Blood Brothers and Broken Laws: The heart-wrenching pull of Umthetho
From viral TikTok moments to grim institutional truths, Blackbrain Pictures' seven-part crime drama Umthetho doesn't just imitate South African life; it interrogates it.
From viral TikTok moments to grim institutional truths, Blackbrain Pictures’ seven-part crime drama proves that art doesn’t just imitate South African life; it interrogates it, writes Masego Panyane
iGaz lam! iGaz lomfwethu!
…is a chant that has been seared into my brain after watching the seven-episode crime drama Umthetho (The Law in isiZulu) currently showing on Netflix. Produced by Mandla N’s Blackbrain Pictures, Umthetho is every bit the guts and grey prison series that we expected. Parts of me wondered if it would be a continuation of their other prison drama series, Lockdown.
Boy, was I wrong.
The premise is that we are brought into the world of public prosecutor Mbali Dlamini (Nunu Khumalo), who is every bit yaass kween. She’s fashionable, she’s gorgeous, and she’s good at her job- the scene where she stands in court and successfully represents the state, with the people in the courtroom gallery happily chanting her name afterwards, tells us this.
But all this changes almost instantaneously when an unknown woman meets Mbali in the courtroom bathroom and hands her a docket, with a request for assistance- to get this prisoner out. This brown folder changes her life in ways we collectively would have never imagined- audience and Mbali alike.
We later learn that the woman in the bathroom who disappears as quickly as she appeared is Crystal Dlamini (Lorcia Cooper-Khumalo), a prison nurse turned the Bonnie to the Clyde of Moses Dlamini (Tony Kgoroge), Mbali’s older brother, whom she believes died years ago. We learn that Moses is in fact very much alive and has been in prison all along. To add insult to injury, Moses is the leader of a prison rights group…let’s call them a movement (but they have gang-like tendencies) and has been on the receiving end of violence and other human rights violations at the hands of head warden at the prison, Agnes Khoza (Sindi Dlathu). Agnes is a sadist and gang leader masquerading as a corrections official.
The story did start overwhelming me with the difficulty of the decisions Mbali had to keep making. Perhaps reminiscent of life itself, there was never a chance handed to Mbali to happily save her brother and for them to enjoy a family reunion with their younger brother, Sphelele (Given Stuurman).
Mbali forges a legal document to save Moses and ends up being caught out. Agnes and her gout-prone sidekick Detective Tau (Molefi Monaisa) see Mbali as the means to an end- a way to chop off the head of the Gaz Lam Brotherhood (Moses’s gang).
It is this squeezing of Mbali that keeps landing her in more impossible situations, continuously caught between tough decisions. Nunu Khumalo is a brilliant actress. You can feel the constant anxiety she goes through, torn between family loyalty and doing the right thing. The sadness she goes through each time she has to survive chaos. I took a decision at one point to disconnect from her because I couldn’t handle being on the rollercoaster of dibadi (bad luck) with her anymore.
A scene from the show where Mbali, now lawyer for Gaz Lam, is assigned the case of ex-military bomb-disposal tech, Zola Zondi (SK Khoza), meet for the first time during a consultation has gone viral on TikTok. Watching the show now in full, I understand why this scene has become the cultural code for love. This is one of the story arcs of the drama that I thoroughly enjoyed. Khoza plays the smitten man so beautifully. Not too cheesy, not too dramatic. I also appreciated it for the break it provided for Mbali’s character, a safe space, so to speak. A very good reminder of the quality actor Khoza is.
Monaisa was also a pleasant surprise for me. His portrayal of this cop torn between greed and the law was a fascinating tug of war to watch. There were times in the story where I really think Tau thought he was on the right side- all criminal activities notwithstanding.
There was a quiet nod in the storyline to shadowy, higher-up characters being behind the corruption and reign of terror proudly brought to the prison by Agnes. With everything the Madlanga Commission has exposed, we really cannot believe that everything is what it seems. Speaking of Madlanga, the commission received a shoutout during the riot, with one of the ‘butterflies’ demanding this specific commission. I hope that Justice Madlanga and his entire team realise what an important chapter they are part of authoring in our country’s history.
Lastly, before I tell you about the entire series in two pages- Tony Kgoroge was brilliant. I found myself often siding with his morally incorrect decisions at times. What a beautifully layered performance!
That is how you produce a South African crime drama. Slow clap for Blackbrain. May the TV Gods be with you if season two is in the works.
A more serious side note: in 2001, the Jali Commission of Inquiry, a South African judicial commission, was appointed in August 2001 by President Thabo Mbeki to investigate allegations of corruption, maladministration, violence, and intimidation within the Department of Correctional Services (DCS).
The commission uncovered widespread drug trafficking, illegal prisoner movements, staff-gang collusion, extortion, medical aid fraud, nepotism, and severe procurement vulnerabilities. Among its recommendations were reforms in the DCS’s systems, including strict disciplinary action and independent task teams against corrupt officials, better management of prison gangs, improved staff recruitment and training, tighter control over procurement and logistics, and enhanced oversight mechanisms to address human rights abuses and overcrowding.
My hope is that shows such as Umthetho are merely creative depictions of life in prison, but unfortunately, art often imitates life.
