The Wife S1-3

The Wife series is a Showmax Original telenovela that follows the lives of the eight Zulu brothers, a formidable crime family, through the eyes of the women they marry.

The Wife Season 1

The first season is inspired by the novel Hlomu the Wife, a bestseller by Dudu Busani-Dube. Rising star Mbalenhle Mavimbela (Skeem Saam, Isipho) plays “Hlomu the wife”, the journalist who falls in love with a taxi driver, not realising that when you marry a man, you marry his secrets. Her love interest, Mqhele, is 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.  

The Wife Season 2

The second season is inspired by the follow-up novel, Zandile the Resolute. The role of Zandile, the fierce matriarch of the Zulu family, is played by Khanyi Mbau (Happiness is a Four-Letter Word) and Mondli Makhoba (Umkhokha) reprises his role as Nkosana, the eldest Zulu brother in The Wife.

The Wife is being produced by Stained Glass, the company behind SAFTA-winning shows like eHostela and Uzalo, South Africa’s most-watched soap opera.

The Wife Season 3

The Wife Season 3, based on Naledi His Love, dropped on Showmax on 10 November 2022, with the first three episodes landing at 5am. Three new episodes will land every Thursday into 2023.

The season kicks off with Naledi, played by Gaisang K Noge, Qhawe’s love, having been kidnapped and the Zulu brothers’ crimes making front-page news. Wiseman Mncube takes over from Bonko Khoza as Mqhele, whose love story with Hlomu remains complicated.

The Wife: Behind the Veil

Go behind the scenes of The Wife to find out more about the Zulu brothers and the women who love them as we pay homage to Zulu Thursdays, the 5am club and the mbuba nation.

Watch both seasons of The Wife online on Showmax now, and stream the behind-the-scenes special The Wife: Behind the Veil.