Johannesburg- Khanyi Mbau has landed the biggest role of her career thusfar after it was announced that she will be joining the record-breaking Showmax Original telenovela, The Wife, in Season 2 as the lead role of Zandile The Resolute
Khanyi will be playing the wife of Nkosana (fan-favourite Mondli Makhoba), the leader of the Zulu brothers’ crime family.
Eagle-eyed fans of the hit show, which has topped Twitter every Thursday since its launch, will get their first glimpse of Khanyi as Zandile in Thursday’s episodes.
While she does feature again, and more prominently, in Season 1, she’ll take center stage in Season 2, which premieres on Showmax in February 2022, and will be inspired by Dudu Busani-Dube’s bestselling novel Zandile The Resolute.
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“Season 2 is told through the eyes of uZandile. We’ll be exploring Nkosana and Zandile’s love story and finding out more about their history,” said Stained Glass showrunner Gugu Ncube-Zuma.
“We’ll get to know Zandile as the matriarch of the Zulu family, the glue who held the Zulu brothers together. In Season 2, she wants to reclaim her position, a role that uHlomu has now taken over in her absence. Get ready to see the world through Zandile’s eyes.”
After the unprecedented (but quickly forgotten) fan outcry that greeted the initial casting announcements of Hlomu and the Zulu brothers, Khanyi admits she’s understandably daunted by the role.
“The greatest challenge for an actress is being a part of a story that everyone knows. It brings a lot of expectations that you need to live up to. There’s a cult around this show so there’s a lot of pressure.”
“And before being part of the cast, I am a fan, so I really don’t want to drop the ball. For me to depict this character is really something that can either make me or break me, to be quite honest with you, but I love the thrill.”
“Khanyi is talented and had the range so necessary for this role,” she says. “She has depth and rawness; she’s able to tap into the dark side that Zandile has, as well as give that vulnerability that we’ll see, especially with the love between her and Nkosana. As a production team, we’ve worked with her before, and we know she’ll bring that grit that is needed for the character of Zandile,” said Gugu.
The Wife opened to rave reviews in November 2021, breaking both Uthando Lodumo’s first day and Devilsdorp’s four-day Showmax viewing records in the process.
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