Family Dynamics and The Underworld in “Kings of Jo’burg”

The Masires in the Netflix South African crime drama series Kings of Jo’burg are a notorious and powerful Johannesburg-based family associated with organized crime. They are central to the plot of the Shona Ferguson-created series which leans into their lives, political and social relations, spiritual journeys, and their various underground activities. As a criminal dynasty, their interests include  illegal trading of valuables such as gold and diamonds. Key members of the family that surface throughout the still-running series are the Masire siblings Simon “Vader” Masire (played by Shona Ferguson), Veronica Masire (Connie Ferguson) Mogomotsi “Mo” Masire (Zolisa Xaluva), Keneilwe Masire (Thembi Seete); their father Sam Masire; and Mo’s son, Tlotlo Masire (TK Sebothoma). Throughout the series, the Masires have a curse they inherited from their late mother. This curse, which manifests as a blood-thirsty, demonic mermaid, offers protection and endows the family with supernatural powers in exchange for human sacrifices. But we see the demon for what she really is, a selfish, unquestionable entity who does not really care for the Masires.

Simon, the eldest son of the household, is married to Angela, Mo’s ex-wife, and rules the criminal empire with authority and charisma. He communes with the demon who, at some point, demands the sacrifice of his only son from a secret family he kept. We first meet Mo as an ex-convict struggling to re-integrate himself into society while trying to start a new, crime-free life with his love interest, Phumzile (also “Phumzi”). However, following Simon’s death, Mo reluctantly assumes leadership as “king”, absorbs the mermaid spirit, and continues to shield his family from their enemies and competitors. Veronica, Simon’s twin sister who has been away for twenty years, reunites with her family and shows up for the first time in the second season. In season three, while Mo is imprisoned again, she leads the family under the possession of the mermaid spirit. Other  relatives surface in the series, including Menzi who is killed for ordering a hit on Mo that leads to the death of Mo’s daughter, Isador—Veronica’s partner, Uncle Taledi who secretly works against the family, and Veronica’s newborn who, at the end of the third season, appears to have inherited the curse.

The Masires have a complicated past and complex relationship that often haunts them. Mo’s ex-wife becomes Simon’s lover after the younger brother goes to jail. Tlotlo has never had any real bond with his biological father, and this emotional estrangement is so visible when Mo returns. It takes some time before they get used to each other but they still do not forge a near-proper father and son relationship. Simon kills his only son to satisfy the demon’s craving, but he also dies by the bullet of his beloved brother. Mo has to live with the guilt of killing a brother he was supposed to protect, and then his own romantic life is in tatters when he finds out who Phumzi really is. With Simon totally out of the picture, Mo  and Angela begin to have sex again. Perhaps the sex is best treated as a coping mechanism: a palliative for Mo’s tugging guilt, and a distraction from the widow’s grief and loneliness.

Occasional flashbacks in the series grant us access to childhood memories of the Masire siblings. We learn, for instance, about the siblings having to tolerate a mother that was mostly under demonic influence and how Simon contracted the spirit from her. This knowledge reinforces the age-old belief of Africans in  tradition, witchcraft and the so-called generational curses. Veronica’s buttoned-up demeanour is linked to a traumatic childhood of sexual assault. In episode 5 of Season 2, when Keneilwe playfully asks Veronica if she has been getting “some action”—a euphemism for mind-blowing sex—the older sister nearly becomes violent and retreats into a secret place where she wanders in thought.

But it’s not just that. The siblings also had good times as children during which they played games like hide and seek that made them bond. It’s the reason why, even as adults, they are mostly inclined to look out for one another and unite  against external threats regardless of intra-family differences and grudges. Early into the entire series, in the very first season where Mo reunites with his family despite having been left in the lurch for ten years, his willingness to let go and forgive the “betrayal” tells strongly about his value for the family system. Also, if it weren’t for the sake of family, as shown in Season 3, Veronica would not have left her safe haven in the United States to deal with the power-drunk, territory-invading Aliko Bajo at home. Then, when she decides to take on the seemingly invincible Cape Town-based supervillain Gavin Salat to protect her unborn child, Mo learns of her perilous quest in prison and orchestrates a jailbreak to better protect the family.

Whatever formidable front the Masires constantly put up against their antagonists comes to naught in the end as most of them lose their lives in ugly circumstances. That is to tell us, in some way, that dining with the devil always puts you at a losing end. And it is only fair, by moral standards, that they are consumed by the violence for which they are known. Sam Masire and Tlotlo are assassinated at different times in their respective homes. Mo gets drowned while battling the fiery Gavin Salat demon. Veronica’s home is blown up shortly after her sweetheart Isador is gunned down. The only surviving sibling is Keneilwe, and this somehow makes sense because there is really no reason for her to die. At the end of Season 3, we just know there’s more to come. What is partly guaranteed is the introduction of a new villain (or “villains”). It does not seem like the demon has given up on using the family and potentially wrecking the bloodline, and it will be interesting to see how the showrunners further navigate their fates.