kykNET to debut Die Real Housewives van die Wynlande in April.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice, M-Net and NBCUniversal Formats are continuing their reality TV expansion of The Real Housewives franchise with Die Real Housewives van die Wynlande set in Stellenbosch's upper-crust wine estate wives community which is becoming the 9th African version and the second Afrikaans offshoot.

Die Real Housewives van die Wynlande - the second Afrikaans version in South Africa of The Real Housewives franchise - will start on kykNET (DStv 144) on Thursday 20 April at 20:00, similar to Die Real Housewives of Pretoria which made its debut in 2022.

kykNET is not yet releasing the identities of the women who have been filming the past few months and will be appearing in the winelands version.

Die Real Housewives van die Wynlande follows after South African versions of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, The Real Housewives of Cape Town, The Real Housewives of Durban currently in its third season, and The Real Housewives of Gqeberha currently in its first season.

MultiChoice Africa and M-Net also produced two Nigerian versions - The Real Housewives of Lagos, and The Real Housewives of Abuja currently in its first season - as well as The Real Housewives of Nairobi in Kenya also currently in its first season.

Die Real Housewives van die Wynlande will follow the champagne catfights and soirée-filled social circles of a new group of Afrikaans-speaking women, all living and gossiping in South Africa's famed Cape winelands region around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek, known for its "old money" and its centuries-old, multi-million rand family-owned wine estates.

According to kykNET, the Cape winelands offer "wealth, vineyards and wine" but it is also here where the tongues are wagging in the high-society social circles over the latest and never-ending gossip in the region over the ins and outs of this conspicuously wealthy community.

NBCUniversal Formats' Real Housewives reality franchise expands in South Africa with The Real Housewives of Durban coming to M-Net's 1Magic on DStv in 2021.

by Thinus Ferreira

South Africa's format localisation of The Real Housewives reality franchise is expanding with M-Net that is adding The Real Housewives of Durban to 1Magic (Dstv 103) from Friday 19 January at 19:00 with 6 feisty women.

The Real Housewives of Durban is produced by Let It Rain Films and the first season will have 14 episodes, including the reunion.

The main cast of the KwaZulu/Natal-set series showing off their conspicuous consumption, lavish lifestyles and who will have fighting words for each other are Nonkanyiso Conco ( a so-called "baby mama" of former president Jacob Zuma and owner of Laconco Naturals); and businesswoman Ann-Toni Ludick (who runs her own events and marketing company as well as dance agency, and owns a salon called Annastethic).

Also included is the socialite Sorisha Naidoo (former Miss India South Africa pageant winner, former actress, DJ and wife to the billionaire businessman Vivian Reddy) who previously appeared in a similar type show, Divas of Jozi in 2016 on SABC3 and who is famed for her invitation-only Umhlanga dinner events at her Izinga Ridge home.

Also part of the main cast is Ayanda Ncwane (CEO of Ncwane Communications and Sfiso Ncwane Productions and the widow of the late gospel star Sfiso Ncwane); and Kgomotso Ndungane (the wife of the former Sharks and Springbok winger Odwa Ndungane who has her own events planning company, Oak Celebrations and recently launched her own luxury personal care brand, LeLaPa).

Rounding out The Real Housewives of Durban cast is Nonku Williams (a mother of three who is the founder of Ashes to Beauty Winery).

The Real Housewives is an NBCUniversal International format and is produced internationally in conjunction with NBCUniversal Formats, with The Real Housewives of Johannesburg that started in August 2018 and ran for two seasons. 

The Real Housewives of Durban with the new cast is now moving to the KZN coast to show viewers "the lavish lifestyle of the Durban wives" according to 1Magic.

"Reality TV has become our most followed genre, not only because it gives viewers authenticity and entertainment, but resonates with their lived experiences as it gives them a glance into a world in which they aspire to live one day," says Nomsa Philiso, director of local entertainment channels at M-Net, speaking about the new Real Housewives addition.

A real South African version of The Real Housewives coming to DStv as M-Net's new 1Magic reveals that it secured the international format rights from NBCUniversal for a local version.

A real South African version of The Real Housewives will be coming to DStv, with M-Net that confirmed that it had picked up the format licensing rights for a local South African version of the show for its new 1Magic (DStv 103) channel.

For the past few years M-Net has been showing seasons of The Real Housewives, and the various spin-offs from this American reality show franchise on the VUZU AMP (DStv 103) channel.

M-Net is now rebranding and relaunching VUZU AMP as 1 Magic on 29 January on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform, as it tries to court an upmarket black viewership demographic that's familiar with the existing Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) offering and who wants even more premium programming.

1Magic will be available to DStv Premium subscribers only, and although no broadcast date has been specified, the first real South African version of The Real Housewives will make its debut on this channel in the future.

It's not yet clear what exactly the show's title would be and where it would be set, for instance The Real Housewives of Jozi or Sandton, The Real Housewives of Clifton, or The Real Housewives of Soweto.

"1Magic has recently acquired the rights to produce a version of The Real Housewives format. There's no link to the SABC productions from some time back," said Reneilwe Sema, M-Net director of local entertainment channels, in response to a media enquiry from TVwithThinus following Tuesday's 1Magic media launch event held at Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg.

The Real Housewives is an NBCUniversal International format and is produced internationally in conjunction with NBCUniversal International Studios.

An official, "real" South African version of The Real Housewives for the country would be a long way coming.

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. The reality series that was widely panned by viewers and TV critics alike 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.