Netflix Reveals First Teaser and Release Date for South African 'Brotherhood' Spin-off Series 'Umthetho'

Netflix Reveals First Teaser and Release Date for South African ‘Brotherhood’ Spin-off Series ‘Umthetho’

Get your first look at Netflix's upcoming South African crime thriller 'Umthetho,' a gripping adaptation of the Brazilian hit series 'Brotherhood' arriving this August.

Netflix isn’t slowing down when it comes to South African originals. Fresh off the success of The Polygamist, the streamer has unveiled the first images and teaser for Umthetho, an intense new crime drama premiering globally on August 14.

Umthetho is a South African adaptation of the Brazilian Netflix series Brotherhood, which ran for two seasons between 2022 and 2024. While it follows the same core premise, the story has been reimagined with South Africa’s prison system as its backdrop.

What is Umthetho about?

The series follows Mbali, a talented public prosecutor played by Nqobile Nunu Khumalo. Her life is turned upside down when she discovers that her brother Moses, portrayed by Tony Kgoroge, is still alive and leading a ruthless prison syndicate.

As if that weren’t complicated enough, their younger brother Sphelele also finds himself in grave danger. Left with no other choice, Mbali is forced to work alongside the very brother she believes belongs behind bars. Will she choose her family, or the law she has sworn to uphold?

Netflix has shared an official synopsis: “A skilled young public prosecutor is pulled into a brutal prison syndicate led by the brother she thought she lost, forcing her to choose between justice and family, law and survival, truth and betrayal.”

Who stars in Umthetho?

Alongside Nqobile Nunu Khumalo (Fatal Seduction) and Tony Kgoroge (Hotel Rwanda), the cast includes Given Stuurman (Invictus), Lorcia Cooper-Khumalo (Still Breathing), Sindi Dlathu (Unseen), Molefi Monaisa (Studying Under the Barrel of a Gun), Ernest Msibi (Rare Blood), Lungelo Madondo (Blood Legacy), Obed Baloyi (The Last Face), Mandla Gaduka (Avengers: Age of Ultron), SK Khoza, and Herald Khumalo.

The series is produced by Black Brain Pictures, the studio behind series such as Side Dish and Black Gold. Mandla N (Loving Thokoza), Johnny Barbuzano (Fatal Seduction), and Jonathan “Jono” Hall serve as directors, while the screenplay was written by Jose Domingos alongside Rami Nhlapo, Boitumelo Masemola, and Makanaka Mavengere.

Another South African hit for Netflix?

Netflix has invested heavily in South African productions in recent years, and with good reason. Series like The Polygamist have attracted millions of viewers worldwide, and Umthetho appears to have all the ingredients to continue that success.

The new series premieres globally on Netflix on August 14. Check out the first images below.