Today is the day many have been waiting for: the premiere of Shomax’s Rosemary’s Hitlist, the true-crime documentary series about cop-turned-serial-killer Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu.
Rosemary’s Hitlist is produced by IdeaCandy, the company behind the SAFTA-winning true-crime sensation Devilsdorp, and directed by Valen’tino Mathibela (the first season of The Real Housewives of Durban, Lebo M – Coming Home), with SAFTA winner Richard Gregory (Steinheist) as a consulting director.
Cape Talk’s Sara-Jayne Makwala King calls the Showmax Original “edge-of-your-seat” and “jaw-dropping”, adding, “Rosemary’s Hitlist is easily the most gripping crime story since Devilsdorp…”
Rosemary was sentenced in 2021 to six concurrent life terms for the murders of six members of her family, including her sister and the father of her only living child at the time. They were murdered for killsurance: funeral cover payouts worth over R1.4 million to Rosemary.
The former cop was also sentenced to an additional 30 years: 10 years each for fraud, incitement to commit murder, and the attempted murder of her mother, Maria Mushwana, her sister Joyce, and Joyce’s five children.
When asked what about the case drew Valen’tino to it, the director responded, “Because it’s unbelievable. It’s a cop! Killing her family! I wanted to find out why a mother, a daughter and a sister would become a perpetrator while in a position of power to do the opposite and protect her family instead. Money was not enough of a reason.”
Valen’tino continued, “Murder alone is already chilling, but this was the destruction of a family by one of their own. And by a cop. Police are seen as protectors, a role similarly expected from mothers or women as nurturers. A cop is a symbol of protection, of safety, of hope. For those that may be suffering or stranded, if you see a police van, you think, ‘Maybe I’ll get help here.'”
Valen’tino also stated that it was “very hard” to convince the victims to share their stories. “They have already had their trust betrayed by a loved one. How can they trust a stranger? So we had to find a way to make them trust us by being one of them, by caring for them before we put them on camera. Language is key. People want to be heard and heard completely. You don’t want a language barrier to rob you of that experience.”
The premiere of the show had many social media users not only running to their screens but also to their timelines.
One user commented, “Let me watch Rosemary’s Hitlist. I don’t want to do anything today.”
Let me watch Rosemary’s Hitlist
I don’t want to do anything today— the biz (@callmebizniz) June 14, 2023
“Definitely binge-watching Rosemary’s hitlist today,” admitted another.
Definitely binge watching Rosemary’s hitlist today
— Tsundzukani (@zolah_badu) June 14, 2023
Another tweep shared, “Rosemary’s hitlist is currently trending number one on Showmax’s top 20 shows for today.”
Rosemary’s hitlist is currently trending number one on Showmax’s top 20 shows for today ??????#Rosemaryshitlist pic.twitter.com/L312bjw0Oz
— Jabulani Macdonald ⚡️ (@Jabu_Macdonald) June 14, 2023
Rosemary’s Hitlist is now streaming on Showmax, with new episodes on Wednesdays.
Watch the trailer here:
Also see: Cast members announce that Blood and Water season 4 is officially in production
