Big city living
Six busy Divas Of Jozi living it up in the city of gold – what could possibly go wrong?
From left: Puleng Mash-Spies, Aimee Sadie, Sorisha Naidoo, Christie Swanepoel, Nazley Delport and Stevie French. Season 1 Mondays SABC3 (*193) 20:00
Reality TV fans were buzzing in 2014 at the announcement of a local version of the popular Real House-wives franchise (2006- current). Filling its line-up at the time were one-time reality TV star Puleng Mash-Spies, TV personality Stevie French, actress Sorisha Naidoo, marketing manager Nazley Delport and entrepreneur Aimee Sadie. But then it just vanished into thin air. So what happened to the show? At the time, former Generations actress Sonia Sedibe (who played Ntombi between 2003 and 2011) and producer Arthur Tigere were the brains and bucks behind the show and they’d already filmed six months’ worth of episodes when the project was shut down amid controversy in September 2015 – rumour has it the two bosses weren’t getting on. Now, Arthur’s back without partner Sonia and he’s rebranded it Divas Of Jozi (2016- current), but not everyone’s a fan…
MIXED REACTIONS
Social media was on fire following the Monday 4 July premiere episode – and not for the right reasons. Viewers were critical of the poor production quality, as well as some of the Divas. While a few of the ladies believe that they’re making a difference through their various businesses and charitable causes, others are aspiring to further their careers thanks to exposure from the show. Either way, seeing the feuds, cliques and diary sessions play out has met with varying reactions, with some calling the show cringe-worthy while others can’t wait for more antics. Who is she? The mother of two is in her second marriage, to ex-restaurateur Fred Spies, and she was the self-proclaimed “Queen Of Dainfern” in the short-lived Come Dine With Me SA (2012-2014) in 2012. What does she do? She runs charity The Rethabile Children’s Fund with her hubby and owns her own company Glam On Heels Décor. Who is she? A TV presenter, actress and radio personality. What does she do? After working as a news anchor for FOX News in the US, she returned to SA in 2014 and played temptress Lindi on soapie Isidingo (1998- current) in 2015. Who is she? Nightclub marketing manager Nazley is a single mom who’s studying business management at Regenesys Business School. What does she do? The image coach owns consultancy firm First Impressions By Lady Naz and believes in making the world just a little prettier, but mostly she says her purpose is to give hope to young people in this sometimes harsh world.