3 September 2021
Kovu S1-4
Kovu, the latest Swahili telenovela from Maisha Magic East is a show filled with secrets, mysteries and the good old drama that any telenovela fan would love. At a glance, the Hazes look like the perfect family. They are super rich, and they reside in one of the most palatial homes (a castle really) at the Kenyan coast. But it doesn’t take long before we find out that appearances can be deceiving, and the Hazes are as fractured as any family with secrets and too much money can be.
Jaffar (played by Kenneth Ambani, The System, From a Whisper) has just relocated his wife Alisa (Saada Fateh) and three children from Tanzania to Kenya, something that Alisa is not happy about. While everyone else seems to be adjusting to this new life, Alisa is tormented by a dark secret that causes her to develop a deep hatred for her first-born daughter Rina, slowly creating a rift between her and her husband who cannot seem to understand the cause of his wife’s hate.
Away from the Hazes, there’s the mysterious Carlos Santana (Patrick Owino) – a man of impeccable fashion and a temper you do not want to test. We don’t know his real intentions yet and he’s probably hiding something. To add to the mystery, Carlos takes care of a patient locked in one of the rooms in his grand home that he lives in alone with just a servant and occasional nurses who come and go unable to deal with the hostility of his patient or with his demands of following rules.
As more mysteries and secrets are revealed, the Haze family is thrown into disarray in the second season of the Swahili telenovela. Jaffar is forced to confront his wife evil side as she proves that she’s capable of anything, even killing her own husband or mother. Things get out of hand when Alisa commits the most unforgivable act and has to face the wrath of her family who is no longer willing to stand with her.
And with Alisa now working with the enemy, it seems like the Hazes are too broken a family to fix but in the uncertain and mystery-filled world of Kovu, anything is possible.
Created and produced by TV power couple Lulu Hassan and Rashid Abdalla – the duo behind other Swahili hits such as Maza and Maria – Kovu follows the wealthy Haze family whose bonds are threatened by dark secrets and lies.
At the Kalasha Awards 2020, Kovu was nominated for Best TV Drama and Best Lead Actress for Trisha Khalid who plays Jaffar’s impulsive daughter Ruby.
Watch Kovu on Showmax, Tuesdays – Saturdays at 6:30pm EAT, episodes coming express from Maisha Magic Plus.
Youngins S2, now on Showmax
Soft Life, now streaming on Showmax
More Mzansi gold
Outopsie S1-3
Senior forensic pathologist Dr Hestelle van Staden reveals what really happens behind closed doors in captivating cases where forensic pathology played a central role.
Great African Crimes with Mandy Wiener (2024)
This one-off special explores three dramatic cases that left South Africa stunned: Daisy de Melker, the so-called Sea Cottage incident, and the Krugersdorp bank robbery.
Zarelda de Bruin on her breakout debut role in Spooksoeker
The 17-year-old Zarelda de Bruin plays Melissa in the Showmax Original Spooksoeker, now available to stream. Catch new episodes every Thursday.
9 reasons that 2024 was the best year yet for local TV
Stream the best local content on Showmax in 2024, featuring iEmmy winners, record-breaking documentaries, SAFTA winners, and globally acclaimed hits.