Move aside Divas of Jozi... the
Real Housewives of Johannesburg are moving in.
After years of controversy, rumoured housewives and the torture of
Divas of Jozi on SABC3, the actual franchise version of the show has miraculously come to fruition - with a confirmed premiere date.
It debuts on 1Magic on Friday, 3 August at 19h00 with a line-up of six housewives.
As you may remember, Divas of Jozi was supposed to be The Real Housewives of Johannesburg but filming was
struck by a fiasco when it faced rights issues about the format. The housewives freaked out, it changed name and a different production house took over.
It went on to plunge ratings on SABC3 under Hlaudi Motsoeneng's watch and there are those who still haven't recovered from the horror of it.
Flash-forward two years and M-Net has the rights to the original franchise, which is produced by Evolution Media for Bravo (owned by NBC Universal).
It's being produced for 1Magic by Rhosa Productions and these are the six wives:
Evodia Mogase
who calls herself Madam
Originally from Soweto, Evodia started off as a teacher, then owned a catering business and now defines herself as a "vegetation expert".
Mercy Mogase
Evodia's health fanatic daughter who studied mechanical engineering. She later joined Herbalife as an ambassador and motivational speaker.
Brinnette Seopela
An entrepreneur who owns a spa and soccer star Yeye's ex-girlfriend. According to 1Magic, her happy ending is at the heart of the series and she's described as "the glue that holds the Housewives together."
Naledi Willers
Wife to The Naked DJ, a former Miss Botswana 2
nd princess and a law student. Apparently she has a strong presence and speaks her mind.
Christall Kay
A former lawyer turned businesswoman with lofty ambitions of becoming a superstar. Originally from Durban, Christall has walked the runway as a model and been in a couple of commercials to prepare for a career as a singer.
Busisiwe Ter Mors,
who must be generous with her cash because she's also known as Lendy
She was born in South Africa but raised in England and she likes golfing. She's a mother of two who lives an affluent lifestyle with her friends and family.