Showmax announce first telenovela based on book series about a Zulu crime family

South African is a country full of rich culture and many different stories that want to be told. Or even need to be told.

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While other streaming services such as Netflix have made an effort to include the many different cultures, languages, and races found in South Africa, they haven't been doing it as well as we would all like.

Showmax has also been lacking and after coming to this realisation they have decided to focus on furthering diversity through the series and movies they add to their lists.

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While 'The River' and Mzansi Magic's 'Gomora' feature amongst the top 10 shows of 2021 on the platform thus far, they want to create a show that they can call their own.

Finally, they have announced that they are creating their very first Showmax Original telenovela!

And they haven't chosen just any story for their debut - they've gone with a bestselling novel.

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Dudu Busani-Dube is the talented writer behind the critically-acclaimed and fan-favourite book series. The story follows the lives of eight Zulu brothers who are part of a formidable crime family and the tales are told from the perspective of the wives of these men. The first three books are 'Hlomu the Wife', 'Zandile the Resolute', and 'Naledi His Love' - and will be used as the inspiration for the series. 

The series, called 'The Wife', is being produced by Stained Glass, who are also responsible for providing us with other much-loved shows such as 'Uzalo' and SAFTA-winning show 'eHostela'. It will have a total of 120 episodes.

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The season will be evenly split between the three books, with every 40 episodes covering one of the titles and the first will focus on Hlomu, a journalist who falls in love with a taxi driver. Little does she know that he is the one behind the heists she has been investigating.

Juicy, right?

Dudu took to Twitter to announce the incredible news:

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Fans are super excited since they found out that their favourite book series would be coming to their television screens.

Especially the ladies, who many have said that they have "fallen in love" with some of the brothers in the novel.

But there are also some concerns.

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As per usual, when it comes to books being adapted for the screen, fans are scared that the adaptation won't do the story justice and that they will also not find the right actors for the roles.

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Many have started making suggestions as to which actor or actress should play which character:

Guess we'll just have to wait for the big cast unveiling.

Congratulations to Dudu on the further success of these books.

Main image courtesy of @Dududube/Twitter