Netflix at about R130 pm vs Showmax at R99. Seeing as Showmax is part of Multichoice, it's possible that they have a better line-up of shows than Netflix at the start. They already have access to many different show licences that Netflix doesn't have. And all the people hating Showmax because it's part of Multichoice are petulant children that should start drinking fish oils to get an IQ over 40. There is nothing wrong with Showmax, it's inexpensive, has a large selection of great shows, and a stable platform that they are growing access to.
So here is an interesting solution......WHY NOT BOTH!! For about R220 pm plus a stable uncapped fast internet line of about R800, you can have a huge amount of series and movies in both Afrikaans and English, original shows from USA and South Africa on two really good platforms.
So, if you have access to proper internet speeds and caps, and need some stream services, for the first time in SA you are prettymuch covered without having to deal with VPN's and stuff like that.
With all that said and done, don't expect the same cord-cutting mentality to start in SA as what's currently happening in the USA. Our broadband is below international standard, costs way too much, doesn't offer big enough caps on the packages, and the adoption rate of fixed line internet access is much much lower than most countries in the world. Also, seeing as we are a sport crazy nation, and both Netflix and Showmax don't offer any sport streaming services, means that they will not get the proper adoption rate as one would expect. I expect to see numbers below 500 000 people using either Showmax or Netflix for at least the first 2 years.