Lethabo Lejoy Mathato on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip

Since its launch three weeks ago, The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip - South Africa became an instant hit with fans across Africa, topping charts both on Showmax and on social media.

The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip - South Africa features eight Housewives from five different South African franchises, bringing them together in Jamaica, where they share their experiences of those shows - including the things that viewers did not get to see.

The star-studded cast includes Beverley Steyn (The Real Housewives of Cape Town S1); Christall Kay (The Real Housewives of Johannesburg S1-2); LaConco (The Real Housewives of Durban S1-2); Lethabo Lejoy Mathatho (The Real Housewives of Johannesburg S2-3); Liz Prins (The Real Housewives of Gqeberha S1); Londie London (The Real Housewives of Durban S2); Melany Viljoen (The Real Housewives of Pretoria S1); and Nonku Williams (The Real Housewives of Durban S1-4).

Watch the trailer for The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip - South Africa

Lethabo is now one of seven African Housewives with three or more seasons in their resume, behind only Nonku Williams (5 seasons) and Sorisha Naidoo (4), and tied with Annie Mthembu, Christall, Jojo Robinson, and LaConco.

After filming in Jamaica, Lethabo is spilling on all things Housewives, including her relationship with fellow Johannesburg co-star Christall:

Why did you join The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip - South Africa?

I decided to join The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip - South Africa because I wanted to meet the other ladies from different franchises. For me, it was an opportunity to meet my colleagues from different branches and discuss our experiences and the things we go through. Being a Housewife is a unique experience that not a lot of people will understand, so it was nice to be with people who are in the same boat as me. There were a lot of commonalities between us.

What are some of the common things that you all go through?

The biggest commonality is that we all have two sides. On our shows, people sometimes see the good side and sometimes they see the bad, but what we can all agree on is that we show it all.

Going into the trip, was there anything in particular that you wanted to clarify or find out from the other ladies?

Because I am on The Real Housewives and I do this for a living, I was most interested in finding out the behind-the-scenes tea. In my experience, I have learnt that the juiciest things always happen when the cameras are not rolling, so it was interesting to find out a few things from the ladies.

How are you different from the Lethabo viewers saw in The Real Housewives of Johannesburg?

In my last season of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, I was bored the entire time. I was like, ‘When are we finishing?’ because I knew that my castmates were just starting things from nowhere. I felt like it was not natural. They read and heard about me and they came with preconceived ideas of who I am. Honestly, I was just put off by that.

On The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip - South Africa, I came in to have fun. I did not know anybody, so, for me, I just wanted to experience the ladies. In the midst of that, I experienced them differently from what I saw on TV, so I was pleasantly surprised.

Who was the most different from what you saw on their franchises?

When I was watching The Real Housewives of Durban, I did not understand Nonku much but meeting her in real life was so good. She is so much fun. I fell in love with Bev from Cape Town and Liz from GQ is my girl. She and I grew so close and we speak every day, multiple times. She is essentially part of my family. She even speaks to my mom.

What was the biggest shock you had when you met the other ladies?

I would say that the things that were coming out of their mouths were shocking. There were so many things that were revealed on the show; I can’t wait for viewers to watch and see it all. A lot of things will start to make sense; no one held back.

What were your first impressions of everyone?

Where do I even start? When I saw everyone, I knew that it would be a lot of fun but I also knew that it would be a big headache. Mixing all of these personalities together was really smart and that is why viewers are enjoying the show so much.

Your and Christall’s friendship is on and off. Why is that?

The situation with Christall is so weird because I love Christall. She and I have hung out together so many times and we always have a good time, but every time there is a camera, Christall is a different person who I cannot understand. The Christall I know off-camera is very different from the one on camera; it is like she is two different people and that is very confusing.

Even when Christall was not asked back for Season 3 of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, I was the one by her side, comforting her, so for her to think that I want to take her down is not true.

Why should people watch?

Yoh, yoh, yoh! If people think that the past three episodes were fire, honey, we have not even switched on the stove yet. We are not even in the kitchen yet. Every episode was fire. There was always something happening in Jamaica. Even after the cameras would stop filming, there would still be drama at the house, and some dramas went beyond filming. A lot happened and it is going to get more intense, more fun, more chaotic. It is just more of everything!

About The Real Housewives

The Real Housewives is distributed internationally by NBCUniversal Formats, which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Other Showmax Originals include editions in Durban, Abuja, Lagos and Nairobi. Showmax is also the streaming home of the Johannesburg, Pretoria and Wynlande franchises.

hayu, NBCUniversal’s all-reality SVOD streaming service, is streaming Season 4 of The Real Housewives of Durban across 45 countries, including Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. S1 of The Real Housewives of Durban is also available on Bravo, the original home of the franchise.