The Polygamist standout and versatile performer Kwanele Mthethwa is the face of Drum Life’s 2026 edition.
For the eye-catching cover feature, Mthethwa looks back on her earliest steps in entertainment, the people who recognised her potential and the direction her career could take next.
Take a look at the striking cover below:
Long before Netflix and before her name carried global recognition, Mthethwa performed at a wedding in KwaZulu-Natal. Surrounded by relatives’ friends and people she had never met, the young star sang Beyoncé’s Smash Into You.
She does not view that occasion as the precise moment she turned into an entertainer. Instead, it was when she discovered the deeper purpose behind stepping onto a stage.
“Everyone enjoyed it,” she says, “but what remained with me was knowing that something from within me could make people feel something.”
Looking back, that thought appears to capture the path that followed: a Netflix production seen across 63 countries, a divisive “villain” viewers eagerly debated, and a performer now introduced to audiences who feel as though they already know her.
Get to know the woman beyond the roles fans adore — and the character they cannot help but hate.
The complete Kwanele Mthethwa cover story appears in the 2026 issue of Drum Life, available in stores now. A digital edition can also be purchased through the Media 24 shop.
