Housekeepers Season 3: Madam and evil

South Africa’s most complex relationship might be between the woman of the house, and the woman who does the housework. Academic papers have been written! Novels, even. Along with the hard physical labour of scrubbing windows, toilets and dirty undies, the job also demands that domestic workers carry out unpaid emotional labour. She cares for the children, walks the pets, plays confidante, and is entrusted with the most delicate of hand-wash-only family secrets. Oh, they might say she’s like one of the family, but would you tell your own mother what you saw in your husband’s internet search history?  In fast-paced local drama series Housekeepers, the dynamic between domestic workers and their employees gets a wicked twist.

The series takes advantage of one of the most curious aspects of domestic work – the fact that the doek and housedress may as well be an invisibility cloak. And that works to the advantage of lawyer-turned-undercover-evil-madam-investigator, Linda Ndlovu (Thando Thabethe).  

In Housekeepers Season 3, Linda makes herself indispensable to a new madam, Zinhle Zwane (Zandi Nhlapo). Along with being head of the house while her husband is dying, Zinhle rules over her children with an iron fist as the head of the Zwane family’s contract killing business. This time, Linda might have met her match. Unlike her previous two madams, Zinhle isn’t rude, self-centred or dismissive – and she’s used to watching from the shadows.  

Three madams of Housekeepers Seasons 1-3

In Housekeepers’ three seasons, madams giveth, and madams taketh away. On one hand, they sometimes give their workers nice things because she’s “one of the family”. On the other hand, oh, how easily they blame and frame the help the moment there’s trouble in the house! Linda Ndlovu’s madams are all killers, but which of her bosses would you rather push a broom for?  

Boniswa 

In Housekeepers Season 1 Linda went to work for the Zwide family after they framed her mother, nurse June Ndlovu (Clementine Mosimane), for the murder of her dementia patient, Veronica Zwide (Nthati Moshesh). As the first wife to Peter Zwide (Mangaliso Ngema), Veronica was in the way when social climbing Boniswa (Zikhona Sodlaka) wanted to snatch that golden ring and become the new Mrs Zwide.  

Self-centred gold digger Boniswa was pure evil as a human being, and especially as a madam. Her casual willingness to frame June, who was kind, hard-working and innocent, showed how everyone who worked for her was simply a means to an end in her world. Human decency was not a currency Boniswa attached any value to. When Linda worked for her, Boniswa would snatch the tea right out of her hands to drive her back to work. She’d order Linda to do something, then as she was doing it, she’d tell her “now” and shove her to make her move faster. And she told her that she was useless and couldn’t do anything right. And then she’d turn around and use Linda as an emotional dumping ground for all her complaints. Boniswa didn’t give maid references, either. She gave shovels to the head and a burial in the backyard. 

Blame and frame the help: Boniswa framed nurse June for murder, leading to June’s death in prison. But Linda’s not so innocent, since she kept her mouth shut when the Zwides put Max the gardener (Mike Mvelase) behind bars for stealing their money – a heist Linda herself pulled off to pay for her brother Mtho’s (Paballo Koza) operation.  

She’s one of the family! Boniswa killed Veronica Zwide, unaware that Veronica had left her entire estate, including her mansion, to June. 

Noli 

Linda’s next madam was calm, gracious Noli Ngubane (Xolile Tshabalala). On the surface, she ran a funeral parlour and crematorium with her husband Clive (Lindani Nkosi), hyper competent right hand woman Mkhonto (Lorcia Cooper Khumalo), ambitious daughter Thuli (Kwezi Ndolvu), and son and heir Sydney (Sthembiso "SK" Khoza). But under the casket, the Ngubanes’ real family business was cleaning up the “messes” created by the rich and powerful. Their secret motto was to leave no trace, no evidence, and no bodies. And as it turned out, the Zwides had a debt to the Ngubane family that they never paid…for certain services rendered in removing obstacles in their lives. 

Noli Ngubane herself got elbow-deep in the blood and guts of crime scene cleanup. As a result, Noli made sure that the job of housekeeper and cleaner was respected, compensated double the minimum wage, and came with a formal signed contract, and a 13th cheque. She had just three official rules: be seen and not heard, don’t go in the funeral parlour, and absolutely no gossiping. But snooping Linda had to be alert at all times because Noli was always lurking on balconies, watching what went on in her house. And all the Ngubanes acted as if Linda was their personal skivvy. She got pushed, poked, patronised, barked at, questioned, and sent from pillar to post trying to please this ever-demanding, perfectionist household and their spotless, sparkling white mansion. Could she just have one madam, please?  

Blame and frame the help: When one of the Ngubanes was murdered, and Linda (aka Florence the housekeeper) was on the scene, Noli wanted to pop the inconvenient “help” right in the closest coffin because she’d seen too much. 

She’s one of the family (and so is he)! Noli found out that Clive had a secret love child, Linda’s beloved brother Mtho (Paballo Koza), and she killed Clive for betraying her, unaware that he’d changed his will to leave his entire estate to Mtho.  

Zinhle 

Linda dodged the big boss, Death, at the end of Season 2. But she’s not ready to enjoy her fortune just yet. There’s one more family to defeat: the Zwanes, a clan of assassins for hire. Linda’s on the path to living her best life when the Zwanes frame Mtho for murder. Now they have to pay. The Zwanes’ patriarch Senzo (Ernest Ndlovu) is terminally ill and he’s trusting the business to his dutiful, dignified, and deadly wife Zinhle (Zandi Nhlapo), expecting her to keep their assassin kids – Dumi (Andile Mxakaza), Thobi (Noxolo Dlamini) and the family’s snivelling, philandering disaster son, Khwezi (Fezile Makhanya) – firmly under her thumb. The Zwane mansion is as solidly traditional as the family. No glass and concrete facades here, just acres of gleaming wood to polish. But don’t look in the hidden “prep” room and locked basement, or else! 

Unlike Boniswa and Noli, Zinhle is a traditional wife to the bone. Disobey mama and she’ll send you back to the farm to swat flies! But she also has a traditional woman’s flair for exuding warmth and hospitality. Her relationship with Linda starts off with her guiding a confused Linda around the house as if she’s a visiting member of the family. To Linda, it feels like standing next to her own mother. Cut your finger? Zinhle will check it. Feeling poorly? Take the day off, child! Family in trouble? Go without questions. Even her children (aside from Khwezi) show the housekeeper respect and say please and thank you. And Linda is told that nobody is expecting her to clean the entire mansion in one day. Alas, if only madam wasn’t a cold blooded killer.  

Blame and frame the help: Zinhle unwittingly does something to utterly crush Linda when she frames Linda’s beloved brother Mtho for murder. But when Khwezi tries to accuse Linda of snooping and stealing, Zinhle turns the tables. She gives her son the dressing down of his life, defends Linda like a dragon, and warns Khwezi to keep his paws off Linda and mind his business.  

She’s one of the family! Zinhle asks Linda to call her Ma, and even helps her to tie her headscarf. Collapse from your gunshot wound? Never fear, Ma Zinhle will call the doctor and make you food with her own hands. No wonder Linda is confused. 

But now which madam would you choose to work for … and betray?  

Take a closer look when you watch Housekeepers now on Showmax.