By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Image via Instagram(@Abdul Khoza).
Kwenzo Ngcobo and Abdul Khoza, who starred in Showmax Original telenovela The Wife, will reunite for a new comedy series called Ekhaya Backpackers.
In The Wife, Ngcobo and Khoza played the Zulu brothers. Other cast members joining the two actors are Thobani Mbhele, Eve Rasimeni, Monnye Kunupi, and Felix Hlophe.
The comedy series introduces the Mthembu family, which intends to convert a family home into a backpackers’ hostel in order to settle its late mother’s debt.
The family includes two very different brothers: an uncle who is too laid back for his own good, an inappropriate grandmother, and a crazy baby-mama.
Ngcobo plays Jabu, the younger brother, who has spent the last two years residing in the US. He leaves for home with almost no money and an unsettling American accent.
Mbhele co-stars as Papi, the elder brother. He is a street-smart hustler who knows his way around the hood.
Even though the two brothers are constantly at odds, their shared goal of upholding their mother’s legacy helps them put their differences aside.
Rasimeni (Hhayi bo Mnakwethu, The Payback, Temptation Island SA and Savage Beauty) is Madibuseng, Papi’s vivacious and outgoing partner, who is loyal to a fault.
Kunupi (The Throne) plays Jabu and Papi’s grandmother, Gogo. She has zero social filter and lacks boundaries but amidst all the chaos she wants to make the family bond stronger.
Adding to the laughter is comedian and radio personality Hlophe, who plays the role of Malume Mayor. Malume is too laidback for his own good but the need to launch Ekhaya Backpackers forces him to pull his bootstraps tighter
The head of scripted content at Showmax, Tebogo Matlawa, expressed excitement about bringing a clever and nuanced comedy to the network.
“Ekhaya Backpackers gives us the chance to laugh at ourselves and for audiences to resonate with the scenarios the characters find themselves in,” said Matlawa.
The first episode of Ekhaya Backpackers will air on Showmax on February 22.