For years, Brakpan has lived somewhere between meme and myth…until now.
Johannesburg, South Africa (30 January 2026) – It’s the place people often joke about. A suburb that the rest of South Africa has jokes for. But the people actually living there feel differently. They see something else – a side to Brakpan that doesn’t always make it online.
Now, we’re finally getting that story.
Showmax has released the trailer for Brakpan Chronicles, a two-part documentary series premiering on Friday, 20 February 2026. Created by Rian van Heerden and Provoco – the team behind the SAFTA-winning Sex in Afrikaans andTiek Tok Boem! – The series sets out to let Brakpan tell its own story.
“Brakpan’s become a punchline, so we wanted to share the full story – or get bliksemed trying,” says Rian.
Brakpan Chronicles moves through local landmarks like Carnival City, The Rock Raceway, Maskell’s Hotel, Thirsty Okes, Rosetulee and Ziggy T’s Roadhouse.
Along the way, we get to meet the people who give the town its character. There’s Ratkas, the pawnshop owner who went viral on TikTok, one-legged slapfighter Terence “Supra” Labuschagne, female bouncers Hester Croucamp and Lina Stoltz, and former cop Jan “Stolla” Stols, who remembers the time the army had to be called in to break up a Brakpan brawl.
“Brakpan is just a treasure trove of colourful, eccentric, larger-than-life personalities,” says Rian.
The series goes even deeper. Rian also speaks to etiquette icon Emsie Schoeman about how easily communities become labelled as ‘common’ and how hard it is to shake those perceptions once they stick.
Even Rian admits the place left its mark on him.
“I have to admit, despite everything that happened, it was really hard for me to head back to Pretoria,” he says. “Brakpan is definitely one of the most unique, if not the most unique, places in South Africa. The people here, regardless of what anyone says, are real… And these days, you don’t come across that often. Brakpan, with the exception of a few hotels, will be seeing me again soon.”
Brakpan Chronicles premieres on Showmax on Friday, 20 February 2026.
by 