‘The Real Housewives of Durban’ breaks streaming records

It seems the first episode of The Real Housewives of Durban was as popular on Showmax as it was on social media after launching exclusively on the streaming service last Friday.

And why wouldn’t it, given the dramatic note that the first episode ended on.

We’re still talking about THAT Ayanda and Nonku moment ???? Watch a new episode of #RHODurban on Friday. pic.twitter.com/y9wRTnbNPD

— Showmax South Africa (@ShowmaxOnline) February 2, 2021

According to a statement issued by the streaming platform, The Real Housewives of Durban had broken all previous first-day viewing records and gone on to claim the number one spot on the streaming service.

This after a review of the launch-day statistics.

Within hours of its midnight release, the show was trending on Twitter and on screens across South Africa.

According to Showmax, viewers of the Real Housewives franchise stayed up until midnight on Thursday evening to make sure they were among the first in the country to see the show.

“Views started to pick up from 7am, continuing to rise throughout the day with views peaking at 8pm. Over the last week, RHOD [The Real Housewives of Durban] has remained the most popular show on Showmax,” said the platform in a statement.

“We know our reality fans come for the drama and if you’re looking for fireworks, the first episode of RHOD has it all, so we’re not surprised to see it break records,” added Candice Fangueiro, head of content at Showmax.

INTERVIEW: Zuma’s ex fianceé talks ‘Real Housewives of Durban’ role

When Nonku confronted Ayanda

The Real Housewives of Durban cast member Ayanda Ncwane. Picture: Supplied

The first episode culminated in the ladies all meeting at socialite and businesswoman Sorisha Naidoo’s home for a Diwali celebration. However, the night ended in drama when construction magnate Nonku Williams decided that she had something she needed to get off her impressive chest.

The Real Housewives of Durban cast member Nonku Williams. Picture: Supplied

From the minute chief executive officer of Ncwane Communications and widow of gospel legend Sfiso Ncwane, Ayanda, walked in, Nonku was on edge and she spent the entire dinner being weird about Ayanda’s presence.

And though she seemingly tried to let sleeping dogs lie, she just couldn’t take it anymore and dropped one heck of a bomb on the entire group; that her daughter and Ayanda’s children were siblings.

According to a recent report by Daily Sun, Sfiso had been two-timing both women. Initially, Nonku was his only girlfriend but he went on to start a secret relationship with Ayanda.

His family allegedly confirmed this to the publication and stated the Sfiso then left Nonku for Ayanda, whom he went on to marry.

The family further confirmed that Nonku was indeed the mother of their grandchild and expressed their wish to get to know her.

Based on Ayanda’s reaction in the episode, however, she was not aware that the woman sitting across the table from her was her husband’s ex-girlfriend and the mother of his first child. Yikes.

New episodes of The Real Housewives of Durban will air exclusively on Showmax every Friday.

READ NEXT: Ayanda Ncwane’s love letter to husband Sfiso

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.