In a shocking scheduling move, SABC2 is cutting back its iconic Afrikaans weekday soap 7de Laan, as well as its Venda weekday soap Muvhango, scaling back the episodes of both long-running primetime dramas from five to just three per week.

SABC2's dramatic scheduling changes to its 18:00 timeslot, from April for 7de Laan, and its 21:00 timeslot, from August for Muvhango, comes as the financially struggling and bloated public broadcaster is going through an acrimonious retrenchment process to axe 303 SABC workers.

While still a big show, 7de Laan, which is produced by Danie Odendaal Productions and recently broadcasted its milestone 5000th episode, is struggling with waning ratings, losing millions of viewers over the past few years, mostly due to multiple timeslot changes and the exit of many of the show's iconic characters in quick succession.