Available on Netflix from July 31, 2025, Marked is a South African series created by Akin Omotoso. This edgy thriller follows a mother willing to do anything to save her gravely ill daughter, even if this means betraying her own family and immersing herself in a criminal world. With Lerato Mvelase in the lead role, the series features a gallery of characters with murky alliances, including bank robbers, police officers, clerics and members of the same community torn apart by lies and survival.
Marked will air on Netflix from July 31, 2025.
Synopsis: To save her daughter, a cash-in-transit worker agrees to play the mole in a robbery. But when she's betrayed, she becomes even more enraged than her new enemies.
The character of Babalwa Godongwana, played by Lerato Mvelase, is at the heart of this tale of survival. A former policewoman converted to cash-in-transit, she is faced with a desperate situation: to raise the money needed for a vital operation on her daughter. Her only recourse: agree to collaborate in a high-pressure robbery. The plan goes wrong, one betrayal follows another, and Babalwa finds herself alone in the face of a relentless criminal world.
Through this plot, the series explores the blurred line between moral duty and criminality, and questions how far a mother can go to protect her child.
Marked is set in a local context marked by social inequality, corruption and the struggle for dignity. The story is fueled by a tense atmosphere in which each character pursues his or her own interests, often to the detriment of others. The figures of power - policemen, pastors, gang leaders - are presented with complexity, without Manicheism.
The visual style is realistic, close to the ground, with attention paid to urban scenery and social interaction, offering immersion in an environment that is both familiar and dangerous.
The series could appeal to fans of psychological thrillers and heist stories such as Money Heist, Queen Sono or Bodyguard. Viewers sensitive to plots centered on strong heroines facing moral and emotional dilemmas should find sustained dramatic tension.
The South African cast, led by Lerato Mvelase, Desmond Dube and Jerry Mofokeng, gives the series a strong local dimension, while appealing to an international audience thanks to its universal narrative and breathless pace.
Marked is a South African thriller series created by Akin Omotoso, starring Lerato Mvelase, Desmond Dube and Jerry Mofokeng. It follows a mother forced to get involved in a robbery to save her daughter, only to be betrayed by her accomplices. Between violent confrontations, lies and personal struggles, the series offers an intense dive into the gray areas of morality. Available on Netflix from July 31, 2025.
This article is based on information available online; we have not yet viewed the film or series mentioned.
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