Netflix viewers the world over are binge-watching South African series 'The Polygamist.' Here's why

Mpumelelo Macu/Netflix

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Mpumelelo Macu/Netflix

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—Netflix’s The Polygamist, a Zulu-language telenovela, has become a national talking point in South Africa. But the scandal-filled saga has also emerged as a surprise global hit, with audiences from Romania to Hong Kong to the U.S. bingeing the twists, betrayals and family drama.

The story of a cheating husband’s double life racked up more than 23 million views in its first month, reaching the top ten in 62 countries, including the US, and the number one spot in almost two dozen countries.

The Polygamist, set in Johannesburg, centers on a wealthy Black family, the Gomoras, and follows the matriarch Joyce as she tries to keep up appearances as her businessman husband Jonasi sets up house with another woman.

Over the course of the 22 episodes vicious catfights break out, homes are set alight, there’s a lot of sex and swearing, and all the incredible twists and turns are enough to give the viewer whiplash.

Even celebrities have been taking to social media to rave about the series, including former host of The View, Sherri Shepard.

“I’m about to go back and finish watching The Polygamist because I’m hooked now,” she said on her Instagram account.

“Crazy rich Africans, I thought Crazy Rich Asians was something, but crazy rich Africans is a whole other level. Good grief! What?!” Shepard continued, referring to the hit 2018 romantic-comedy set among wealthy Singaporeans.

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Sue Nyathi, the Zimbabwean writer who wrote the book the show was based on, says she thinks this is exactly one of the reasons foreign viewers are amazed by the show.

“It also showcases a different kind of African lifestyle that viewers are not familiar with, you know, the rich African…because oftentimes in media, we have one lens in which Africans are viewed,” she says.

“It’s always the poor struggling Africans. And this is not to dismiss the poverty in Africa. No, but it’s also saying that there is also a society of Africans that are very, you know, affluent, well off.”

And it’s not quiet luxury. The scenes are set in gilded Johannesburg mansions with lush gardens, and there are high-end vehicles and designer clothes aplenty.

But Nyathi says she also thinks the story transcends borders because “It’s a series that holds up a mirror to society and people see themselves in one form or the other. And so because it resonates deeply, that’s what makes it popular.”

“I mean, as much as Jonas is a polygamist, he’s also a cheating husband. Infidelity, things of infidelity permeate the story. And I think that’s a problem that is universal, you know,” she adds.

“You have a married couple, then you have the mistress or the paramour, the side chick, whatever you want to call it. And that story is familiar for a lot of people.”

A Zimbabwean writer and a President’s daughter

Nyathi says her book struggled to gain traction when first published, so the Netflix adaptation has been a huge boost, with the novel now flying off the shelves in South Africa. Even people who are not regular readers have told her at book signings they were keen to buy her novel.

Nyathi says she was inspired to write the book after seeing how African men were deviating from traditional open polygamy, to having secret second families, and the negative effects this was having on the women.

“So in the book, the story is told from the women’s POV (point of view). The man never speaks…Because we’ve heard men speak all our lives. And men will always justify why they want to have more than one wife.”

“I wanted to give the women a voice as to say, why would they choose this kind of setup, you know,” Nyathi added.

Sue Nyathi, writer of the book “The Polygamist” with Gugu Zuma-Ncube, one of the producers of the Netflix series by the same name.

Courtesy of Sue Nyathi

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Courtesy of Sue Nyathi

In South Africa, polygamy is allowed under traditional law –- but not civil law. In its traditional form it is not secret, with all the wives knowing about one another. The Zulu monarchs practice polygamy, and the current King has three wives — with a scandal erupted earlier this month over one of them.

King Misuzulu kaZwelithini was seen in a leaked video threatening to physically assault Queen Nomzamo Myeni, who he said had taken a lover. He berated her, then ordered her to leave his household.

It’s a topic the Netflix series producers know all about. It’s made by Gugu Zuma-Ncube and Thuli Zuma, two of the daughters of the country’s most high-profile polygamist – former President Jacob Zuma, who has four wives.

“My father is a polygamist. He had several wives…it’s definitely formed part of my experience. It’s formed a big chunk of my childhood, just understanding the dynamics, being frustrated sometimes by a lot of it, but also trying to appreciate it for what it is and for the choices that people make,” Zuma-Ncube says.

Her Dad hasn’t watched the show yet, but she thinks he will eventually.

“I’m very interested to see what he thinks,” she says.

Zuma-Ncube also hopes the show’s popularity internationally will have a knock-on effect.

“We were completely surprised by, completely blown away, still kind of pinching ourselves at the moment, as to how well it’s done abroad,” she said. “I think the attention that it’s gotten, the welcome and reception that it’s gotten, I think will help the entire industry and will benefit all African storytellers.”

The show is in the Zulu language, though it moves seamlessly between English and other languages too – which mirrors South Africa’s fully multilingual reality.

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But it also has a dubbed version, which is voiced by South Africans and keeps some of the local vernacular. Foreign viewers will be introduced to common words like “haibo!’ an exclamation meaning ‘wow!,’ and the South Africa-wide weekend institution of “braaiing” or barbecuing.

But Zuma-Ncube encourages viewer to give the original audio with subtitles a try, noting “I was watching a creator from (South) Korea who was saying she was learning how to speak Zulu watching the show, which was really, really interesting.”

And the show has been igniting debate in South Africa too, not just about polygamy, but about women’s rights, safe sex and HIV.

UNAIDS has run ads with a photo of the show’s title character, saying “Don’t be a Jonasi. Keep yourself and your partners safe.”

And a government department in South Africa’s rural Limpopo province has waged an educational campaign against gender-based violence with the tagline: “The Polygamist shows fiction, Gender-based Violence and Femicide shows consequences. Break the cycle.”

A show built on secrets and scandal is now driving some very real conversations.

Ekjhalak Hindi

Netflix viewers the world over are binge-watching South African series 'The Polygamist.' Here's why

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