Netflix teases Love Is Blind SA, Anele & Buzza special, and a whole lot more

0:00Dineo and Solo Langa are the hosts of Love Is Blind: South Africa.
Photo: Supplied by Netflix

South Africa is only just getting started when it comes to delivering top-tier entertainment.

From fun family movies to gripping series returning, South Africa’s television landscape is on an upward trajectory.

At Netflix’s 10-year celebration press showcase, the streaming platform gave an exclusive sneak peek into where Mzansi television is headed – and it’s going to be a fun ride.

Kaye-Ann Williams, Netflix’s director of scripted content for Sub-Saharan Africa, explains to TRUELOVE how she and her team approach the future of South <a href="https://absafricatv.com/mayor-mamdani-hosts-nyc-african-heritage-reception/” title=”Mayor Mamdani Hosts NYC African Heritage Reception”>African television and decide which shows or films get another season or a sequel.

“You really just have to know your creatives, know your market, read the room, understand which characters are beloved, and then know how to bring them back,” she explains.

READ MORE | Lerato Mvelase talks longevity, theatre, and her bold new era in radio

“Sometimes you don’t bring back that series, maybe you bring a spinoff like we did with the How To Ruin Diwali. We brought back a really popular character and took her character further that is now going to introduce us to a whole other bunch of characters.”

Fans of the How To Ruin franchise are about to be treated to an explosion of Indian festivities and drama with How To Ruin Diwali: Meet the Parents, starring Rosemary Zimu and premiering on 30 October 2026. Rosemary plays Mmabatho Nkomo, who finds herself desperate to get into the good graces of her fiancé‘s traditional Indian family.

Speaking on the franchise expansion, Burnt Onion’s Rethabile Ramaphakela says, “When I told my mother I was going to ruin Diwali, she said, ‘Indian people’s Christmas? That very one!’ And obviously, as a storyteller, I can’t pretend to know everything about culture, about everything. It made sense to just partner with Jayan (Moodley), and she’s done The Kandasamys, one of the most successful franchises from box office and then on to Netflix.”

Rosemary Zimu and Kyle Clark in How To Ruin Diwali: Meet the Parents.
Photo: Supplied by Netflix

For the reality TV lovers, radio personality Anele Mgudlwa (née Mdoda) and her husband Bonelela ‘Buzza’ James Mgudlwa will be giving viewers a once-in-a-lifetime look inside their journey to marriage and all the ups and downs in between with the docu-soap Stars and Vows: Anele and Buzza.

South Africa is also officially getting its own edition of the famed reality dating series Love Is Blind later this year, with celebrity couple Dineo and Solo Langa as the hosts.

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Bringing the world to South Africa

Local executives, production houses and creatives are now more focused on bringing authentic South African stories that relate to universal experiences to international audiences, rather than pandering to what they think the global audience wants.

This is what has made films and shows like Seriously Single, Meet the Khumalos, Disaster Holiday, theHow To Ruin franchise, Blood Legacy and Marked so successful – and earned them all second instalments and seasons coming in the latter quarter of 2026 and into 2027.

The cast of Seriously Single Too, coming soon in 2026.
Photo: Supplied by Netflix

Featured at the showcase alongside Netflix executives and creatives from some of Mzansi’s most recognisable production houses were Young, Famous and African’s Khanyi Mbau, The Polygamist’s S’dumo Mtshali and Love and Wine’s Thandolwethu Zondi.

Khanyi caught up with TRUELOVE to share how her internationally recognised role as Grace Khumalo on Meet the Khumalos impacted her, with the sequel still in production.

READ MORE | Khanyi Mbau on Netflix nod – ‘This is the first time my TV work gets recognised’

“I cried when I got that [Netflix Global Superlative Award] nomination. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, is just a nod from the industry. And just that, for me, was a step in the door. And hopefully one day I’ll own one of those statues. Not for the culture, not for the flex, but for baby Khanyi. Young Khanyi inside to also say, it was worth all of the drama,” she shares.

South Africa has finally found its footing in the global entertainment space – no longer trying to appease millions of viewers worldwide, but taking full ownership of our stories and shared experiences.

The world is already salivating at what’s next.

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