The ending of Meet the Khumalos is happy and delightful because it truly brings Zulu culture to life in the final act. The film follows Grace and Bongi, who become neighbors after the Sithole family moves next door to Grace’s Khumalos. I could call them sworn enemies, but that’s not how things are; it’s actually Grace who absolutely despises Bongi, and the latter just reacts to that hatred. Things get crazy when Grace’s son, Sizwe, and Bongi’s daughter, Sphe, start dating and disrupt the balance. The women get together to destroy the perfectly happy relationship that their kids have, but in secret, so you can imagine that it snowballs into a comedy of errors resulting in heartbreak for the innocent kids. But what made Grace hate Bongi so much? And will they be friends again? Let’s find out.
Spoiler Alert
Why Does Grace Hate Bongi So Much?
I think this is where Meet the Khumalos suffers from undercooking the backstory for Grace and Bongi. We do get an answer for why she hates her, but it’s not impactful enough because it’s basically one piece of dialogue. Grace and Bongi aren’t just enemies; they’re also entirely different from each other. Grace is a churchgoing, rich woman who’s draped in luxury head-to-toe and drives a fancy car. On the other hand, Bongi eats when she’s stressed, loves her culture, and doesn’t care about appearances. But truthfully, Grace is still as insecure and eager to be rooted in her own culture again. It turns out that Grace lost her parents in KwaMashu, where the girls grew up and were childhood best friends. Bongi promised to go away with Grace, but on the day they were meant to leave, Bongi never showed up. The movie doesn’t give us a reason for why Bongi didn’t show up, but maybe she was tied down by her parents. Or maybe she didn’t want to go away. But this left Grace heartbroken and feeling like she was betrayed, so she decided to completely cut ties with her best friend and start a new life by herself.
Finally, Bongi apologizes to Grace, but she also tells Grace’s mother-in-law that she needs to be better to her. Grace lost her parents young, and the one person who is the closest thing she’s got to a mom treats her like garbage. Bongi’s defense of her brings Grace’s love back, and soon enough, they’re besties again. Now that they’re neighbors, it sounds like a dream come true. But more importantly, they might soon become family, too.
What Happens Between Sizwe and Sphe?
Sphe and Sizwe have a secret relationship right from the start of the film. They’re very similar to their mothers in that they’re quite different from each other, personality-wise, in terms of what they want in life, and just in the way they present themselves to the world, but they like each other a lot. The duo go on an overnight date, which the mothers sabotage. It’s a camping trip that Sizwe thinks will impress Sphe, but she’s already told him she doesn’t like the outdoors, so basically, it was a mess in the making right from the start. But this doesn’t faze them. In fact, Sizwe is eager to tell Sphe that he loves her but can’t seem to do it when she’s in front of him. Grace and Bongi then bring two new players into the picture. For Sizwe, it is a churchgoing girl, Charlotte, who is basically a replica of his mom, and for Sphe, it’s an old friend named Zakes she used to hang out with as a kid.
At first, Sizwe and Sphe deal with it pretty well. They consider the idea that their moms know about them but come to the conclusion they’d just be put under house arrest if that were the case. But when they end up spending more time apart from each other and with the dates their moms picked, the cracks start showing a little bit. The real coup de grace comes when Grace decides to pose Charlotte and Sizwe for a mud pack photoshoot in bathing suits. She takes a picture of a shirtless Sizwe looking into Charlotte’s eyes and sends it to Sphe through his phone. It’s odd that Sphe would believe he’d do such a thing, but I guess heartbreak means thinking the worst of people sometimes, and that’s what happens with Sphe. She breaks up with Sizwe over text, calling him an “Oreo.”
Sphe is preparing for her umemulo, which is a coming-of-age ceremony of the Zulus for women at the age of 21. Sizwe barges into rehearsals, where men aren’t allowed, because he finally wants to know what the matter is. She tells him about the pictures, and by this time, the parents are there, too. Grace admits that she sent the pictures from Sizwe’s phone and made the whole thing happen. Bongi betrays Grace again, claiming she told her that they should stop even though she did no such thing. Seeing the mothers fight, the kids get even more riled up, but specifically, Sizwe is hurt that Sphe didn’t trust him. He says it would never work out because Sphe genuinely thinks he’s not “cultural” enough for her.
Grace takes some time to return home to her parents’ graves, talks to her son, and tells him how she was in the same place as him 20 years earlier. The two moms realize they’ve robbed their children of true happiness, so they make a plan to bring them back together. On the day of Sphe’s umemulo, Sizwe shows up in cultural attire, just as she wanted from him, and apologizes. They both regret hurting the other, but they make quite the adorable pair, different yet compatible.
During Meet the Khumalos’ ending, Sphe has her umemulo, and both families bless her. Sizwe is there the whole time, dressed in his traditional clothes as support for his girlfriend. On the other hand, Grace’s mother-in-law finally apologizes for being too harsh on her, but Grace stops her because it feels all too weird. She’s already planned out pamphlets for her mother-in-law’s business as her biggest supporter. At the same time, the dads who’ve just been cordial besties throughout the movie tell their wives that they can’t come in the way of their friendship (how cute). The movie ends on a happy note, with Grace eating sheep’s head for the first time in years and spitting it out (whoops). Guess she’ll come around to being a big eater with her bestie, eh?
