Johannesburg – South Africa’s video-on-demand online subscription service Showmax has confirmed the release date of its first original Telenovela -The Wife.
The Wife is based on Dudu Busani-Dube’s bestselling novels Hlomu the Wife, Zandile the Resolute, and Naledi His Love, which follows the lives of the eight Zulu brothers, a formidable crime family, through the eyes of the wives they marry.
The first 40 episodes of season one will focus on Hlomu, a journalist who falls in love with a taxi driver, not knowing he’s behind the cash-in-transit heists she’s investigating.
Showmax has confirmed that Mqhele will be played by Bonko Khoza, who burst onto the acting scene as Jabz in the multi-award-winning film Necktie Youth and has since appeared in the likes of Professionals and the Emmy-nominated Roots.
[membership level=”1″]“I read the book a couple of years ago and was a fan from the moment I put it down,” said Bonko.
“Fast forward to 2021 when I got sent an audition for the series. I’m really excited to bring to life this incredible piece of writing. Dudu created a compelling work of art and now we get to breathe life into it, put faces to names, and show it to the world.”
Showmax has also confirmed the casting of Mqhele’s family, the Zulu brothers, with Kwenzo Ngcobo (Imbewu) as Qhawe; Sipho Ndlovu (Isibaya, The Queen) as Sambulo; SAFTA winner Abdul Khoza (Isibaya, Kings of Joburg) as Nqoba; Mondli Makhoba (Umkhokha, Generations, Imbewu) as Nkosana; SAFTA nominee Thulane Nkululeko Shange (Is’thunzi, iNumber Number) as Mqoqi; Ishmael Songo (Rhythm City, Tsotsi) as Mpande; and Swelihle Luthuli (eHostela) as Ntsika.
“Bonko is a fairly fresh face in the industry; there isn’t anyone role or character that audiences can instinctively affix to him,” said the showrunner Gugu Ncube-Zuma of Stained Glass.
“As a result, he will truly embody and be known intrinsically as Mqhele. What solidified this decision was his undeniable chemistry with the actress playing Hlomu: it was just electric.”
The Wife will be available to binge on both Showmax and Showmax Pro from 11 November 2021, with three new episodes, added every Thursday.
“We couldn’t be more excited to finally have a telenovela to call our own. We’ve commissioned three seasons of The Wife already because we know how important telenovelas are to South African audiences, so watch this space” said Showmax Spokesperson Candice Fangueiro.
Dudu confirmed that her readers are excited and have been waiting for this telenovela for years. However, she is a Bookworm and is not primarily concerned with Television production.
“I’m a book person, that’s where my main focus will always be. But I do have some unpublished manuscripts lying around on my PC so if anyone wants to turn them into a TV thing, I’m okay with that. My last book in the series, Hlomu The End will be published soon” said Dudu Busane-Dube the renowned author of the Hlomu series.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
For The Latest entertainment news from Sunday World, click here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
Sunday World
[/membership] [pmpro_signup submit_button=”Register” level=”1″ login=”1″ redirect=”referrer” short=”false” title=”Register to view Exclusive Content” short=”true” custom_fields=”true”]
