Wright Ngubeni is back in front of the camera hosting black tax show ‘kuRuff’

After a starring role in the Netflix film Kedibone, South African actor Wright Ngubeni has returned in front of the camera with his latest reality show, kuRuff, tackling the topic of black tax and its impact on the people faced with this burden.

Ngubeni gained popularity for his portrayal of Jonathan, the son of Akin Omotoso’s character, on the SABC1 soapie Generations.

In addition to this role, he has made appearances on other shows including Street Life, Rhythm City, Thuli No Thulani, and Heist. Ngubeni has also hosted other shows such as Big Up and Love Back.

KuRuff reality show

The new reality show kuRuff will centre around the struggles experienced by sole breadwinners and their obligations towards their dependents – a concept colloquially referred to as “black tax”.

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With this show, Showmax and Moja Love have joined forces in their first-ever collaboration after the success of Moja Love titles such as Uyajola 9/9 and X-Repo on Showmax.

Showmax is a top streaming platform for local reality TV throughout Africa, while Moja Love is known for its powerful storytelling content, with a focus on local reality shows.

This collaboration aims to provide viewers with an even broader range of high-quality reality programming choices.

Ngubeni’s personal connection to black tax

According to Showmax, Wright Ngubeni is not just hosting the show for the sake of it but because he has a personal connection to its subject matter.

Speaking about his life in the promotional run for the show, the actor and TV presenter opened up about his own experiences, making the show all the more relatable and engaging.

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“Even though I have never experienced black tax from my immediate family, there have been instances with extended family that could be considered black tax, even if I did not know what it was at the time,” said Ngubeni.

Wright Ngubeni also revealed that, as an adult, he now recognises that his family was experiencing the phenomenon of “black tax” from their extended family.

“In our family, we have always tried to elevate everyone and make sure that everyone is good, so at certain times in our lives, there have been moments when the ‘burden’ fell on just one person,” he added.

What is black tax?

According to Investopedia, the term black tax refers to the financial burden borne by black people who have achieved a level of success and who provide support to less financially secure family members. These monetary transfers are generally made between middle-class and well-to-do black people and relatives who are struggling to make ends meet.

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In most black tax cases, It can be figured that black communities are disproportionately affected by this phenomenon since they tend to experience greater financial strain.

The mental and emotional impact of this type of tax

According to Ngubeni, black tax is not only a form of financial exploitation but can also have a severe impact on a person’s emotional and mental well-being.

“Many people seem to think that black tax is just financial abuse; it is not, it is also mentally draining and can be detrimental to your mental health, as I have seen with some of the people I have worked with on kuRuff,” elaborated the actor.

No rules governing black tax

Many households find themselves struggling with black tax but are hesitant to take action for fear of how their loved ones may react.

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Ngubeni emphasised that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for dealing with this phenomenon.

“There is no set of rules of what black tax is and how one can handle it, it’s rough.

“I think the line between responsibilities and entitlement is very complex and KuRuff is about changing lives in a positive way and having conversations that we, as black people, seldom have,” he concluded.

The 13-part reality series hosted by Wright Ngubeni is set to debut as a Showmax Original on 17 April 2023, with new episodes airing every Tuesday.

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