‘Umthetho’ will have viewers debating the choices made by its complex characters

Netflix’s latest South African crime drama, “Umthetho”, is the kind of series that will have viewers debating the choices its characters make long after an episode ends.

Led by Nqobile ‘Nunu’ Khumalo and Tony Kgoroge, the star-studded cast brings to life a complicated web of family, love, loyalty and survival.

Khumalo plays Mbali, who discovers that her brother Moses, whom she believed was dead, is actually alive. His return plunges her into a dangerous world of prison, family and difficult choices.

For Khumalo, portraying Mbali meant delving into the psychology behind some of her character’s decisions, particularly those that may leave viewers questioning her judgement.

“She was very brave, and she was very firm in her decision-making. She seemed to just be sure of things that I would think personally are crazy to do,” said Khumalo.

“However, she dove in, and I think that’s the courage that comes with loving people unconditionally. I think Mbali is one of the few characters that are capable of unconditional love in this series.”

Mbali’s actions may have viewers questioning who she is really fighting for – her brothers Moses and Sphelele, her love interest Zola, or even herself.

“My brothers,” Khumalo said when asked who Mbali chooses.

“She doesn’t turn on Moses. She saves Sphelele, and the how of that is where the courage comes in.”

Khumalo also reunites with her “Red Ink” co-star Lorcia Cooper-Khumalo, who plays Crystal Dlamini, Moses’ wife.

Crystal is a woman with many sides. She is a wife, mother, nurse and the right-hand woman to the brotherhood, constantly having to hold her own in an organisation where her position can be challenged at any moment.

For Cooper-Khumalo, playing Crystal meant approaching the character as a person first, rather than defining her through the gender dynamics of a male-dominated world.

“I’m equal; I don’t separate that, not in my personal life, and I didn’t separate that for Crystal,” she said.

“For me, it was clear: I know what I’m doing, and I’m probably better than you at this job. I don’t need to prove it to you; I’ll just do it, and you’ll see.

“I think it’s about being human before we’re male and female. I was very intentional going into it that Crystal would be human before she’s a woman.”

Crystal falls in love with Moses while working as a prison nurse, but their relationship is about more than romance.

Cooper-Khumalo believes Moses’ commitment to a cause, coupled with the injustice he faces, is what ultimately draws Crystal to him.

“I think Crystal, being who she is, she’s always been an independent woman, and I think finding someone like Moses, who stands for a cause, who is treated unjustly, I think it just opened her heart,” she explained.

“And I think having a kid with him adds another layer to her loyalty to him.”

Away from Moses, Crystal reveals a softer side of herself, particularly as a mother, while still remaining a fighter.

“When she’s not with Moses and out on the street fighting for the cause, there’s a softness to her, and she’s this mother, and she’s at the same time a soldier, and I think that’s a beautiful thing,” said Cooper-Khumalo.

“It’s so layered. But she definitely does choose Moses above everyone else. Everything, yes, even her own daughter. I mean, it’s a daughter’s father.”

At the centre of it all is Moses, played by Kgoroge.

As the leader of Gaz’lam, Moses is a man whose prison record alone is enough to send chills down anyone’s spine. But he is also a father, brother and husband, roles that often collide with the realities of survival.

According to Kgoroge, Moses is constantly evolving, with survival influencing many of the choices he makes.

“Moses’ character has changed from time to time, with survival being at the root of it all,” explained Kgoroge.

“I think he chooses his line very carefully, and he grabs any opportunity that comes with that. He knows that if he chooses his wife at that time, that’s what he goes with. It’s a prisoner’s life. You have to always be alive; that’s where I think Moses is.”

While Moses is fighting for his own survival, Mbali spends much of the story trying to save the people around her – from her brothers to Zola and Oros.

That raises another question: is Mbali willing to save herself?

“I truly understand her heart, but it’s clear that she has some growing to do. The self-love is at a deficit. She’s not winning, but this is the only family she has,” said Khumalo.

“We don’t know where her mother is. She’s lost her father. She thought she had lost her brother. Suddenly he’s back and then her younger brother’s in jeopardy.

“Everything that she loves is at stake – who she is and what she has. Everything that she’s become is useful to saving her brother.”

And perhaps that is what makes “Umthetho” so compelling. Its characters are not simply good or bad; they are people making choices based on what they believe is right in the circumstances they find themselves in.

Cooper-Khumalo believes that complexity is at the heart of the series.

“Every single character represents a purpose and a reason, and so you could unpack it and go, ‘I don’t resonate with that’, but you do resonate with something else,” she said.

“And I think that’s a beautiful thing because that’s life.”

“Umthetho” is streaming on Netflix.

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