8 African Highlights on Showmax

DEVILSDORP | Showmax Original | Binge now

The first Showmax Original true-crime series, Devilsdorp, launched on Thursday, 29 July 2021 to five-star reviews, topping Showmax’s SA Top 20 and setting a new record for the most hours watched in its first four days of launch of any film or series ever on Showmax – outperforming the likes of Game of Thrones, The Real Housewives of Durban and The River.

Produced by IdeaCandy, the four-part docu-series investigates the 11 Krugersdorp Killings between 2012 and 2016, separately known as the Appointment Murders and the Satanic Murders, and how they were all traced back to Cecilia Steyn and the Electus per Deus (Chosen by God) cult.

“The result of an 18-month research process, Devilsdorp shows again that truth is stranger than fiction, especially in South Africa,” says director David Enright. “This is the story of the events that rocked an entire community and forever changed the lives of those involved, especially the families of the victims. What started as a group of devout Christians trying to help a former satanist escape the satanic church ended in a murderous spree involving a killer mom, her two children, and a cult with more victims than members. It may all sound too far-fetched to be believed, except it really happened – just down the road from us.”

In a South African first, Showmax also launched Devilsdorp: The Official Companion Podcast, presented by Nicole Engelbrecht of True Crime South Africa, who also narrated the audiobook version of Jana Marx’s The Krugersdorp Cult Killings: Inside Cecilia Steyn’s Reign of Terror. The podcast quickly topped Apple’s South African charts and is currently at #3 on Spotify.

THIS LOVE | Finale | Binge now

It’s a wrap for Nameless and Wahu’s reality show, This Love, as Wahu organizes a surprise birthday for Nameless as he turns 45. This final episode also follows the couple as they fine tune the songs in their upcoming first-ever joint album.

Created by Eugene Mbugua (Sol Family), This Love explores the lives of Kenya’s celebrity couple, Nameless and Wahu, as they share more about their family life, their marriage that has lasted for 15 years despite the initial scepticism, and the lessons they have learnt along the way.

All 13 episodes are now available to binge on Showmax.

TEMPTATION ISLAND SOUTH AFRICA | Showmax Original | Thursdays from 26 August

At the end of January 2021, The Real Housewives of Durban set a new overall Showmax record for first-day views. At the end of June 2021, another reality series broke that record: Uthando Lodumo, about Babes Wodumo and Mampintsha’s marriage.

On 26 August 2021, more records may fall when Showmax’s first international reality TV series format, Temptation Island South Africa, puts a local spin on Banijay’s Teen Choice-nominated pop culture phenomenon, which has been adapted 25 times and counting.

The ultimate relationship test, Temptation Island South Africa follows couples at a crossroads in their relationship, where they must mutually decide if they are ready to commit to one another for the rest of their lives — or go their separate ways.

Together, the couples experience a luxurious holiday in paradise (aka Knysna), where they live separately – with 20 sexy single men and women who are looking for love. This last taste of the single life is meant to help answer their most difficult questions about their relationship, like, “Are we meant to be?” and “Is there someone better out there for me?”.

Afrokaans Film & Television (Survivor SA) is producing the 12-episode Showmax Original, which is hosted by Phat Joe (The Real Housewives of Durban reunion).

NJORO WA UBA S9 | Stream now

Njoro wa Uba S9 picks up immediately from where season 8 left off, with Njoro and Cess (Kui Kabala) trying to co-parent together, putting a strain on his own relationship with Mwajuma (Amalie Chopetta).

This Kalasha-nominated comedy follows Joe Kinyua (How to Find a Husband, Sue na Jonnie) as Njoro, a man who is forced to become a taxi driver to make ends meet after he loses his lucrative job due to allegations of fraud.

READ>>>>>Njoro wa Uba Star Joe Kinyua on Eight Seasons and the Burden of Carrying People’s Stories

Njoro wa Uba has been praised by fans as one of the most relatable shows in Kenya for the way it captures the struggles of ordinary Kenyans trying to make a living, the drastic shift of employed to unemployed, and the plight of taxi drivers in Kenya.

