The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip – SA: Iconic to “aikona!”

Jamaica, we have a weather report of an emotional storm making its way across the Pacific. Expected landfall, Montego Bay on 27 May 2024. Recommended precautions include dark glasses and your highest SPF sunblock to counter dazzling glamour. Dress for hot bodies, patches of icy shade, and the occasional hailstorm out of a blue sky. The Showmax Original The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip – South Africa is here, and it’s a meteorological phenomenon!

Stream The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip – South Africa Season 1. New episodes Mondays.

This reality series unites iconic cast members from five of the South African franchises: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha and Pretoria. With the ladies out of their element and away from home ground, we have our opera glasses up to see how it all shakes down. There are three Housewives from Durban, two from Johannesburg and just one each from Gqeberha, Cape Town and Pretoria, so we could see three distinct cliques form. But loyalties aren’t that simple. In case you haven’t caught every city’s series, it’s Housewife orientation time! Here’s what you need to know about each of the ladies as revealed during their original seasons, from their iconic moments to their aikona actions.

LaConco (The Real Housewives of Durban S1-S2)

Iconic: Her Real Housewife credentials are impeccable, since she’s the ex-fiancée of former South African President Jacob Zuma and mother to one of his children. So when her Season 1 pals asked who gave her the bling ring, she could just tell them to google her. LaConco is also a killer quote machine, telling us stuff like, “My style is elegant and subtle… I actually prefer to smell like money.” 

Aikona: Is anything real? Annie was the first one to get into it during the Sun City trip, and during the “Londie’s deck of confessions” game, Nonku asked LaConco where she lived … no, really … in Durban. During the Season 2 finale, Nonku and Londie questioned whether LaConco’s romance with the mysterious Petal was all in her head, too. And in the season reunion episodes, LaConco admitted to not even filming in her own home. 

If you want to start drama: Try to nail down specifics on anything in LaConco’s private life … or about men who don’t pay papgeld. 

Nonku Williams (The Real Housewives of Durban S1-S4)

Iconic: Nonku is SA’s longest-serving Housewife, and she lives to serve drama! She’s a fan favourite for her honesty and vulnerability, because the thing about Nonku is that she’s always on a journey to spirituality and self-realisation. She even let us inside her therapy meetings in Season 4 to talk about her ongoing battle for sobriety.

Aikona: Oh, my goodness! Fans were shocked during the Season 1 reunion when Nonku’s mom demanded that Ayanda pay damages for Sfiso and Nonku’s daughter, Nothile, on public TV no less! In Season 3 Nonku was so angry with Slee that when Slee sent her a gift bag, she drowned it in the hot tub in front of everyone like a killer in a Hallmark movie. Their bitter battle led to hands being thrown during the notorious Season 3 finale “last supper”.

If you want to start drama: When men cheat and get accused of crimes, that’s on them. But if you want to start something, talk to Nonku about men who “give” you cars.

Londie London (The Real Housewives of Durban S2)

Iconic: Londie really made her one season on the show count. Fans were gutted that she didn’t return for a new season, especially after she clapped back at LaConco for moaning about going hungry during their Nambiti getaways with the quip, “There’s room service, guys, are you not rich?”. And after Sane came for her, fans noted that Londie was a class act for choosing her peace and her kids rather than staying silent.

Aikona: Londie is just as guilty as LaConco of keeping relationship secrets. In Season 3, episode 2, Londie made a guest appearance to discuss her breakup with Sorisha and Annie, but she kept all that struggle and sorrow to herself in the Season 2 reunion, despite being weeks away from giving birth. 

If you want to start drama: Again, when men cheat and get accused of crimes, and go to jail, that’s on them. But if you want to start something, also talk to Londie about men who “give” you cars.

Christall Kay (The Real Housewives of Johannesburg S1-S2)

Iconic: If you fall asleep when a Housewife is all about self-improvement, minding her manners and guarding her words, Christall’s utter lack of filter could wake the dead. Her trophies might be paid for, but you cannot buy this level of sheer chaos and provocation. 

Aikona: Christall is like a wasp who sings, dances, “doesn’t see colour”, and calls her co-stars “you people” and complains when they speak in “their African languages” around her. After Evodia caught her lying about her private jet during the ladies’ trip to Botswana (could her claim about being roommates with Charlize Theron be equally unfounded?), Christall escalated to outright war with Evodia and Mercy (of Madam & Mercy fame), blatantly criticised their home and claimed it was infested with insects.

