7de Laan is coming to an end

On Tuesday, Danie Odendaal Productions announced in a statement that the show will stop airing in December, after screening for 23 years.

“The brainchild of Danie Odendaal, 7de Laan made its debut on SABC 2 on 4 April 2000, bringing to life much-loved characters such as Oubaas, Hilda, Charmaine, Aggie, Emma, and the Meintjies family who all became household names,” the statement read.

With a heavy heart, we bring you the sad news of the SABC’s decision to conclude the beloved soapie, 7de Laan, after Season 24 – the final episode being the 26th of December 2023.

We are eternally grateful for each and every one of you and for being on this journey with us.�� pic.twitter.com/T8pTyFYIS2
— 7de Laan (@Real7deLaan) July 17, 2023

The show which started out with one episode a week before transitioning to five is set in the fictional suburb of Hillside in Johannesburg.

“7de Laan certainly made its contribution in assisting South Africans make the transition to a democratic state by dealing with issues such as interracial and homosexual relationships. Over the years it has also dealt with many social ills including gender-based violence, drug addiction, kidnappings and human trafficking. Many South Africans have also learned to speak Afrikaans because of 7de Laan by listening to the language and reading the English subtitles,” said the statement.

In its tenure, it won many awards including: Best soapie at the Safta’s, most popular soapie at Royalty Soapie Awards and outstanding female villain award was won by Deirdre Wolhuter for her role as Mariaan Welman.

It is unclear why the show has been cancelled.

Here are some of the social media reactions

I hope the final scene is Charmaine alone in Oppikoffie as she locks up and switches off all the lights as she looks back one last time and walks away as the original theme songs starts playing. https://t.co/bEP7phmqMX

— Adrian (@KnifeInAfrikans) July 17, 2023

I did extremely well in Afrikaans in School- there were several contributing factors but Die Laan was undoubtedly one of them.
The family friendly storylines, perfect comedic timing from the talent and the lovable characters like Paula, Oubas & Matrone will make it difficult for… https://t.co/7l3yZ2AciJ

— Leera Mthethwa (@LeeraMthethwa) July 17, 2023

I must thank 7de Laan for my 79% in Afrikaans, after moving from an English based school to a hoerskool. My parents would make sure I watched 7de Laan & we would practice using the new words I learned.

Sad to see it come to an end. I wish all actors & production all the best https://t.co/Yq2zq6c8Rm

— Undefined TM-MT (@Xoli_ka_Lindi) July 18, 2023