Umthetho Ending Explained: Netflix’s South African crime-thriller ends with all the characters at an impasse, as their impossible choices have left them in a vulnerable state. While Mbali starts off as a person of the law, she quickly finds herself being pulled into her long-lost brother’s deadly life, along with her younger brother whom she’s desperate to protect. With the police and the gang closing in on her, she makes some decisions by the end that blur the lines of morality.
The Netflix series stars Nqobile Nunu K.H., Given Stuurman, Tony Kgoroge, Lorcia Cooper, Ernest Msibi, Molefi Monaisa, Sindi Dlathu, Sthembiso Khoza, Mandla Gaduka, and Sello Ramolahloane. The series is an adaptation of the Brazilian series Irmandade and consists of 7 episodes.
Umthetho Ending Explained
Why Does Mbali Betray Moses?
From the beginning, Mbali isn’t the biggest fan of Moses after he got arrested when he was younger for beating up someone. Thus, when Sphelele gets himself in trouble with the law, she makes the choice to become a mole for the police and betray Moses to bring his gang down. Unbeknownst to her, there are much more complex situations taking place in and out of prison that not only pull her in deeper, but also pull Sphelele in. The more she tries to get out, the deeper she gets into the mess.
In the end, she finds herself at the exact impasse where Moses was – running away from a crime scene with a gun in her hands. The series highlights how we are all one incident away from making the worst decisions possible to save our family. While working against Moses, she doesn’t realise how she slowly becomes him and makes the same immoral decisions that she once despised, all in the name of family.
Why Does Crystal Kidnap Sphelele?
In episode 7, Crystal finally realises who the mole in the gang is, and it’s none other than Mbali. The truth hits her like a truck as she had been completely trusting Mbali till then. The backstabbing left her completely shocked and betrayed and, as a result, she blamed her for Moses not getting out of prison. As a result, to hurt her as much, she chooses to kidnap Sphelele and use him to her advantage. It works in her favour, too, because she uses him to lure Mbali to her and then make her call Tau and ambush him.
What Happens to Crystal and Tau?
Crystal and Tau get into a gunfight at his apartment after the former lures Mbali to get him to come home. In the end, both of them end up shot and dead, with Mbali dealing the final blow to Tau and ending his corrupt ways once and for all. ‘
What Does Mbali’s Ending Mean?
The final scene showcases Mbali running from the crime scene with the gun in her hand. It’s showcaes the parallel between her and Moses. Although she hated him and his choices at first, it turns out that, under the right circumstances, she, too, would make the same choices as him. Moses was once brought to prison forcefully, and this turned him into the person that he is today, fighting for prisoners’ justice and for the law to be upheld. While Mbali had the incorrect idea of him, she was far too convinced about his nature to look beyond her predetermined notions. In the end, she finds herself at the same impasse.
What Happens to Moses?
Moses finds himself victorious in a way after the footage of the warden shooting him illegally is released, and it goes viral. Thanks to that, he stages a riot in the prison and exposes Scarra as a snitch. Eventually, the authorities have to comply with their requests for better prison treatment after they take everyone hostage. While his methods aren’t totally legal or ethical, he ultimately is asking for the right things, which makes us question whether he is truly the villain Mbali wants us to believe that he is.
What Does the Umthetho Ending Mean?
The Umthetho finale brings the story back to its central question – where does family loyalty end and justice begin? While Mbali was a person working closely with and for the law, and Moses was the brother she wanted nothing to do with, the lines ultimately got blurred when they had to save someone close to them. There is no clean victory, and no one’s conscience is clear, and although they might try to excuse their behaviours in whatever way possible, the end remains that they have made choices in the name of family that are unforgivable. In the end, we are all the same under pressure.
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