Johannesburg - Viewers of Our Perfect Wedding have no idea what to expect for Sunday’s show and producers of the popular Mzansi Magic wedding reality show aren’t giving much away.
This after the show came under heavy fire this week for its controversial episode that was criticised for glorifying statutory rape.
Absa has withdrawn its sponsorship of the show, which follows the run-up and planning of South African couples’ weddings.
It remains to be seen if the negative publicity has dented the show’s image or whether Sunday’s episode will redeem it.
Producers remained tight-lipped on their expectations about the ratings of Sunday’s show.
Mzansi Magic’s head of publicity, Nondumiso Macebe, said the organisation is in a process of tightening up information- gathering on potential couples for their show.
“When a couple writes to the show, the research team does a background check on them to verify that they are not already married and interview their families as well,” Macebe said.
But the show’s producers have their work cut out for them.
They were slammed for romanticising rape culture, particularly statutory rape. It was the story of Fanie Mkhwanazi, a pastor who met his bride Bavelile when she was 14.
At the start of the show Fanie told of how he was a 28-year old taxi driver who dated young schoolgirls and slept with them. He finally settled down with Bavelile, who is now 23. Critics didn’t hold back.
The Change Drivers’ Network and the Sexual Reproductive Justice Coalition of South Africa lodged a complaint with the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa.
Macebe has confirmed that the show researchers at Connect TV, which produces Our Perfect Wedding, have been in touch with the Mkhwanazis.
Saturday Star