The Wife: Hlomu and Mqhele’s marriage is holding on by a thread

It’s only been a few weeks since Mqhele and Hlomu tied the knot in The Wife, but their marriage is already crumbling. Will the couple survive after Hlomu suffers a miscarriage?

Update: Want to know more? Watch the behind-the-scenes special The Wife: Behind the Veil. Plus, binge all of Season 1 and 2 of The Wife on Showmax.

If there was a word to describe Mqhele and Hlomu’s union in episodes 31-33 of Showmax’s The Wife, it would be strained. As much as Hlomu is trying to ignore the red flags waving at her from all sides, she simply can’t overlook the recent incident in which Mqhele beat her to a pulp – moments after she found out that she was pregnant.

During her hospital visit, she receives the answer that everyone has been waiting for: did her unborn baby survive the painful ordeal? On the other side of town, the younger Zulu brothers are met with a surprise when their relatives unexpectedly arrive in Johannesburg.

Hlomu suffers a miscarriage

Never in a million years did Hlomu expect to cross paths with her ex-boyfriend Sandile following their not-so-amicable split. But fate has its way of bringing people together. When Hlomu is waiting for a doctor, during her consultation, Sandile walks in. What are the chances?

The encounter is awkward, but Sandile acts professionally with Hlomu as his patient. He examines her wounds, and the good news is that there are no broken bones. Soon after, Hlomu drops a bombshell that she’s pregnant and fears that she might’ve lost the baby. Sandile calls a gynaecologist to assess Hlomu. It doesn’t go as well as Hlomu hopes. “The physical trauma that you have suffered has led to a miscarriage”, says the gynaecologist. The words cut deep, Hlomu’s eyes well up with tears, and she completely breaks down. How many more tears must hlomu shed in The Wife?

Broken marriages in The Wife

As anticipated, Hlomu is miserable. When she arrives at the Zulu residence, she walks into her room and goes straight to bed. She isn’t ready to talk to Mqhele yet or tell him that she had a miscarriage. What makes matters worse, is when Mqhele delivers an appalling apology. He blames her for the beating, adding: “It’s just that you disappeared without a word, and you didn’t answer your phone. I saw SMS notifications of money leaving my account. I was scared,” says Mqhele. “It will never happen again but my love, please don’t do it again. We’ll be alright, we’ll be just fine.”

And just like that, Hlomu emotionally detaches from Mqhele and the world. She is frustrated and she misdirects her anger towards the wrong people. Hlomu lashes out at her twin brother Langa and her best friend Bontle when they bring her baby gifts. Hlomu kicks them out and continues to wallow in her sadness.

To clear her mind, Hlomu misses work – something she hardly does. She needs someone to talk to, someone familiar, and that person is none other than Sandile. It’s a pity that Hlomu hanging out with Sandile only leads him on. In some twisted way, Sandile still thinks that he stands a chance with Hlomu.

Nkosana in the driver’s seat

After killing the Taxi Association’s chairperson Dlakadla in broad daylight, Nkosana suggests assuming the position. Much to Nkosana’s surprise, the Majola brothers vote against him. 

The Zulus and Majolas get into a heated exchange but moments later, the rest of the taxi drivers support Nkosana’s proposal, leaving the Majolas livid. With their insider, Dlakadla dead, the Majolas will have to think of a way to ruin the Zulu family in The Wife.

Nqoba plays with fire

Nqoba continues his affair with the commissioner’s wife, Palesa. She can’t get her hands off Nqoba and before she knows it, she falls in love with him. While they are in bed, Palesa tells Nqoba about an illicit poker night that she’s playing with her rich friends and Nqoba is immediately interested.

But Nqoba doesn’t want to play with the multi-millionaires, he wants to rob them. Nqoba convinces Palesa to help him steal the poker money and together, they pull off a clean heist. Palesa believes that they’ll use the money to skip town and start afresh in another place, but she doesn’t know that Nqoba hates planes and despite the cheating, he’s still very much committed to Mandisa.

How the muffin crumbles in The Wife

Remember the elderly couple who claim that they are the Zulu brothers’ relatives? They are back, and they unexpectedly arrive at the Zulu residence. 

Auntie Masundu and Uncle Selias find Mqoqi and Ntsika baking space muffins, and they unknowingly eat the treats. The elderly couple is high and to hide their doings, Ntsika and Mqoqi ship their relatives to Hlomu’s apartment, where things get even messier. 

Later, Auntie Masundu and Uncle Selias catch Ntsika and Mqoqi baking space muffins and they demand a stake in the “confectionary” business, or else, they’ll tell Nkosana. The young men agree but next week, the elderly couple will destroy their business.

The Wife is streaming exclusively on Showmax. New episodes drop every Thursday. Season 3 landing on 10 November 2022.