By GoTrendSA 
Netflix is marking a big birthday. A decade after launching in South Africa in 2016, the streamer gathered filmmakers, executives and on-screen talent in Rosebank this week to celebrate ten years of local storytelling, and to show off a hefty slate of new South African series and films heading to screens here and around the world. By Netflix’s own count, the past decade of local production has supported more than 8,000 jobs through partnerships with over 30 local production companies, with more than 300 South African titles landing on the service in that time.
A decade of homegrown hits
It has been a genuinely strong run. Local productions like Blood and Water, Kings of Joburg, Young, Famous & African, Silverton Siege and most recently Umthetho have put South African cast and crew on a global stage, filmed across 20 cities in eight provinces. The standout success story is The Polygamist, the Joburg-shot smash that racked up over 24 million views in its first weeks, cracked the Top 10 in 62 countries and hit number one in more than 21 of them. Based on Zimbabwean author Sue Nyathi’s 2012 book, the show even sent the novel’s sales tripling more than a decade after it first published, a neat reminder of how far a local story can now travel.
What’s coming next
Netflix used the showcase to lay out a packed slate. Returning favourites lead the charge:
- Blood Legacy Season 2 arrives first, on 25 September
- Seriously Single Too and Another Disaster Holiday follow later in 2026
- Tuiskoms Season 2, Marked Season 2 and the film Meet the Khumalos 2 are all confirmed and in various stages of production
On the new-series front, the much-loved How to Ruin franchise gets a fresh cultural spin-off in How to Ruin Diwali: Meet The Parents, landing 30 October from Burnt Onion Productions with Kandasamys producer Jayan Moodley. It follows an interracial couple whose engagement brings two very different families and cultures together, with all the comedy and chaos that promises.
A big push into reality
Netflix is also leaning hard into reality, knowing exactly how much Mzansi loves the genre. The headline act is Love is Blind: South Africa, hosted by power-couple Dineo and Zothile ‘Solo Ntsizwa’ Langa and produced by afrOkaans, due later this year. Joining it is the wedding docu-soap Stars & Vows: Anele and Buzza from Dopezuluboi Productions, while BrightFire Productions is cooking up a brand-new dating show. On the scripted side, new partnerships with The Bomb Shelter Film Productions and a four-series deal with Tshedza Pictures point to plenty more local worlds still to come.
To tie the celebration together, Netflix has launched a dedicated homepage collection called A Decade In Africa: Worth Every Watch, rounding up local and continental favourites, global hits loved across Africa and titles featuring talent with African roots. It runs across Sub-Saharan Africa from September through December 2026, and you will find it on your homepage or at Netflix.com/Africa10.
Ten years in, the headline is a simple one: South African storytelling has become a genuine global export, and Netflix is doubling down rather than easing off. The reality-TV push is the most interesting move here, tapping straight into what local audiences actually binge, while the run of sequels shows real confidence in homegrown franchises. There is plenty to circle on the calendar, starting with Blood Legacy Season 2 on 25 September.