M-Net has announced the names of the 6 Johannesburg women who will be appearing in the official local South African version of The Real Housewives format, The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, with a first season set to start on 1Magic (DStv 103) on Friday 3 August at 19:00.
The Real Housewives of Johannesburg is produced by RHOSA Productions with 13 episodes in the first season, based on the format distributed internationally by NBCUniversal International Formats.
In January M-Net revealed that an official version of The Real Housewives will be coming to South African television on 1 Magic after several fake tries and flop namesake shows.
In 2013 TVwithThinus reported on the drama when Barbie Brazil (real name Thembi Ennie Tshabalala) claimed that she was producing a local South African version entitled The Real Housewives of South Africa although NBCUniversal told me that Barbs doesn't have the rights to the show.
A year later in 2014, The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, reportedly produced by Tigere Media, became a hot topic again with several local well-heeled glitterati whose names were mentioned as being part of yet another attempt at the show. Production started and footage filmed, however the show was abruptly canned after just 6 months - again over format licensing issues.
In 2016 Divas of Jozi made its debut on SABC3 during the reign of terror at the SABC of the famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng that destroyed the ratings of the public broadcaster with his insane programming quotas and trash ideas.
Divas of Jozi was a ratings disaster for SABC3 and slammed by viewers and critics alike. It didn't use The Real Housewives name but was a "refilm" of sorts of the 2014 project, with the exact same cast plus an additional woman, and was done by Bravoplex Media.
The Real Housewives has already seen several legitimate format licensing adaptations internationally - including series set in Athens, Vancouver, Melbourne, Cheshire, Auckland, Sydney, Bangkok and last year two, with one set in Toronto, Canada as well as one just called The Real Housewives of Hungary using the country's name.
Through research RHOSA Productions tracked down Johannesburg socialites - women considered prominent Johannesburg housewives on the social scene.
The women include Evodia Mogase, calling herself Madame, originally from Soweto, who started off as a teacher, then owning a catering business and who is now a "vegetation" expert, described as "warm and talkative".
Evodia's daughter, Mercy Mogase, is also part of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, described as a "bubbly health fanatic" who studied mechanical engineering and is a motivational speaker.
Brinnette Seopela, described as "warm and charming" is a beauty entrepreneur who owns a spa and is apparently "the glue that holds the housewives together".
Naledi Willers is a former Miss Botswana 2nd princess and is a law student "with a strong presence" who also speaks her mind.
Then there's Christall Kay, originally from Durban, who is a former lawyer turned businesswoman "with ambitions of becoming a superstar".
Christall has walked the runways as a model and done commercials to prepare for "a career as a singer".
Busisiwe Ter Mors is also known as "Lendy", a golfer born in South Africa but raised in England.
Busisiwe is a mother of two "with enough time to enjoy the joys of being a housewife, from living an affluent lifestyle to enjoying simple get-togethers hosting her friends and family".
According to the show, DStv subscribers will get access to the lives of these "glamorous wealthy Johannesburg women and take a tour of their wardrobes and get VIP access to their lavish parties"who apparently have "the biggest handbag and stilettos collections in town".
Ana Langenberg, the senior vice president of format sales and production at NBCUniversal International Formats, says "The Real Housewives franchise is a global brand, which seamlessly lends itself to localisation".
"For years M-Net has brought other international versions of the show to audiences across South Africa, so it is the perfect partner to launch the first official South African version."
"Johannesburg also makes for the perfect setting, with its rich history and vibrant culture. We can't wait for what we hope will be another successful series full of entertainment, drama and extravagance."
Reneilwe Sema, the director of local entertainment channels at M-Net, says "We are excited to be able to bring our viewers a South African version of The Real Housewives, a great franchise that has done so well internationally. The Real Housewives of Johannesburg will be a great treat for 1Magic viewers".
