa
Original languages
No. of seasons18
No. of episodes4706
Production
Running time22-24 minutes
Original release
Network M-Net
Release6 April 1992 (1992-04-06) 
31 March 2010 (2010-03-31)

Egoli: Place of Gold was a bilingual (English and Afrikaans) South African soap opera which first aired on M-Net on 6 April 1992. South African television's first daily soap opera, on 3 December 1999 Egoli became the first South African television programme in any genre to reach 2,000 episodes. [1] As of 3 August 2007, 4,000 episodes had aired. Egoli: Place of Gold aired its final episode on 31 March 2010, after 18 years of acting from South African and international actors. [1] [2]

Contents

The series was set in Johannesburg. The city of Johannesburg is also known by its isiZulu name, "eGoli", which means "the place of gold". Egoli was created by Franz Marx. The show is known in Afrikaans as Egoli: Plek van Goud. [3]

Egoli was "aimed at women of all nationalities between the ages of 25 and 45, with middle or upper incomes." [1] [2] The series aired Monday to Friday at 18:00. However, on from April 2009, M-Net moved Egoli to the 18:30 timeslot.

The series had a large following, and "Egoli Spectaculars" were held countrywide each year for fans of the series to meet the cast. [4] These spectaculars offered publicity for the series but also raised money for charity. [5] [ page needed ]

Cast members

ActorCharacterSeasons / Year
1 (1992)2 (1993)3 (1994)4 (1995)5 (1996)6 (1997)7 (1998)8 (1999)9 (2000)10 (2001)11 (2002)12 (2003)13 (2004)14 (2005)15 (2006)16 (2007)17 (2008)18 (2009)
Christine Basson  [ af ]Nora Roelofse NaudéMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Brümilda van Rensburg Louwna Roelofse Vorster Edwards von Badenburg EdwardsMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Shaleen Surtie-Richards Ester "Nenna" WillemseMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Ruby Willemse
Hennie Smit  [ af ]Albertus "Bertie" RoelofseMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
David Rees (actor) Niek NaudéMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Tiffany KellySonet Vorster NaudéMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Hannah Botha Elsa du Plessis PienaarGuestGuestMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
David Vlok Timothy "Tim" Herholdt VorsterMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Thoko Ntshinga Donna MakaulaMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Chantell StanderJoanne Logan du PlessisMain
Kimberly Logan Vorster Schults Du Rand EdwardsMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Ilse Roos  [ af ]Lynette Strydom Vorster Makropoulos MalanMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Deon Coetzee  [ af ]Deon du PlessisMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Christel SmithTarien NaudéMainMainMainMainMainMainGuest
Esta TerBlanche Beatrice "Bienkie" Naudé HartmanMainMainMainMainMain
Christina Storm MainMainMain
Gé Korsten Walt VorsterMainMainMain
Phillip MoolmanAndré VorsterMainMainMain
Jackie DavidsMargaret Rose "Margie" Willemse BrinkMainMainMain
Chris de Clerq  [ af ]Paul BrinkMainMainMain
Hermien Dommisse Monika VorsterGuestGuestMain
Charl EngelbrechtArno FourieGuestGuestMain
Nthati Moshesh Lerato MashabelaGuestMain
Anrich Herbst  [ af ]Dewald VorsterGuestGuest
Phillip HennJohan VorsterMainMain
Sandra Prinsloo Cecile Roelofse SinclairMainMain
Kevin SmithAndrew "Andy" WillemseMainMain
Eghard van der Hoven  [ af ]Stan KrigeGuestGuest
Wilson DunsterAlistair Milner-Smythe "Spider"GuestGuest
Albert MaritzJimmy SmutsGuestGuest
David ButlerBrian FletcherGuestGuest
James WhyleTom SinclairMain
Steve Hofmeyr Doug Du Rand / Otto HeimerGuest
Cliff Simon Gregory "Mitch" MitchellGuestGuest
Sorina AustinReneéGuest
Mimi Coertse Isabeau VorsterGuest
Paul Lückhoff  [ af ]MenasseGuest
Elize Cawood Irma RaubenheimerGuest
Gigi StrydomMoira KrigeGuest
Macks PapoTsheko MashabelaGuest
Catriona AndrewJane Edwards Vorster SchoemanMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Corine du ToitMainMainMainMainMain
Ernst EloffBuks PienaarMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Nathan GradwellZack BlackburnMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
David DukesJohnneyGuest
Eckard Rabe Chris EdwardsMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Darryl DesmaraisStephen EdwardsMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Celia Kemp SteynAngelGuest
Chris LinfordRex de Koning Von BadenburgMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Darren KelfkensJoe SmithMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Lindie van EedenKarin Schoeman EdwardsMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Dorette PotgieterSusan BosmanGuest
Ebi HalberstadtBraam SchoemanMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMainMain
Mandi Baard LaraMainMainMainMainMainMain
Tamarin du ToitCatMainMainMain
Anton FisherSpike RobertsMainMainMain

