‘I have apologised and healed from the experience' - #TheUltimatumSA’s Khanya

Local adaptations of international reality franchises have proven to be a huge success on our television screens and Netflix's latest adaptation of The Ultimatum South Africa did not disappoint.

The local version of the dating show started airing on Friday last week and centres around a six-way partner swap that either left couples in tears, forming new bonds or realising that they were made for each other.

Contestants got to leave their partners behind and chose who they would be in a three-week long trial marriage with, before going back to their original partners to answer their ultimatum of whether they want to be married to them or not.

While the outcomes for the couples were different, viewers were thoroughly entertained by all the heart-pounding drama that came with the show.

Taking to social media, viewers expressed their thoughts about the 12 contestants using the hashtag #TheUltimatumSA, which shot up to the X (formerly Twitter) trends list and saw it stay there three days after the show's launch.

One relationship that was a talking point for many was the that of Khanya and Nkateko, who have been together for a year. Khanya is the one who issued the ultimatum to an unsure Nkateko. Although Nkateko seems to create a bond with another contestant, Sizakele, viewers were more concerned with the behaviour he tolerated from Khanya.

In one scene, she can be seen throwing a wine bottle at him before pouring wine on him. Khanya also makes fun of Nkateko's teeth and calls him "a boy in a man's body". However, even after all of that, Nkateko sticks with Khanya and gives her a promise ring and promises her marriage – much to her disappointment.

Even though this extreme experiment helped the contestants learn more about each other and their relationships, the whirlwind of emotions that comes with the show got too much for Lebo and Nolla who broke up after a big betrayal and opted to leave the show before completing the marriage trials.

And while some of us have binge-watched all nine episodes that were released, we now eagerly wait for the reunion episode which I hope will show whether some couples managed to stay engaged after the show and of course, to hear how their partners felt after watching them be with other people.

I'm also secretly hoping that Nkateko and Sizakele, as well as Thabi and Lindile, end up together – in some way. As for Khanya, I hope to hear her saying she is attending therapy to address her anger issues, body shaming others and thinking the world revolves around her.

Taking to her Instagram page, Khanya addressed people's concerns about her and said the experience was intense for her.

"Hi to everyone that has been tuning into The Ultimatum South Africa and I understand if some of you may feel like I was out of line with some of my words and actions. It was an intense experience for me and I handled it the best way I could," she began.

The 33-year-old also said that although the experience was not easy for her, she had apologised to those she had wronged.

She concluded by saying that she had healed from the experience.

"I acknowledge I'm a strong personality and say things that only others dare to think...It's in the past and a lot has happened since then including healing and transformation."

The reunion will be available for streaming on Netflix on Friday, May 24.