Christall Kay has never shied away from confrontation, but on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Africa, currently airing on Showmax and Mzansi Magic, it was a broken expectation, not just the drama, that left the Johannesburg star most disappointed.
At the centre of that disappointment is Jojo Robinson, a fellow housewife Christall believed was an ally long before cameras started rolling in Brazil.
Christall believes that Jojo betrayed her by standing with the housewives from Nigeria and Durban amid their arguments on culture clashes, religious beliefs and her wanting to be seen as the victim
“We had always had an Instagram friendship and admired each other from afar. She always seemed to appreciate me as a real entertainer on these shows and even stuck up for me publicly. That’s why what happened in Brazil really hurt.”
The highly anticipated Ultimate Girls Trip: Africa brought together housewives from Johannesburg and Durban, Nairobi in Kenya, and Abuja and Lagos in Nigeria, promising luxury, bonding and cross-cultural connections. Instead, old perceptions and new alliances quickly turned the trip into a powder keg.
Loyalty over fairness
For Christall, the tension with Jojo cut deeper than clashes with complete strangers.
“It was disappointing to see her stick with her group of Nigerian friends and her Durban buddies, even when they were clearly in the wrong,” she says.
“She never once came around to understanding that I had actually been innocent in most of the conflict. I wasn’t starting fights or creating drama.”
Christall believes Jojo chose loyalty over fairness, a move she says reshaped their dynamic entirely.
“I expected more from her,” she adds. “Especially because we had a mutual respect before the show. It felt like she had already decided where she stood, regardless of the truth.”
While Jojo’s stance unsettled her, Christall says she found unexpected comfort in someone she once clashed with publicly: Evodia Mogase, popularly known as Madam.
“Seeing Evodia after all these years was actually comforting,” she says. “We were archenemies in season one of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, but this time it was different. There was an instant bond and she became my greatest ally.”
Christall describes the Brazil trip as emotionally easier than the Jamaica instalment but more hostile in tone.
“These women didn’t know me at all; they only knew me from TV and the media. Evodia was the only one who knew me personally.
“Dr C and Zena were neutral, but the rest came for me as if I had personally wronged them in their own lives.”
She maintains that much of the drama was manufactured.
“They gave me absolutely no chance,” Christall says. “I was friendly and wanted to enjoy myself, but some of the ladies were clearly creating fake drama to grab the spotlight.”
Fleeting romance
Despite the pressure, Christall says she remained composed, something that seemed to unsettle her critics.
“I stayed detached. They wanted a reaction and didn’t get it,” she says. “What really got to them was that I didn’t sink. I stood my ground and showed them they shouldn’t be messing with me.”
Still, she acknowledges one moment she regrets.
“I shouldn’t have pinched Princess’s cheeks,” she admits. “It wasn’t right. When someone is insulting you on national television, instincts take over, but physical contact is never okay.”
Off-camera, Brazil offered fleeting romance but no lasting love.
“I met a nice guy who showed me beautiful beaches, but we were more like friends,” she says. “On my last day, I met the most beautiful man, but I was flying back to South Africa the next morning.”
Perhaps the biggest shift for Christall has been public opinion.
“This season, the public really stood by me,” she says. “Support came from all races, genders and nationalities. It was overwhelming and gave me hope that people do see the truth.”
As for what defines the ultimate housewife, Christall says, “She must have style, class, confidence and charisma, but most importantly, she must be real and have character.”