A VERY BONANG YEAR | Stream now

Released at the end of last year, the two-part special A Very Bonang Year follows one of Africa’s biggest media personalities, Bonang Matheba, on her global adventures in what was her biggest year yet, as she balanced life, family and career.

In never-before-seen footage, fans get to share in Queen B’s journey as she steps up as an entrepreneur, goes apartment hunting in New York with celebrity real estate agents, and spends time in LA with Oscar nominee and Hollywood A-lister Djimon Hounsou, ahead of accepting her E! Entertainment African Influencer of the Year Award. In-between she travels to the UK for the international premiere of her documentary, Public Figure, at the Manchester Film Festival, and fits in a photoshoot in London with Afrobeats star D’banj.

KIPCHOGE: THE LAST MILESTONE 

On the morning of 12 October 2019 in Vienna, Kenya’s marathon legend and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge shattered “the last barrier to modern athletics” by running a marathon in under two hours, the first human to do so.

Directed by Emmy winner and Grammy nominee Jake Scott (American Woman) and executive produced by Oscar nominee Ridley Scott (Gladiator) and Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland), Kipchoge: The Last Milestone is an intimate portrait of Kipchoge as he prepares for his record-shattering feat. With unprecedented access to the humble man BBC calls “the great marathon runner of all time”, the documentary follows Kipchoge’s journey from his training grounds in Kenya, to the high-tech facilities in Europe, to his record attempt in Vienna.

“We set out to document an extraordinary athlete attempting the seemingly impossible,” says Jake. “Eliud Kipchoge ran for mankind that day and with it delivered his belief that ‘no human is limited.’”

At the recent Olympics, Kipchoge became the first athlete since 1980 – and only the third ever – to retain an Olympic marathon title.

READ>>>>>Inside Kipchoge’s Multi-Million Dollar International Business

FIVE TIGER | First on Showmax

In Five Tiger, a short film that played in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, a god-fearing woman (Ayanda Seoka) finds herself in a transactional relationship with a church leader as she tries to support her daughter and sick husband.

Five Tiger was written and directed by Nomawonga Khumalo as a stylistic proof of concept for her feature debut, The Bursary, which will be produced by South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) winner and co-writer Brett Michael Innes (Fiela se Kind, Sink) and Paulo Areal (Ellen: Die Storie Van Ellen Pakkies).

Five Tiger was inspired by a conversation that Nomawonga had with a Johannesburg prostitute, who, after praying a blessing on her and her work, told a story about how her daughter had spent all the money that she made the day before on buying sweets for herself and her friend. She added that one day God would look favourably upon her because she tithed and she kept her faith. “‘God loves us all’ were her parting words and that just made me livid,” says Nomawonga, as the moment forced her to consider how sometimes the structures that support us can be the very things that hold us back.

The Mail and Guardian says Five Tiger is “only 10-minutes long but will leave a lasting impression on audiences,” praising the “uncomfortably realistic” short film for its “stunning cinematography” and the way it “forces society to stare poverty and exploitation in the face, and to grapple with it.”

BIG BROTHER NAIJA S6 | 24-hour live stream

Season 6 of Big Brother Naija, themed ‘Shine ya eye!’, is now live streaming 24 hours a day on Showmax, from the house challenges to the weekly tasks, the Friday night games to the Saturday parties. Hosted by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, the 10-week reality show follows the lives of a group of strangers living together in one house, as they interact and compete with each other to win N90 million worth of prizes; the biggest pot for any reality show on the African continent.

Showmax is also the only place to watch BBN S6: The Buzz, hosted by Toke Makinwa. Streaming on Showmax Tuesdays and Saturdays from 7 pm, BBN S6: The Buzz sees the award-winning media personality share her no-holds-barred opinion on happenings in the BBNaija house. Toke, who currently hosts The Late Morning Show on Rhythm 93.7, says, “This is almost like the unfiltered version of Big Brother where we bring you weekly highlights so I’m looking forward to them messing up, I’m looking forward to them creating more drama, because that way my show gets even more interesting.”

Big Brother Naija is also available to watch on Africa Magic, DStv channel 198 and GOtv 29.