Fashioning Modern Africanism

The Mthatha-born actress has already earned DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Award and SAFTA nominations this year for her fan-favourite role as Mandisa in  The Wife,  Showmax’s most popular series ever. Now she’s also stealing scenes in the African fantasy epic  Blood Psalms,  which had the most first-day views of any drama on Showmax ever.  In  Blood Psalms , she plays Sithenjwa, the mistress of Senator Jabari (SAFTA and Africa Movie Academy Awards nominee Richard Lukunku) of the mighty Great Nziwemabwe. She’s traveling with him to the Akachi citadel for the upcoming wedding of King Letsha (four time SAFTA winner Mothusi Magano), but she has her own reasons for attending.  When  The Wife  returns in November for Season 3, expect Twitter to be singing Zikhona’s praises for  Blood Psalms  every Wednesday and for  The Wife  every Thursday - especially as this season her character Mandisa goes through the most.  We caught up with the 37-year-old to find out more about starring in two hits sho

Stained Glass, the production company behind  The Wife , has confirmed that Bonko Khoza, who played Mqhele in the first two seasons, isn’t returning in  Season 3 of the record-breaking, Twitter-topping Showmax Original telenovela . They’re currently casting for his replacement.  Inspired by Dudu Busani-Dube’s bestselling book  Naledi His Love , Season 3 of  The Wife  will return to South African screens in November 2022 with Gaisang K Noge in the lead role as doctor Naledi Montsho, who is in love with Qhawe Zulu (2022 DStv Mzansi Magic Viewers’ Choice Rising Star winner Kwenzo Ngcobo), dubbed “the Woolworths of amadoda” by  Twitter . Each season has focused on a different couple: Hlomu and Mqhele in S1, Zandile and Nkosana in S2, and now Naledi and Qhawe.    “We know fans are going to find it hard to let go of their picture of Mqhele as Bonko, just as they found it hard, when he was first cast, to let go of the bug-eyed Mqhele they had pictured from the book,” says series producer Kamo

While you wait for Season 3 in November 2022,  Behind The Veil  brings all your faves back to revisit the questions that kept  The Wife  at the top of Twitter every Thursday for two seasons.  The Wife  broke records on Showmax, won DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Awards for Abdul Khoza (Nqoba) and Kwenzo Ngcobo (Qhawe), and is now up for 10 SAFTAs, including Best Telenovela, Best Actor (Bonko Khoza as Mqhele), Best Supporting Actor (Abdul Khoza as Nqoba), and Supporting Actress (Zikhona Sodlaka as Mandisa).                                 Watch the trailer: In episode 1, Bonko and Mbalenhle Mavimbela (Hlomu) talk about their characters’ toxic love story and how the nation fell in and then out of love with Mqhele.    In episode 2, the directors and writers of  The Wife  weigh in on what “inspired by” actually means and the controversial changes they made to Dudu Busani-Dube’s beloved books.    In episode 3, Khanyi Mbau (Zandile) and Mondli Makhoba (Nkosana) reflect on their characters’ love