Power couple on Netflix’s telenovela, The Polygamist, Gugu Gumede and S’Dumo Mtshali, face the spotlight this week on CNN International’s African Voices, sponsored by digital telecommunications company Globacom.
The 22-episode series highlights the escapades of a cheating husband who unwittingly drags his family into the complexities of polygamy.
The movie pushes forward an incident of betrayal, intrigue, and a chain of intrigue that destroyed the peace of a once picture-perfect marriage.
In Johannesburg, show anchor Larry Madowo engages the make-believe couple in the 30-minute show during which they open up about their personal journeys and the challenges they face in the movie industry, from dealing with fame and typecasting to their advocacy for better protections for actors.
Gumede, who played Joyce Gomora in the telenovela, is a 34-year-old South African who studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles.
Aside from her role in The Polygamist, Gumede has also starred as Mandisa in Generations, one of the most successful shows in South Africa, as well as Mamlambo, a prophetess on Uzalo, South Africa’s most viewed television show.
Mtshali, 43, who played Jonasi Gomora, is a South African actor who was discovered when he entered and won the SABC1 reality competition Class Act in 2010. He had his first leading role in the SABC1 drama series Intersexions the same year.
He has equally starred in Inside Story (2011), Avenged (2013), iNumber Number: Jozi Gold (2023), Back of the Moon, Inside Story (2011) and The 4 of us (2025), among others.
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This special double-cast episode will air on Saturday at 8 a.m. on the DSTV channel 401. It will be repeated the same day at 11 a.m., Sunday at 3.30 a.m.,6 p.m., Monday at 3 a.m. and 5.45 p.m., as well as on Tuesday at 5.45 p.m. The repeats continue next week: Saturday at 7.30 a.m., 11 a.m.; Sunday at 3.30 a.m., 6 p.m.; and on Monday at 3 a.m.