South Africa: Popular TV Host Johan Stemmet Steps Down After 28 Years

Johan Stemmet/Facebook
Johan Stemmet.
18 January 2019
allAfrica.com
By Melody Chironda

Cape Town — Johan Stemmet, popularly known for hosting the game show, Noot vir Noot, has called it quits after 28 years.

Noot vir Noot is the longest-running game show in South Africa, since it first aired on 27 July 1991.

The 66-year-old TV presenter, on his Facebook page,  promised to end his run on the show on a "high note".

Johan last appearance on the show will be next week Thursday.

Stemmet wrote in Afrikaans, and allAfrica translated it here:

Dear friends

I hope you enjoyed the final. It was a wonderful highlight to conclude the series. Beautiful participants! Great winner!

By that time, everyone probably took note of all the media reporting about my retirement. Anyway ... It's very hard to make such an announcement. The decision was so difficult. Next Thursday's (January 24) charity program is the very latest Noot vir Noot in its current format. This is also the last time the Music Factory will be shown and the last with me as a presenter. However, it is nice to be able to leave on a high note while Noot vir Noot is one of SABC's top programs and I know it will keep going in that direction.

Noot vir Noot is going to be refreshed with a winning presenter. The new Noot for Noot format will find wide appeal. I have no doubt about that.

Although I will no longer be a presenter of Noot vir Noot, I will still be actively involved with my team and the programs we manufacture behind the scenes. So I'm not going to present anymore but will still produce the programs.

As far as my past is concerned, I left education in 1980 and entered this dream industry, where sound and color are woven into television screens, with bright eyes. The development, production and presentation of program ideas have become my daily joy. I always said that my "work" never felt like work for a single day. How can music making and entertaining be "work"?

But the finish line has always been lying on the horizon and winking. And then suddenly, out of the blue, he kept on winking and lying in front of me to poke me with reality.

The relentless march of time and the winds of change that come up against your tent can be stopped by nothing and no one. Choices in one's life must be made and in the interest of the bigger picture decisions must be made.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunities I have had over the past 39 years to be able to interweave music and image in something that has touched the hearts and houses of so many people who have so faithfully supported, and supported me from my early years.

Criticism was obvious, but always, recognition and appreciation were so much more. Thank you to each of you who have enriched and inspired me over the years.

Thank you for the 29 years of laughter, crying, singing, and playing together.

We may be meet each other again one day on a rainy day, or see each other "on a street corner one day".

I wish all of you the very best. We say goodbye in the coming Thursday's program with a tear in the eye, but with a song in heart, a song of heartfelt and sincere gratitude and deep appreciation for so many happy years in which I was privileged to join you in your living room. Thank you for allowing me to share what I do with you. I'm going to miss our weekly visits.
But even if we do not see each other via the television, we will still visit each other on my Facebook.

Thank you all ... sincerely, thank you very much and again.
Johan

Here is the original statement in Afrikaans

Liewe vriende

Ek hoop julle het die finaal baie geniet. Dit was voorwaar n heerlike hoogtepunt om die reeks mee af te sluit. Skitterende deelnemers! Skitterende wenner!

Teen die tyd het almal seker kennis geneem van al die media beriggewing oor my uittrede. Ai tog... Dis baie swaar om so n aankondiging te maak. Die besluitneem was soveel swaarder. Volgende Donderdag (24 Januarie) se liefdadigheidsprogram is die heel laaste Noot vir Noot in sy huidige formaat. Dit is ook die laaste sien van die Musiek Fabriek en die laaste met my as aanbieder. Dit is egter lekker om op 'n hoë noot te kan groet terwyl Noot vir Noot een van SABC se topprogramme is en ek weet steeds vorentoe gaan bly.

Noot vir Noot gaan ‘n splinternuwe kleed met ‘n wenneraanbieder aantrek. Die nuwe Noot vir Noot-formaat sal wyd tref. Daaroor het ek geen twyfel nie.

Alhoewel ek nie meer as aanbieder van Noot vir Noot te sien sal wees nie, gaan ek agter die skerms steeds aktief by my spannetjie en die programme wat ons vervaardig, betrokke wees. So ek gaan nie meer aanbied nie maar steeds die programme vervaardig.

Wat my verlede betref: ek het in 1980 die onderwys verlaat om blinkoog ‘n jong droomindustrie te betree waar klank en kleur in prentjies vir televisieskerms geweef word. Die ontwikkeling, vervaardiging en aanbieding van programidees het my daaglikse vreugde geword. Ek het altyd gesê dat my “werk” nooit vir n enkele dag soos werk gevoel het nie. Hoe kan musiekmaak en mense vermaak dan “werk” wees?

Maar die eindstreep het maar altyd op die horison lê en wink. En toe skielik, uit die bloute, hou hy op wink en kom lê dwars voor my om my met die realiteit te pootjie.
Die meedoënlose aanmarsjeer van tyd en die winde van verandering wat teen jou tent kom vaswaai, kan deur niks en niemand gestuit word nie. Keuses in ‘n mens se lewe moet gemaak word en in belang van die groter prentjie moet besluite geneem word.

Ek is diep dankbaar vir die geleenthede wat ek oor die afgelope 39 jaar gehad het om musiek en beeld te kon verweef in iets wat nes geskop het in die harte en huise van soveel mense wat my van my beginjare af so getrou gedra en ondersteun het.

Kritiek was daar vanselfsprekend maar altyd, maar erkenning en waardering was soveel meer. Dankie aan elk van julle wat my deur die jare so verryk en inspireer het.
Dankie vir die 39 jaar se saamlag, saamhuil, saamsing, saamspeel.
Ons loop mekaar moontlik weer eendag op n reëndag raak, of sien mekaar “op ‘n straathoek eendag weer”.

Net die mooiste en heel beste vir jou. Ons groet in eerskomende Donderdag se program met ‘n traan in die oog, maar met 'n lied in die hart, ’n lied van innige en opregte dankbaarheid en diep waardering vir soveel gelukkige jare waarin ek bevoorreg was om saam met jou in jou sitkamer te kon kuier. Dankie dat ek dit wat ek doen met jou kon deel. Ek gaan ons weeklikse afsprakies geweldig mis.


Maar al sien ons mekaar hierna nie meer op die “kassie” nie, sal ons mekaar steeds op my Facebook raaklees en daar verder kuier.
Dankie almal ... opreg baie, baie dankie en wederom.
Johan

 

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