Mzansi needs to gird their loins for Showmax’s “Sex in Afrikaans”, which premiers on the streaming platform on Valentine’s Day.
As the title suggests, the series homes in on the behavioural patterns and sexual habits of couples in the Afrikaans community.
The docuseries, which carries an age restriction, looks at how some people approach sex with coyness or uncertainty while others do so with an adventurous spirit and a lustful - and noticeably insatiable - appetite.
Hosted by clinical psychologist Bradley R Daniels, who has a Master’s degree from New York University, there is an intimate open discussion on the world of sex and relationships among a group of four couples as well as two single individuals.
And the group includes people of different ages, experiences and sexual orientation.
The trailer gives streamers an idea of what to expect, with a few jaw-dropping comments that include, “Afrikaans people and the adult industry, they go hand in hand”, “the koeksister tannies order the big vibrators” and “In South Africa, there are over 40 000 registered swingers”.
And this is the first-hand feedback from the owners of Adult World, Lollipop Lingerie and a swingers club, respectively.
Now if your jaw just dropped reading that, I don’t blame you. It’s a lot of information to swallow.
Sex is a subject that can often get one hot under the collar and leave one wanting to run for the hills.
But the makers of “Sex in Afrikaans” have decided to include sex workers, adult shop owners, swingers, dominatrixes, a cross-dresser, a dungeon master as well as a unicorn (translated: a person entering a polyamorous relationship) to weigh in on the issue.
South Africa has a flourishing sex industry. And people are embracing their sexuality as well as, in some instances, a proclivity for BDSM or infantilism, which is when people like to dress up as babies.
Daniels said: “I learnt something new every day with ”Sex in Afrikaans“.
It was a wonderful feeling to see how well what I’ve learnt from textbooks came together in practice.
“I think it's the same in all communities that are conservative. Nobody really talks about sex; it's a very sensitive topic.
“Even people who consider themselves liberal struggle to talk about sex because many people do not have adequate language for sex and sexual practices.
“So a big part of the sexual health practitioner's job is to give people the necessary language. We had a lot of fun, but I am also a serious academic person, so the show is also very educational and informative.”
Producer and media personality Rian van Heerden added: “’Sex in Afrikaans’ is one for the books. I would go so far as to say that this is going to be the most controversial local series South Africans have ever seen.”
While viewers loved the fictional sexually-charged worlds of “Bridgerton”, “Game of Thrones”, “Sex/Life”, “Orange is the New Black”, “P-Valley” and “The L-Word: Generation,” this docuseries takes them into the concealed real-life lifestyle of ordinary people with an extraordinary appetite when it comes to making whoopee.