After a rather blah kick-off to the first season, “The Real Housewives of Durban“ has returned and the production house has worked their Midas touch to turn things around.
And, in doing so, they have certainly got Mzansi invested in being a fly-on-the-wall in the soft lives of the oh-so-glamorous affluent cast.
Season two has everything that we’ve come to love about the personality-driven franchise. And, boy oh boy, do the personalities surface, along with those perfectly manicured claws and catty comments, too.
This time around, there is a bit of a shake-up with three new members joining the original circle of Nonku Williams, Sorisha Naidoo, Nonkanyiso “LaConco” Conco and Annie Ludick.
So here’s a quick intro for those unfamiliar (where have you been living?) with any of these influential women.
Nonku is a businesswoman and founder of Ashes to Beauty Winery.
She contributed to plenty of jaw-dropping moments in season one when she confronted Ayanda Ncwane, the CEO of Ncwane Communications and president of The Africa Gospel Awards, about not knowing who she was.
Turns out, Nonku has a daughter with Ayanda’s late husband, S’fiso.
Sorisha, who is no stranger to the cameras having carved out a career as an actress several years back, is also a businesswoman who is married to tycoon Vivian Reddy. The mother of two is the epitome of Zen on the show.
And if you don’t know LaConco, you must heed her “Google me” suggestion. For those who can’t be bothered, well, she was engaged to former president Jacob Zuma and the two share a son together.
She also owns the beauty brand Laconco Naturals.
Then there is Annie. Talk about a firecracker, she is that and then some.
The mother of three runs Annaesthetic, a luxury beauty salon, an events and marketing company as well as a dance agency.
The original cast is joined by Londie London, who is a successful artist, a new mom to a gorgeous 10-month old baby boy, Uminathi, who she shares with her fiancé businessman Hlubi Nkosi.
This brings us to fun-loving Jojo Robinson, an artist who loves her body art too. She is married to businessman and former kickboxing champion Calven Robinson, and they have a 6-year-old son, Rocco.
Last but not least, there is Thobile MaKhumalo Mseleku, who is a popular motivational speaker and Vuma FM radio personality.
Married to polygamist Musa Mseleku, she certainly brings a different energy and train of thought to the table.
Two episodes in, the drama is just heating up.
The season kicked off with everyone wanting a clean slate on the back of what went down in season one where a rift was created when only certain ladies were invited to a traditional event.
As such, Nonku decides to throw a “spring has sprung” soiree for the ladies with bright neon colours as the dress code. And the new cast members were on the guest list too.
Things go somewhat pear-shaped as the host made a fashionably late entry to her own party, leaving the guests uncertain about what to do.
And some of the ladies had flashbacks to those awkward vibes at Nonku’s wine-tasting event last season.
A comment made by Queen (Nonku’s mother) doesn’t sit well with Annie at all. She believes they were insulted and that she inferred that they were beautiful but stupid.
Meanwhile, LaConco’s relationship status has got the ladies speculating on her love life. Interestingly enough, she decides to take Sorisha into her confidence to unpack her struggles.
Of course, given the political undertones there, one can’t help but wonder if this was a calculated move on LaConco’s part.
She generally has a poker face and you can’t really tell where you stand with her. Even Londie, who LaConco has bonded with, couldn’t get a straight answer from her when she asked about the man in her life.
Right now, she’s on a self-love journey. She’s been working hard to lose weight.
That said, I did smirk when she told her designer that she has dropped to a size 36 now. Honey, who are you kidding? But you keep chasing those weight goals, you will get there girl!
Jojo isn’t about any drama. And she wasn’t keen on the beef between Annie and Nonku, who arrived late yet again, at her cake-decorating soiree.
That Nonku keeps bringing up the fact that no one cracked an invite to Annie’s white wedding – including her so-called BFF Londie – is grating Annie big time. She would prefer to let sleeping dogs lie, but Nonku is like a dog with a bone on the issue.
Viewers are still getting to learn a bit more about MaKhumalo, but if the reality show so far is anything to go by, it’s going to be a cracker of a season.
And can we also take a moment to talk about those wardrobes, serving catwalk designs in every frame!
As I pointed out at the start of my critique, season two of “RHODurban” seduces with its high fashion, a dynamic cast and delicious melodramatic moments.
I’m here for every juicy moment, especially with Nonku trying to convince her mother to finally bury the hatchet with her father, as is the rest of Mzansi.
Even better, the gloves have come off and the ladies aren’t pussyfooting around issues as they did in season one.
“The Real Housewives of Durban” season two is currently streaming on Showmax with new episodes dropping every Friday.