IT WAS probably convenient and cheap to repeat those old movies and documentaries to make us laugh, angry or reminisce about the past and about ourselves .

IT WAS probably convenient and cheap to repeat those old movies and documentaries to make us laugh, angry or reminisce about the past and about ourselves .

But the financial problems bedevilling the national broadcaster makes it very difficult to produce new shows. And repeating the old shows is a smart move.

bringing back old favourite s and saving a considerable amount of money in the process is a good thing. And the shows are brought back in the name of marking heritage month. This, too, is a clever move by the cash-strapped broadcaster that is fighting or survival .

I know television producers are not going to be pleased with me but I believe that credit should be given where it is due.

The following productions are quite good and I do not believe we have had enough of them. So this month, join me in watching the productions again on SABC2.

The home-brewed slot kicked off with South Africa's renowned filmmaker and comedian Leon Schuster's 1986 film, You Must Be Joking on Saturday September 5.

Tonight you can see Die Beskermengel, a fast-moving thriller set on the West Coast, where an ex-cop has to protect a beautiful woman from a criminal gang after she witnesses a murder. It will air at 10pm.

For Friday September 12 Schuster's 1989 movie, Oh Shucks, Here Comes Untag. is lined up. This hilarious movie will be broadcast at 4pm.

It tells the story of Kwagga Robertse, a rugged bachelor farmer who lives in the fictitious African country, Nambabwe. There is a bit of romance, action and adventure and lots and lots of that famous Schuster humour.

Goodbye Bafana is the true story of James Gregory, the white racist whose life was profoundly altered during the many years in which he guarded Nelson Mandela on Robben Island and in the Victor Verster and Pollsmoor prisons. It will be broadcast on Monday September 14 at 10pm.

Schuster continues to display his talent in Panic Mechanic on September 19 at 4pm. He uses his candid camera videos to poke fun at people in post-1994 South Africa.

Noah's Ark will be aired on September 21 at 4pm. It is a story about the bonds of love that bind a family and the secrets that threaten to destroy it.

There's a Zulu On My Stoep is on on September 26 at 4pm. In the old South Africa of 1967, a white boy and a black boy do everything together, until an American girl comes between them.

Land Of Thirst can be seen on September 28. This is an extraordinary love story of people caught in the crosscurrents of the new South Africa.

The Musical masterpiece Princess Magogo, an internationally acclaimed opera, will be broadcast on September 27 at 9pm.

The broadcast will be a visionary masterpiece incorporating a blend of Zulu traditional music as composed by Princess Magogo and traditional operatic conventions.

This musical marvel is based on the true story of the nation's first female composer, whose voice moved listeners from laughter to tears, and to a greater understanding of themselves as a people.

Lavish costumes, stunning design, exhilarating dancing and the unmistakably beautiful voices of Zulu choristers, this astonishing masterpiece will dazzle and viewers will be captivated as the music and dance tells the story as much as the words.

Princess Magogo is the mother of IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who demonstrated many years ago that she could sing opera.