2025’s five DStv super-stars

From the box office to the small screen, here are the five biggest stars of 2025 – as chosen by you, our starmakers.

While we all love a golden award, a bit of critical praise and those box office numbers, these stars brought all that and something extra: the ability to get us talking … and talking … and posting … and sharing. Find out how Lunathi Mampofu, Je-ani Swiegelaar, Thembinkosi Mthembu, Govan Whittles and Reandi Grey are making waves.

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Five stars, no notes! Your picks of 2025

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Thembinkosi Mthembu: The king

Thembinkosi Mthembu might have one of the most-recognised faces – and bodies – on South African screens. In 2025, he delivered a powerhouse run across Adulting Season 3 as ride-or-die best friend Bonga, Shaka iLembe Season 2 as King Dingiswayo, cattle farmer Bandile in Outlaws Seasons 1 and 2, and Homecoming Season 1 as Sifiso Kubheka, a man living a double life as a police officer by day and a traditional healer by night. Thembinkosi’s devastating portrayal of King Dingiswayo’s death was one of the most talked-about scenes of the year.

Watch Shaka iLembe Seasons 1-2 on DStv Stream, Adulting Seasons 1-3 on Showmax, Outlaws Seasons 1-2 on Showmax (new episodes Mondays) and on Saturdays at 8PM on Mzansi Magic Channel 161, and Homecoming Season 1 on Mondays-Wednesdays at 6:30PM on Mzansi Wethu Channel 163.

Lunathi Mampofu: The queen

Lunathi Mampofu is keeping audiences glued to Inimba as tech mogul Zoleka, who sacrificed her family for her career only to return 20 years later to try to reclaim love. Her standout performance has had fans declaring her, “My Queen,” and helped steer the telenovela to a much-deserved Season 2 renewal, with Shirley Adonisi, director of M-Net's Local Entertainment Channels, calling it “a story that resonates deeply with our viewers because of its focus on the expectations balancing ambition with tradition and complexities of family relationships.”

Stream Inimba Season 1 on weekdays at 9PM on Mzansi Magic Channel 161. Available on DStv Stream.

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Je-ani Swiegelaar: The mother of all mothers

Je-ani Swiegelaar won Best Actress at the kykNET Silwerskerm Festival for her role as beleaguered mom Heidi Horn with her accident-prone daughter Marelize (played by Zandélle Meyer) in My F*k, Marelize!. “If there is one reason to watch My F*k, Marelize!, it is for Je-ani's performance as an ordinary mother trying to protect her daughters, only to discover that they also protect her when she needs it most,” raved Gerhard Ehlers in Cinema”. Audiences agreed, as the film shattered post-COVID box office records. 

Stream My F*k, Marelize! On DStv Box Office.

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Govan Whittles: The newsmaker

At a time when public trust in the media is deliberately being eroded, respected reporter Govan Whittles expanded from Carte Blanche to launch Govan Ontbloot Season 1 on kykNET. He did the legwork and took us along with him to meet ordinary South Africans with extraordinary stories, including the Khoi community of Knoflokskraal, and the addicts undergoing treatment at Tokkie van Wyk’s New Life Centre – always asking questions with compassion, because cold, hard facts don’t tell the whole story.

Stream Carte Blanche Season 38 on Sundays at 7PM on M-Net Channel 101. Available on DStv Stream. Binge Govan Ontbloot Season 1 on DStv Stream. 

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Reandi Grey: The matchmaker

Reandi Grey took the reins as host of Boer Soek ’n Vrou’s record-breaking 17th season, and she has already introduced Season 18’s farmers and encouraged all those lonely hearts out there to write in for the 2026 season of love. She’s also closing the year in the festive miniseries Ek, Jy en Hy. This time it’s her turn to find love as she plays Soefie, who’s put her heart on pause while raising her little sister following the death of their parents, and now has to choose between her boyfriend and his brother (played by André Lötter and Bobby van Jaarsveld). 

Stream Ek, Hy en Jy Season 1 from Tuesday, 30 December at 8PM on kykNET Channel 144. Binge Boer Soek ’N Vrou Season 17 on DStv Stream, along with the first “Meet the farmers” episode of Season 18 on DStv Stream.