by Thinus Ferreira
The second season of The Real Housewives of Durban on Showmax has undergone casting changes with Annie Ludick, Nonkanyiso Conco, Nonku Williams, Sorisha Naidoo and Mabusi Seme who return but are joined by three new women: Londie London, Thobile Mseluku and Jojo Robinson.
The Real Housewives of Durban, produced by Let It Rain Films, will debut on 28 January on MultiChoice's video streaming service Showmax, and will release a new episode every Friday similar to the approach of Disney+ and Apple TV+.
The musician and actress Londie London married to Hlubi Nkosi who has a 10-month old boy Uminathi, says "Since I've become a wife and a mother, I thought it would be a great idea for the public to see how I'm rebranding myself".
Thumeka Hlotshana, director of the second season, says "Londiwe is relatable and honest when the moment calls for it, especially about things that matter".
Thobile MaKhumalo Mseleku is married to the polygamist Musa Mseleku and is a radio personality on Vuma FM. On her reason for joining the reality show she says "I need people that I can mingle with, people who inspire me and make sense to me".
Thumeka Hlotshana says Thobile "is from a humble village on the South Coast so The Real Housewives of Durban is going to take her outside of her comfort zone as she tries to fit in with a group of wives living the big city dream".
The tattoo artists Jojo Robinson who is married to the Durban businessman and former South African kickboxing champion Calven Robinson is also joining the reality series, with her 6-year old son, Rocco.
"I decided to join this season because I wanted to give a new perspective on the tattooed community," she says. "Often people have assumptions about people with tattoos and
I wanted to flip that around and show everyone that you should never judge a
book by its cover. I also always wanted to do something in TV and thought this
would be a good way to kick-start that."
"I love doing things that are out of my
comfort zone, and I think this was the perfect space for self-growth and to
create new friendships."
Thumeka Hlotshana describes Jojo as outspoken, colourful and unapologetically herself".
"Her love
for art comes through in pretty much everything she does. She loves her family
and friends, but is never afraid to stand up for what she thinks is right.
Viewers can expect straightforward conversations and responses from Jojo. She
is loud, humorous and simply fun."
About returning, Nonkanyiso Conco says "I’m coming back for the same reason I joined the show when it started and more".
"There have been a lot of misconceptions about me, especially about the father of my child. People don’t know me, but they have so many opinions, very negative opinions. However, since my appearance on the show – and when people see me in public – they acknowledge how their notions about me were so wrong."
Nonku Williams says "I've returned for numerous reasons and one of those reasons is because I really do love the show and I believe that I'm healing a lot of women by sharing my life experiences".
Annie Mthembu says her return is "mostly about brand building. I've seen the huge impact that season 1 had on my brand, my salon and my other various businesses. The show has also opened quite a few doors for me so I just want to continue with that momentum".
Sorisha Naidoo says she "thought it would be a great idea to come back and continue the friendship and to continue to share the love. I also want to take the lessons I've learned in the previous season into this new one. I want to be more tolerant, more patient and to speak my mind more in this season because I tend not to do that".