Local documentaries are no longer just informative, they’re gripping, unsettling and thanks to bold Showmax Original true crime documentaries, reshaping how we see life in Mzansi.
South Africa’s documentary scene has mastered the art of peeling back the surface, revealing truths that are stranger, darker, and more unsettling than fiction. From the chilling web of crimes in Rosemary’s Hitlist to the audacious prison escape and deception at the heart of Tracking Thabo Bester, and the haunting, small-town horrors uncovered in Devilsdorp, these stories disturb, provoke, and demand attention. And that’s only the beginning. Titles like The People vs VBS dive into the complexities of ambition, power, and corruption, exposing the human cost behind headlines we thought we understood. These are not easy watches but they are essential ones.
Here are 8 shocking local documentaries you can watch on DStv Stream immediately.
Tracking Thabo Bester
A journalist unmasks an inconvenient truth: Thabo Bester is alive and at large, working with his lover, Nandipha. Their crimes involve stolen bodies and multi-million-rand scams. The investigation reveals disturbing secrets. Tracking Thabo Bester racked up the most first-day views of any documentary on Showmax ever, well ahead of the previous record-holder, Rosemary’s Hitlist. Thabo Bester was the most searched person in South Africa on Google in 2023, with his co-accused Dr Nandipha Magudumana just behind in fourth place, as the whole country obsessed over their stormy tale of love, murder, corruption and deception. The four-part doccie is produced by multi-award winners IdeaCandy and directed by Nikki Comninos.
Rosemary’s Hitlist
A true-crime documentary series about cop-turned-serial-killer Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu, whose crime spree includes the murders of her live-in-lover and five of her family members. Ndlovu was sentenced in 2021 to six concurrent life terms for the murders of six members of her family, including her sister and the father of her only living child at the time. They were allegedly murdered for killsurance: funeral cover payouts worth over R1.4 million to Ndlovu. Ndlovu was also sentenced to an additional 30 years: 10 years each for fraud, incitement to commit murder, and the attempted murder of her mother, Maria Mushwana, her sister Joyce, and Joyce’s five children. Rosemary’s Hitlist is produced by IdeaCandy, the company behind the SAFTA-winning true-crime sensation Devilsdorp, and directed by Valen’tino Mathibela.
Devilsdorp
Hell comes closer to home in Showmax‘s first Original true-crime docu-series. A series of brutal murders in the town of Krugersdorp leads cops to a bizarre cult with links to Satanism. The four-part 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. Directed by David Enright and produced by IdeaCandy.
The People vs VBS
IdeaCandy’s true-crime documentary series about “South Africa’s biggest bank heist” – allegedly orchestrated by the bank’s own executives. Follows the collapse of South Africa’s VBS Mutual Bank, which was declared insolvent in 2018 after defrauding customers of billions through a scheme involving executives, auditors, and politicians. With court proceedings still unfolding eight years after the collapse, The People vs. VBS revisits a scandal that remains far from resolved.
The Station Strangler
The Station Strangler is a gripping documentary that investigates the serial killer with the same nickname, who is believed to have killed 21 young boys and one adult from the mid 80s to the mid-90s on the Cape Flats. It features interviews with family members of the victims, lead investigator JD Kotze, serial killer profiler Micki Pistorius, and Dr Allan Boesak, among others. Directed by Nadine Cloete and produced by award-winning IdeaCandy.
Brakpan Chronicles
The two-part documentary series is from Rian van Heerden and Provoco, the team behind the SAFTA-winning Sex in Afrikaans and Tiek Tok Boem! What is true about the town of Brakpan and what is fiction? Is there any truth to all the jokes about this town? In this two-part documentary we try to find the real Brakpan, the place behind all the social media memes. Brakpan Chronicles takes you to landmarks like Carnival City, The Rock Raceway, Maskell’s Hotel, Thirsty Okes, Rosetulee and Ziggy T’s Roadhouse.
Imibuzo
Imibuzo is a true crime documentary anthology that will answer your lingering questions about some of South Africa’s biggest news stories from the last decade. Season 1 of the Showmax Original revisits the murders of Flabba from Skwatta Kamp; Tshegofatso Pule, Phumeza Pepeta, Karabo Mokoena and Tshepang Pitse; LGBTQIA+ musician and activist Lindokuhle Cele; and the children of Sibusiso Mpungose, as well as the Enyobeni Tavern massacre. Other episodes include Sibongile Mali, who went on a spending spree after R14m was erroneously deposited into her account. Imibuzo is being produced by POP24, part of Media24.
False Glory
The three-part true-crime documentary series that delves into three shocking stories that rocked the sports world, from cheating at the Comrades to rigging South Africa’s 2010 FIFA World Cup warm-up games to an illegal immigration case linked to a Serie A football star. Other interviews include Comrades winners Andrew Kelehe, Cheryl Winn and Nick Bester; Sarel van Der Walt, the journalist who broke the story; and the brothers’ former coach Eugene Botha. False Glory is directed by Arianna Perretta and produced by CMG Productions.
And these are only a few local documentaries now streaming on DStv Stream, more is yet to be added to the platform.
