Umthetho Ending Explained: Directed by Johnny Barbuzano, Mandla N and Jonathan Hall, Netflix’s South African crime thriller is adapted from the Brazilian drama Brotherhood and stars Nqobile Nunu Khumalo as Mbali Dlamini, Tony Kgoroge as Moses Dlamini, Given Stuurman as Sphelele Dlamini, alongside Sthembiso Khoza, Ernest Msibi, Lungelo Madondo, Lorcia Cooper, Molefi Monaisa, Sindi Dlathu and others. The series consists of 7 episodes, each with a runtime of around 50 minutes.
Umthetho Ending Explained
How Did Crystal Find Out About the Real Snitch?
Crystal’s suspicion comes about when she sees Sphelele at the hospital after he is freed from prison. The first shock for her is that Sphelele was supposed to be behind bars; hence, the reason why she becomes suspicious. She begins to think about how Sphelele could possibly get released. The realisation she gets is that Mbali might have collaborated with the police, contrary to her initial impression. She had trusted Mbali with helping Moses and thought that she was genuinely trying to help him.
Sphelele’s release is the first of many suspicions that show that someone around them was collaborating with the police. By putting all the pieces together, she learns that Mbali was the one who informed Warden Agnes and Detective Tau about Moses’ escape plan in exchange for Sphelele’s freedom. After finding out that it was Mbali’s betrayal that caused the law enforcers to be on guard about Moses’ escape, Crystal is heartbroken and enraged.
As revenge, she resolves to blackmail Mbali using Sphelele, whom she takes hostage and uses to make Mbali come to her. Once she confronts her, Crystal threatens her with a gun and accuses her of ruining Moses’ chances of escaping from prison. Mbali attempts to defend herself by saying that she was caught in a tough position and had to betray Moses in order to save Sphelele. However, she cannot understand this and, instead of killing Mbali, agrees to work with her when she offers to lead her to the apartment of Detective Tau, where they will destroy all the evidence he has against them.
Who Killed Detective Tau?
Tau is killed by Mbali, although before doing so, she first kills Crystal after a fierce gunfight. Mbali then takes Crystal to Tau’s flat and convinces her that they can get rid of all the evidence gathered against them by Tau. However, before going into the flat, Mbali makes sure to smear her blood on the wall outside the flat to let Tau know someone was approaching him. As soon as he comes back to his flat, he knows there is a trap waiting for him, and so the gunfight begins.
Mbali later finds Tau with Crystal’s corpse and grabs the gun. She attempts to make Tau see that she is still unable to take away someone’s life, but by now, Mbali has done something she never thought of doing. She realises that Tau has been manipulating her all along, using her feelings for Sphelele as a way of making her do things that he wanted her to do. Rather than being under the influence of Tau anymore, Mbali shoots the man and leaves the apartment with the weapon. The murder is thus not just an act of vengeance but a way for her to escape the clutches of the corrupt detective who has been manipulating her situation all along.
How Did Scarra Die?
Scarra’s Death happens during the prison riot after Moses succeeds in surviving the escape attempt and returns to the prison. Scarra is already collaborating with Warden Agnes and considers Moses as the major impediment to taking control of the inmates. Initially, Scarra wants Zola to eliminate Moses from the scene; however, Zola ends up choosing loyalty towards Moses and assists him in turning the tables on Agnes.
In the ending of Umthetho, the conflict develops into a direct confrontation between Moses and Scarra. While Moses is not planning to kill Scarra in the process of the fight, Scarra wants to make sure they sort things out physically. The fight is brutal; eventually, Moses hits Scarra on the head and kills him. Right after Scarra is dead, Moses takes advantage of the situation to tell other prisoners that by fighting among each other, they do nothing but serve the interests of the prison officials, who can easily control them in such a way.
What Happens to Warden Agnes?
Ultimately, Warden Agnes is defeated and held hostage by Moses and the prisoners. Moses, after surviving the killings during the escape through the tunnel and returning to prison, plans to take charge alongside Warden Agnes. However, Moses and Zola are able to reverse this scenario. This is done when Moses deceives Warden Agnes into visiting his cell because he pretends that he is dead.
Moses then springs a surprise on her that he was actually alive and makes her a prisoner, allowing the prisoners to face the warden concerning the ill-treatment that she had subjected them to. The prisoners then take Agnes outside and force her to use herself as an asset while Moses bargains with the MEC.
It is made clear by him that it is not just the matter of their seizing control over the prison, but they need Agnes to be fired from her job and make the authorities abide by the law and respect the prisoners. Agnes even asks the guards not to fire at the prisoners, as they threaten to kill her if she tries. The MEC finally yields to their requests and assures them that Agnes would be fired from her job if the prisoners set the hostages free. Thus, it turns out that her being killed was not part of the plot.
Did Moses Get Out of Prison?
No, Moses is not released from prison for good. While Moses leads the uprising in prison after he kills Scarra, this becomes another negative development in Moses’ life. In the course of the uprising, Moses kills Scarra, who was working along with Agnes and trying to control the prisoners. Afterwards, Moses leads the prisoners to demand better conditions and get rid of Agnes, who is the warden of the prison. However, while the prisoners eventually get what they want, Moses stays in prison due to his involvement in the death of Scarra. According to the end of Umthetho, the chances are high that Moses will be charged with murder, which means Moses might not be released from prison.
Was Mbali Able to Go Back to Her Normal Life?
No, Mbali will not go back to the life she was living before anything began. Towards the end of Umthetho series, she goes through a change from a prosecutor who firmly believes in the law to a killer of Detective Tau who flees the crime scene while still holding a gun. Her change is the same that Moses went through. Although she used to criticise Moses for his criminal decisions, her family issues made her adopt similar decisions.
Her future remains ambiguous at the end of Netflix series Umthetho. She might vanish and attempt to build a new life elsewhere, but there will always be everything she has done and experienced and is responsible for, such as Moses’s failed attempt to escape and Tau’s death. Alternatively, she can stay and be accountable for her niece, especially since Crystal is gone and Moses is once again behind bars. But what the story never tells us is whether she chose the first way or the second. What is evident is that the old Mbali is gone for good; whatever she may choose to do now, she is a different person now than she was before.
