A humdrum start to ‘The Real Housewives of Durban’
SINCE The Real Housewives of Orange County debuted on small screens in March 2006, the spin-off shows have been popping out like freshly-baked banana loaves during the Covid-19 lockdown.
To date, there are several international offerings from New York City, Atlanta, New Jersey, D.C., Beverly Hills, Miami, Potomac, Dallas to Salt Lake City, and counting.
In South Africa, we’ve already enjoyed two seasons of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, with talk of a third instalment being on the cards.
Although I’ve not been able to catch every episode of all the different franchises, I’ve watched enough of the international offerings as well as SA’s first local version to understand – and even appreciate – the hype around the reality shows.
By inviting viewers to be a fly-on-the-wall in the lives of the rich and famous housewives, the show also taps into their aspirational goals.
The bonus is the entertainment value as the backstabbing, catfights and egos go into overdrive.
And now The Real Housewives of Durban has debuted on Showmax.
What’s the verdict?
It’s mellow. So mellow it’s prosaic. The calm start ended in a small storm. But that was the only exciting thing.
Let’s chat about the cast, who are also successful women.
Sorisha Naidoo, 43, is most graceful in how she carries herself. The mother of two is married to Durban businessman Vivian Reddy. She has a zen personality and wields much influence on the social scene.
This was most evident by Kgomotso Ndungane’s reaction when she arrived at her lavish uMhlango mansion and saw her luxury vehicles.
Kgomotso, the owner of Oak Celebrations, an event and floral business, has also launched a luxury home, body and bath product line, Lelapa. Married to former Sprinkbok player Odwa, the mother of two is easygoing.
Annie Ludick, 28, is a real spitfire. The mother of three runs Annaesthetic, a luxury beauty salon, an events and marketing company as well as a dance agency.
She is married to businessman Kgolo Mthembu and is planning her white wedding in April.
With Annie, I must admit, I love her chutzpah and the fact she can read the room unlike most of her co-stars.
Then there is Ayanda Ncwane, who is the CEO of Ncwane
