Why you should care about Joburg’s ‘real’ Housewives

The The Real Housewives of-franchise is an obvious cash grab, but what the South African edition of the show apart from American counterparts is that the all female cast mates don’t seem to be air-headed bimbos. Instead the South African cast are all accomplished career-type gals who seems to have picked themselves up by their bootstraps to become successful in their own right.

The five Housewives for the city of gold’s edition of the show are headed by Puleng Mash-Spies, who has been dubbed (first by herself, then the media) as The Queen of Dainfern during her appearance in the second season of Come Dine with Me SA.

A few weeks ago Mash-Spies made an appearance on JacarandaFM on the Complimentary Breakfast Show where she chatted to host Rian van Heerden about RHOJ. She admitted contractually she can’t reveal too much about the show or the story line it will follow, but she did reveal that her appearance on Come Dine With Me SA was mostly an act.

“Of course I can cook; I cook for my family all the time,” she joked.

She also revealed that her colourful phrases such as ‘shut the front door’ and ‘what the fudge’ was a way to not swear in front of her two children. Mash-Spies also admitted that although she sometimes splurges on expensive shoes, she is surprisingly frugal, shopping for clothes at discount stores. She added that few people knew that she visits Sebokeng to distribute food parcels, and she is also actively involved with charity work distributing toys to needy children.

Billionaire’s wife, actress and businesswomen Sorisha Naidoo has in impressive CV to her name. She joins Mash-Spies as another well-known face on the show. She was crowned Miss India South Africa in 2001, has been a a radio DJ and on TV shows like Big Brand Bonanza and Eastern mosaic. To add to her clout she’s dabbled in PR, run an aesthetics’ clinic, imports and exports her own cosmetics, oh, and she’s also a mom.

The next ‘housewife’, Nazley Delport, is – according to the production company for the show, Tigere Media – in an “It’s complicated” relationship. She is a mom and the marketing manager for clubs Hush and KONG. She also does image consulting and has a stunning pair of stems (obviously to tease a few male viewers into get caught up in the drama).

Two lesser-known personalities also join the cast-

First is single 30-year-old model Aimee Sadie who runs Desch in Sandton City, a store allegedly renowned for its elite clientele.

Sadie is joined by divorced mom of four, CEO for Energy at Work and rumoured cougar Christie Swanepoel to round off the Housewives of Johannesburg cast.

The show is set to start airing in early 2015.