- Zama Ngcobo laments over past tensions and beefs that filter into the fourth season of the Real Housewives of Durban.
- She says her 40th birthday lunch at Tiger's Milk was the last resort.
- The media personality hopes viewers see more of her honesty, humour and authenticity as the season progresses.
"A seat at my table does not make you my equal.”
These are the words of newest The Real Housewives of Durban castmate Zama Ngcobo’s introduction tagline and it encapsulates her fierce and poised energy to the fullest.
The actress, television presenter and media personality has expanded her horizons into the unforgiving world of reality TV, showcasing her real and no-nonsense attitude.
Getting the chance to appear on a platform as large as The Real Housewives franchise was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up to diversify her portfolio, add to her skillset and tap into a new audience.
But under the glitz and glamour of the show’s premise, her experience wasn’t exactly what was sold to her.
Coming into the fourth season where tensions and resentments were already running rampant was a challenge for Zama. She shares with TRUELOVE the difficulties of navigating a new friendship group littered with old beefs.
“I think that is the problem with this collective is that ayipheli into yakhona, ayipheli (it never ends). And you somewhat inherit ama-beef and conflicts from indaba zak’dala that we were never a part of.
“So, unfortunately, whether it’s the next season or the season after that, I’ve just seen ukuthi there’s just issues amongst these ladies that are just not going away and I think abantu will be shocked to learn and see ukuthi … people are still harbouring izinto ezenze kudala. They claim to have moved on - ‘I’m flourishing, I’m thriving’. No, girl, you’re lying.”
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The Generations actress made the best of a difficult situation through hosting her first event, a lunch celebrating her 40th birthday.
Many were quick to criticise Zama for choosing a chain restaurant as the location of her milestone birthday.
While she officially celebrated her birthday with loved ones in September 2023, Zama shares that it was the show’s reputation of cat fights and tumultuous behaviour during the ladies’ events that made it difficult for her to find an exclusive high-end venue like her first choice Sala Beach House in Salt Rock, KwaZulu-Natal.
“We were trying to plan this amazing experience and [Durban Tourism] had worked with the housewives as well in the past and then the owner said yes. Obviously, at the time, I couldn’t tell him ukuthi what I was shooting for, and he was like, ‘Okay, when you’re ready we’ll be ready’.
“Let me tell you, the moment I said to him, when it was much closer to the time saying angithi it’s for The Real Housewives of Durban, the man said, ‘Unfortunately, I can’t help you. I do not want to associate myself with that brand’. There’s a whole lot that people don’t know. We inherit the problems and the conflicts that have lingered on. If you remember the instances where oSlee bephasha izitsha, trying to physically fight … the hospitality industry is not blind to that.”
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Zama did her best to turn lemons into lemonade with her event and although it was made to be as if parts of conversation were being dismissed – cue Angel Ndlela revealing her fertility issues – the media personality still hopes for viewers to take everything with a grain of salt when seeing the final edited product of each episode and to stick to tuning in solely for entertainment purposes.
With more episodes to come, Zama hopes viewers will see more nuanced and complex facets of her personality.
“I’m a very honest person,” she explains. “I believe I’m level-headed and I think why I find people seem to comment on my conflict-handling abilities is still ukuthi I’m one person who’s able to keep their calm when the storm hits the fan. I’m able to do that and I’m okay with the way I always handle myself under pressure or under conflict.
“But more than that, I just really wanted – I remember the feedback one got from people especially with the first two episodes where people were like, ‘Oh, my gosh okay fine uZama has this grace and style and the level of maturity, but we didn’t realise she was so funny’. People will see that facet as well ukuthi actually she’s quite hilarious here and there. So, I just hope ukuthi they see me for the typical Zulu authentic girl that I am.”