International Guest stars:

Seasons

#EpisodesDate StartedDate FinishedNotes
12606 April 19922 April 1993
22595 April 19931 April 1994
32604 April 199431 March 1995
42603 April 199529 March 1996
52601 April 19964 February 1997
62605 February 19974 February 1998
73005 February 199821 May 1999
826024 May 199919 May 2000
918022 May 20005 February 2001
102606 February 200125 January 2002
1126028 January 200224 January 2003
1226027 January 200323 January 2004
1326026 January 200421 January 2005
1416025 January 20052 September 2005
153535 September 200510 January 2007
1628511 January 200718 January 2008
1731021 January 200827 January 2009
1825930 March 200926 March 2010

International edition

The TV series was broadcast outside of South Africa, in neighbouring countries in the original bilingual Afrikaans-English version, and, beginning in May 1997, in an English-only international version. [5] :16 The bilingual version was shown in Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, where Afrikaans was spoken or widely understood. In the late 1990s, the English version was broadcast in at least 9 African countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Zambia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mauritius. [5] :17

At one time in the 1990s, the series was shown in at least 30 countries. [6]

In creating the international version, all Afrikaans-language scenes were filmed twice, first in Afrikaans, then in English. [5] :17 To make the series more appealing to non-South African audiences, typical South African sayings and customs, were deleted from the international edition. [5] [ page needed ]

Egoli was also dubbed in Spanish for broadcast in some South American countries. [5] :17 The series was sold to Venezuela's state channel Venezolana de Televisión at the 1998 NATPE in New Orleans, a first for a South African television series post-apartheid. A package of 260 episodes were sold, compiled as one-hour episodes to match local tastes and lengths. [7]

Parodies

Egoli: Place of Gold was one of the South African soaps to be parodied by comedian Casper de Vries in his soap parody Haak en Steek.

Demise

The final episode of the series aired on 31 March 2010. The final episode included surprises and special guests and ended at the memorial.

Movie

It was announced in August 2009 that a movie entitled Egoli – The Movie would conclude the longest-running soap opera in South African history. [8] The movie was directed by Bromley Cawood and produced by series creator and writer Franz Marx, in cooperation with Burgert Muller, a co-producer of the TV series, and Pieter Venter of Brigadiers-Franz Marx Films. [8] The feature film was released in South African cinemas on 16 June 2010 and starred many cast members from the TV show including David Rees, Shaleen Surtie-Richards, Tiffany Kelly, Christine Basson, Brümilda van Rensburg, and Lerato Motau. [9] Some sources list the title of the movie as Egoli: Afrikaners is Plesierig. [10]

Other media and products

A book entitled Franz Marx's Egoli 2000 by Reinet Louw was published by Human & Rousseau in 1999. The English-language edition was a translation of the Afrikaans-language edition, Franz Marx se Egoli 2000, also published in 1999. [5] :Verso page,back cover The book related how the show was developed, recounted storylines from the first 8 years of the show, provided biographical sketches of characters, and included photographs of cast members. [5] [ page needed ]

A cookbook featuring recipes by characters in the series (including Nenna, Elsa, Donna, and Mrs. Naidoo) was published during the program's run and ranked number 1 on the South African top ten best-seller list for several weeks. [4] The recipes featured in the cookbook were collected by South African restaurateurs Eduan Naudé and Brian Shalkoff. [5] :31

During the early years of its run, the TV show marketed a sticker book and stickers featuring pictures of the actors from the series. [5] :19

After the series concluded in 2010, a double-disc DVD entitled Egoli 18 was released. The DVD featured highlights from each year of the series' 18-year-run, repackaged into new 24-minute episodes by the show's creator, Franz Marx. Episodes were introduced by actors, writers, and other notable personalities who were affiliated with or fans of the show. [6]

The show also marketed its own fragrance. [4] The perfume, named "Essence of Gold." [5] :19

Clothes featured in the TV series, designed by fictional character Freddie Vermeulen of Louwna Fashions, were also sold in South African shops at one time. [5] :19

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Egoli – MNET Corporate Archived 16 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 9 September 2008.
  2. 1 2 "Jozi is a SOAPDISH." Gauteng Film Commission. Archived 2 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 9 September 2008.
  3. Egoli: Place of Gold IMDB: Internet Movie Database Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 "Current Productions: Egoli." MNET Corporate website". 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Louw, Reinet. Franz Marx's Egoli 2000. Cape Town, Pretoria, and Johannesburg: Human & Rousseau 1999. ISBN   0-7981-3937-4.
  6. 1 2 Egoli: 18 Years of Egoli. Johannesburg: NuMetro Home Entertainment, 2010.
  7. "Egoli for Latin America", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 16, January-March 1998
  8. 1 2 Get ready for Egoli movie. News24.com. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  9. "Egoli" (movie review). 24.com. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  10. Egoli: Afrikaners is Plesierig (2010) - IMDb , retrieved 4 April 2023

See also