Meet the cast of new Showmax telenovela The Wife

• Showmax has revealed the cast for it's new telenovela, The Wife.
• The series is based on the bestselling novel, Hlomu the Wife, by Dudu Busani-Dube.
• Rising star Bonko Khoza, who will take on the role of Mqele in the show, said: " I'm really excited to bring to life this incredible piece of writing."

Showmax has revealed the cast for the new highly-anticipated series, The Wife, based on Dudu Busani-Dube's bestselling novel Hlomu the Wife. 

Rising star Bonko Khoza, who burst onto the scene as Jabz in Necktie Youth and has appeared in Professionals and the Emmy-nominated Roots, will take on the role of Mqhele in the show.  

"I read the book a couple of years ago and was a fan from the moment I put it down," Bonko said in a press statement. "Fast forward to 2021 when I got sent an audition for the series. I'm really excited to bring to life this incredible piece of writing. Dudu created a compelling work of art and now we get to breathe life into it, put faces to names and show it to the world."

Showmax has also confirmed the casting of Mqhele's family, the Zulu brothers, with Kwenzo Ngcobo (Imbewu) as Qhawe; Sipho Ndlovu (Isibaya, The Queen) as Sambulo; SAFTA winner Abdul Khoza (Isibaya, Kings of Joburg) as Nqoba; Mondli Makhoba (Umkhokha, Generations, Imbewu) as Nkosana; SAFTA nominee Thulane Nkululeko Shange (Is'thunzi, iNumber Number) as Mqoqi; Ishmauel Songo (Rhythm City, Tsotsi) as Mpande; and Swelihle Luthuli (eHostela) as Ntsika.  

Showmax has commissioned three seasons of the show, each containing 40 episodes, inspired by Dudu's books Hlomu the Wife, Zandile the Resolute, and Naledi his Love. The books follow the lives of eight Zulu brothers, a formidable crime family, through the eyes of the women they marry. 

The Wife is being produced by Stained Glass, who has been behind Safta-winning shows like eHostela, Ifalakhe, and Uzalo.

Speaking about the series, author Dudu said: "the Showmax series expands on the world created in the novel." 

She added: "For fans of Hlomu the Wife, who know all the scenes and the lines, be prepared for new experiences and surprises on screen."

The Wife will become the eighth Showmax Original released in 2021, following shows like Devilsdorp, and Babes Wodumo and Mampintsha's reality series Uthando Lodumo, critically acclaimed scripted series like DAM, Skemerdans and Tali's Baby Diary, and popular reality series like Temptation Island South Africa S1 and Life With Kelly Khumalo S2.