If you want to start drama: Since she was last on the show, Christall has just won back her Johannesburg mansion from the high-profile buyer who started defaulting on payments. But don’t get her started on property sales!

Lethabo Lejoy Mathatho (The Real Housewives of Johannesburg S2-S3)

Iconic: Want a study in how to apologise, South African style? After beefing with Christall in Cape Town, Lethabo cooked a delicious seven colours meal, took it to Christall’s house, and sat down and ate with her and Mrs Mops. She’s pure class. 

Aikona: Lethabo picked at wounds right from Season 2, episode 1, when she got stuck into Brinnette’s recent painful divorce following an abusive five-month marriage. She also couldn’t stop commenting on Brinnette’s search for a “man in finance, six five, blue eyes” (or some such), and accused Brinnette of wasting time she could have been dedicating to running her business, to running after men. Brinnette finally flipped the table and came with receipts to reveal that Lethabo didn’t sleep at the house with the rest of them during their Durban trip…

If you want to start drama: Seat her next to Christall, then duck and run!

Liz Prins (The Real Housewives of Gqeberha S1)

Iconic: These ladies blew the dust off the city’s reputation for being sleepy with a focus on being fabulous and fun. It also gave us a genuinely close-knit sisterhood of besties, with Liz the social butterfly being connected to nearly everything. When two more of her friends, Pam and Viv, hopped ashore from a boat during the Housewives St Francis Bay getaway in episode 6, Pam revealed that Liz has always been super nice to her.

Aikona: Viv was less enthused about Liz and more on the fence over whether Liz was just overfamiliar, or actually a bit of a bully whose greeting at Viv’s arrival tainted other people’s perception of Viv and made them wary of befriending her. Norma Nicol’s friendship with Liz even had Viv drawing back from her existing friendship with Norma. Fan favourite stirrer Buli might agree about those bully vibes, seeing Liz as more of an enemy (not helped by the fact that they’d dated the same guy). When Buli and Liz got into it in episode 4, Liz came prepared with a recording of their previous night’s phone call!

If you want to start drama: Sit in her seat. As Liz told young Ashleigh in her season, “I usually sit at the head of the table.”

Melany Viljoen (Die Real Housewives van Pretoria S1)

Iconic: Peet and Mel gave us a rare Housewives couple who seemed equally keen to be in front of the camera, and to be of one ride-or-die mind about their lives and ambitions. They also gave full Housewives glamour in every episode. Hilariously, in the season introduction, Mel turned up her nose at the posh Silver Lakes neighbourhood, claiming that the streets in her Woodlands Estate neighbourhood were steam cleaned every morning. It’s giving rich!

Aikona: Mel and her husband, former lawyer Peet Viljoen, are embroiled in an ongoing battle with the Tammy Taylor Nail brand, which gave her season’s Housewives plenty to whisper about thanks to Investigative journalism programme Carte Blanche spotlighting the lawsuits and countersuits. The fight goes on to this day, with billions at stake. But don’t let them catch you gossiping about it. Mel put Rhona on the spot during dinner in their season asking her whether she was spreading rumours about Mel and Peet’s “shady” dealings. And when Peet got confrontational with Rona and tried to talk down to her as a mere teacher, Rhona clapped back by commenting that she, at least, could still practise in her profession.

If you want to start drama: At this stage even flaunting your mani-pedi in Mel’s direction could be triggering. 

Beverley Steyn (The Real Housewives of Cape Town S1)

Iconic: Beverley gave Housewives fans gold-drenched glamour and (at times) first class delulu, like a real-life diamond encrusted, brand-name Barbie. While other Housewives’ men were taking back their cars, Beverley had four high-end luxury cars of her very own to pick from to suit her moods. And she might have the tea on the Durban ladies, too, since she’s from KZN originally and is besties with Jojo. Beverley comes into the season with more delicious developments, since she got married on Valentine’s Day 2024. 

Aikona: Beverley and castmate Thato struck up a fast friendship from episode 1 of the series, but the hair and nails flew during the Season 1 reunion. After Bev made an insensitive comment about Thato being bipolar, Thato spilled the scorching hot tea about Bev’s third ex-husband. And if you’ve seen the season preview for Ultimate Girls Trip, you know some ladies picked up on that particular bit of gossip!

If you want to start drama: For a third time, when men cheat and get accused of crimes, that’s on them. But let’s talk about it … just don’t ask Bev whether her man is her bodyguard or her boyfriend. 

Watch the trailer for The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip – SA

Stream The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip – South Africa Season 1. New episodes Mondays.