Khanyi Mbau has landed a role on one of Showmax’s biggest local dramas.
She joins the record-breaking telenovela, The Wife, in the Season 2 lead role of Zandile The Resolute, playing the wife of Nkosana, the leader of the Zulu brothers’ crime family.
Eagle-eyed fans of the hit show, which has topped Twitter every Thursday since its launch, will get their first glimpse of Khanyi as Zandile in Thursday episodes.
While she does feature again - and more prominently - in season 1, she’ll take centre stage in season 2, which premières on Showmax in February, and will be inspired by Dudu Busani-Dube’s bestselling novel Zandile The Resolute.
“Season 2 is told through the eyes of uZandile. We'll be exploring Nkosana and Zandile's love story and finding out more about their history. We’ll get to know Zandile as the matriarch of the Zulu family, the glue which held the Zulu brothers together.
“In Season 2, she wants to reclaim her position, a role that uHlomu has now taken over in her absence. Get ready to see the world through Zandile's eyes,” said Stained Glass showrunner Gugu Ncube-Zuma.
After the vocal but quickly forgotten fan outcry that greeted the initial casting announcements of Hlomu and the Zulu brothers, Khanyi admits she’s understandably daunted by the role.
“The greatest challenge for an actress is being a part of a story that everyone knows. That brings a lot of expectations that you need to live up to. There’s a cult around this show so there’s a lot of pressure. And before being part of the cast, I am a fan, so I really don’t want to drop the ball. For me to depict this character is really something that can either make me or break me, to be quite honest with you, but I love the thrill,” said the actress.
Ncube-Zuma is confident that Khanyi is perfectly cast. “Khanyi is talented and had the range so necessary for this role,” she says. “She has depth and rawness; she’s able to tap into the dark side that Zandile has, as well as give that vulnerability that we’ll see, especially with the love between her and Nkosana. As a production team, we've worked with her before, and we know she'll bring that grit that is needed for the character of Zandile.”