Showmax Unveils Trailer for Gripping Doc ‘The People vs. VBS’ Revisiting SA's Biggest Bank Heist
- Showmax has released the official trailer for the upcoming true-crime documentary, The People vs. VBS
- The documentary revisits what is considered Mzansi's biggest bank heist, telling an intricate story of what happened in the bank
- Making appearances on the show are Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema and VBS co-founder
Source: Youtube
The gripping drama surrounding the now-defunct VBS Mutual Bank has been revisited by Showmax.
The video-streaming platform has shared the official trailer for the four-part series, which focuses on the mystery of the VBS heist.
Showmax drops trailer for upcoming doccie
On Monday, 2 March 2026, Showmax unveiled the trailer for the upcoming gripping documentary The People vs. VBS.
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Eight years since the bank's downfall, the mystery is yet to be solved. The documentary will be screened over two Wednesdays from 25 March 2026/ The Showmax Original is directed by Richard Finn Gregory and produced by Elle Oosthuizen and Wim Steyn.
The show features real-life stories of people who were badly affected by the bank's heist, recounting how they lost thousands worth of their life savings.
"Imagine waking up to find your life savings are gone forever. According to VBS liquidator Walter Stander, that’s what happened to an 86-year-old woman, who’d saved R650 000 over 30 years as “a nest egg for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to go to college.” She lost it all in 2018, as did many others from rural and low-income communities," the press statement reads.
The bank's shenanigans were brought to light after they allegedly approved a loan amounting to R7 million to former President Jacob Zuma.
Some of the interviews conducted included VBS co-founder Madambi Muvhulawa , Lesetja Kganyago, governor of the South African Reserve Bank, and former Public Investment Corporation CEO Dan Matjila, Julius Malema, founder of the Economic Freedom Fighters.
Award-winning investigative journalists like Dewald van Rensburg, who wrote the book on the case, VBS: A Dream Defrauded, and Pauli van Wyk, who co-wrote the book Malema: Money. Power. Patronage.
In 2025, Tshifiwa Matodzi, former chairperson, faced 33 counts, including corruption, theft, fraud, money laundering, and racketeering, violating the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. He received a 15-year sentence for each count, which amounted to 495 years.
Reacting to the news, one user @khepri-w9e said, "You cannot HIDE The WHITE ELEPHANT in the room. The real truth and alleged COVER-UP will NOT BE SILENCED."
Watch the trailer below:
Julius Malema urges SA not to forget Phala Phala theft
In a previous report from Briefly News, Julius Malema commented about how the Phala Phala matter was handled and wants something to be done.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader believes that the case is further proof of police corruption. He said this at the party’s 12th anniversary in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. The Red Berets held its anniversary celebrations at the Khayelitsha Rugby Stadium on Saturday, 26 July 2025.
South Africans shared their thoughts on Malema's comments and reminded him of his own skeletons.
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Source: Briefly News
