The land of plenty

Most guys find one wife to be a handful, but mnqobi simelane’s about to add a third to the mix.

Season 1 Mondays (from 2 March) e.tv 21:00

Joburg’s affluent northern suburbs is the last place you’d expect to find a happily married man living with his two daughters… and two wives. but that’s life for mnqobi (hamilton dhlamini). while having two women who adore you under one roof is every man’s dream, imagine if they liked each other. heaven, right? cebisile (gcina mkhize) is mnqobi’s senior wife and their daughters have been living amicably with junior wife dumile (played by nokuthula ledwaba), until the lack of an heir becomes a problem. mnqobi’s unhappy and wants a new wife to give him a son. enter prettier and younger khwezi (nomzamo mbatha) on monday 2 march…

mnqobi – the main man (hamiltom dhlamini)

the wealthy businessman owns a fleet of trucks and needs an heir to his empire as his expiry date is fast approaching.

Why does Mnqobi decide that he wants a third wife? cebisile is the source of his troubles [laughs]. if she’d given him an heir, he’d have stayed married to her only. after two daughters, she’s unable to have more kids, which is why he took second wife dumile. how was she chosen? with polygamy, the first wife gets to pick the next wife for whatever purpose. the only problem is that dumile hasn’t given him children and that’s when he suggests a third wife. So how does he woo Khwezi? mnqobi’s got money, so it isn’t that difficult [laughs]. although most people no longer practice it, khwezi understands why he’s doing it and that he’s observing protocol and would rather do it legally [not having a child out of wedlock].

cebisile – the matriarch (gcina mkhize)

her respect for tradition has had mnqobi’s first love suffering in silence through a second wife, but how she’ll react to another wife is still to be seen.

Did the thought of polygamy cross Cebisile’s mind when she got married? she thought that she’d never have to go through it, but she compromised because of her condition and to make mnqobi happy. So is the addition of a third wife easier or harder? definitely harder due to the way that he’s gone about it, sneaking around with khwezi for a whole year. What’s the hardest part for her? limited time with her hubby and the constant competition for his attention. also, if he has another child, she fears that hers will be treated differently. Could the uproar in the house cause her to walk away? she doesn’t strike me as that type of woman. in her and her family’s eyes, it would be considered a failure.

dumile – the drama queen (nokuthula ledwaba)

accustomed to the finer things in life, marrying mnqobi proved to be a step in the right direction for this modern