Blood Brothers and Broken Laws: The heart-wrenching pull of Umthetho
From viral TikTok moments to grim institutional truths, Blackbrain Pictures' seven-part crime drama Umthetho doesn't just imitate South African life; it interrogates it.
From viral TikTok moments to grim institutional truths, Blackbrain Pictures’ seven-part crime drama proves that art doesn’t just imitate South African life; it interrogates it, writes Masego Panyane
iGaz lam! iGaz lomfwethu!
…is a chant that has been seared into my brain after watching the seven-episode crime drama Umthetho (The Law in isiZulu) currently showing on Netflix. Produced by Mandla N’s Blackbrain Pictures, Umthetho is every bit the guts and grey prison series that we expected. Parts of me wondered if it would be a continuation of their other prison drama series, Lockdown.
Boy, was I wrong.
The premise is that we are brought into the world of public prosecutor Mbali Dlamini (Nunu Khumalo), who is every bit yaass kween. She’s fashionable, she’s gorgeous, and she’s good at her job- the scene where she stands in court and successfully represents the state, with the people in the courtroom gallery happily chanting her name afterwards, tells us this.
But all this changes almost instantaneously when an unknown woman meets Mbali in the courtroom bathroom and hands her a docket, with a request for assistance- to get this prisoner out. This brown folder changes her life in ways we collectively would have never imagined- audience and Mbali alike.
We later learn that the woman in the bathroom who disappears as quickly as she appeared is Crystal Dlamini (Lorcia Cooper-Khumalo), a prison nurse turned the Bonnie to the Clyde of Moses Dlamini (Tony Kgoroge), Mbali’s older brother, whom she believes died years ago. We learn that Moses is in fact very much alive and has been in prison all along. To add insult to injury, Moses is the leader of a prison rights group…let’s call them a movement (but they have gang-like tendencies) and has been on the receiving end of violence and other human rights violations at the hands of head warden at the prison, Agnes Khoza (Sindi Dlathu). Agnes is a sadist and gang leader masquerading as a corrections official.
The story did start overwhelming me with the difficulty of the decisions Mbali had to keep making. Perhaps reminiscent of life itself, there was never a chance handed to Mbali to happily save her brother and for them to enjoy a family reunion with their younger brother, Sphelele (Given Stuurman).
Mbali forges a legal document to save Moses and ends up being caught out. Agnes and her gout-prone sidekick Detective Tau (Molefi Monaisa) see Mbali as the means to an end- a way to chop off the head of the Gaz Lam Brotherhood (Moses’s gang).
It is this squeezing of Mbali that keeps landing her in more impossible situations, continuously caught between tough decisions. Nunu Khumalo is a brilliant actress. You can feel the constant anxiety she goes through, torn between family loyalty and doing the right thing. The sadness she goes through each time she has to survive chaos. I took a decision at one point to disconnect from her because I couldn’t handle being on the rollercoaster of dibadi (bad luck) with her anymore.
A scene from the show where Mbali, now lawyer for Gaz Lam, is assigned the case of ex-military bomb-disposal tech, Zola Zondi (SK Khoza), meet for the first time during a consultation has gone viral on TikTok. Watching the show now in full, I understand why this scene has become the cultural code for love. This is one of the story arcs of the drama that I thoroughly enjoyed. Khoza plays the smitten man so beautifully. Not too cheesy, not too dramatic. I also appreciated it for the break it provided for Mbali’s character, a safe space, so to speak. A very good reminder of the quality actor Khoza is.
Monaisa was also a pleasant surprise for me. His portrayal of this cop torn between greed and the law was a fascinating tug of war to watch. There were times in the story where I really think Tau thought he was on the right side- all criminal activities notwithstanding.
There was a quiet nod in the storyline to shadowy, higher-up characters being behind the corruption and reign of terror proudly brought to the prison by Agnes. With everything the Madlanga Commission has exposed, we really cannot believe that everything is what it seems. Speaking of Madlanga, the commission received a shoutout during the riot, with one of the ‘butterflies’ demanding this specific commission. I hope that Justice Madlanga and his entire team realise what an important chapter they are part of authoring in our country’s history.
Lastly, before I tell you about the entire series in two pages- Tony Kgoroge was brilliant. I found myself often siding with his morally incorrect decisions at times. What a beautifully layered performance!
That is how you produce a South African crime drama. Slow clap for Blackbrain. May the TV Gods be with you if season two is in the works.
A more serious side note: in 2001, the Jali Commission of Inquiry, a South African judicial commission, was appointed in August 2001 by President Thabo Mbeki to investigate allegations of corruption, maladministration, violence, and intimidation within the Department of Correctional Services (DCS).
The commission uncovered widespread drug trafficking, illegal prisoner movements, staff-gang collusion, extortion, medical aid fraud, nepotism, and severe procurement vulnerabilities. Among its recommendations were reforms in the DCS’s systems, including strict disciplinary action and independent task teams against corrupt officials, better management of prison gangs, improved staff recruitment and training, tighter control over procurement and logistics, and enhanced oversight mechanisms to address human rights abuses and overcrowding.
My hope is that shows such as Umthetho are merely creative depictions of life in prison, but unfortunately, art often imitates life.
Umthetho is now showing on Netflix.
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