As previously reported, South Africa was getting their own Real Housewives installment, and now it's been confirmed that
The Real Housewives of Johannesburg is finally happening and they will make their official debut on Friday, August 3 at 7pm on 1Magic.
The official cast consist of six glamours ladies, which are: Brinnette Seopela, Busisiwe Ter Mors, Christall Kay, Evodia Mogase, Mercy Evodia, and Naledi Willers.
Evodia Mogase and Mercy Evodia are mother and daughter. This will be the first in the Real Housewives franchise that a mother-daughter duo are part of the official line-up.
via 1Magic Official Press ReleaseThe first ever local version of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg is set to debut on 1Magic, DStv channel 103 on Friday 3 August at 19:00.
Viewers will be privy to the lives of the glamorous wealthy Johannesburg women and take a tour of their wardrobes and get VIP access to their lavish parties from the comfort of their living rooms. We let you in on the mostly private lives of the ladies with the biggest handbag and stilettos collections in town.
The reality series documents the highs and lows of the six fiery affluent characters, as they let Mzansi into their lives - from their luxurious homes to their prestigious family life.
At the centre of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, we meet Madame,
Evodia Mogase; a warm, talkative, straight talker originally from Soweto. She started off as a teacher, then owned a catering business and is today a vegetation expert.
Evodia joins the show with her daughter,
Mercy Mogase. The bubbly health fanatic studied mechanical engineering and later joined herbal life as an ambassador and motivational speaker.
We also meet a warm and charming beauty entrepreneur who owns a spa,
Brinnette Seopela. She finds her happy ending at the heart of this series and is the glue that holds the Housewives together.
If you have been wondering who is the woman behind The Naked DJ? A former Miss Botswana, 2nd princess,
Naledi Willers. The Real Housewives of Johannesburg reveals her life as a wife, a Law student with a strong presence as she leaves no stone unturned and speaks her mind.
Alongside these interesting ladies on the move is a former lawyer turned businesswoman with ambitions of becoming a superstar,
Christall Kay. Originally from Durban, Christall has walked the runway as a model and bagged a couple of commercials to prepare for a career as a singer. Watch how she balances it all.
Lastly, we step into
Busisiwe Ter Mors’ heels, also known as Lendy. A keen golfer born in South Africa but raised in England. She 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.
“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”, says Reneilwe Sema, Director of Local Entertainment Channels at M-Net.
As
previously reported, The Real Housewives of Johannesburg was struck by controversy back in 2014 when production suddenly stopped after filming for six months. The Sunday Times and Sowetan reported via
TVSA that there were rights issues with the show and that the housewives involved wanted to sue the production after the footage ended up on the chopping room floor.
The noise died down after a different production company picked up the pieces. The series was produced by Bravoplex Media under a new title. It was reported that the new show was not associated or be part of the Real Housewives franchise. The reality show returned under
Divas of Jozi.
It turns out that the reality show featured the exact same cast as the Real Housewives of Johannesburg, with one added extra cast member to the line up. 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.
However, earlier this year it was confirmed via
Channel 24 that they had picked up the format licensing rights for a local South African version of the hit reality franchise for its new 1Magic (currently DStv 103) channel.
"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.
Last year, three international Real Housewives series made their official debut. The Real Housewives of Toronto (Canada), The Real Housewives of Sydney (Australia) and Feleségek Luxuskivitelben (The Real Housewives of Hungary).
A re you excited that South Africa is getting their own Real Housewives series? Sound off in the comments below!
The Real Housewives of Johannesburg premieres on Friday, August 3 at 19:00 on 1Magic DStv Channel 103.
Source/Photo Credit: 1Magic DStv