It was a case of seventh time lucky for actress Thando Thabethe, who scored a role after having tried unsuccessfully six times before.
Thabethe plays Linda Ndlovu – a maid who hides her identity behind her apron – in the new drama series Housekeepers, which is set to kick off next Monday on Mzansi Magic, channel 161, at 8pm.
Housekeepers is a dramatic thriller packed with grit and suspense, set against the backdrop of sophisticated Fourways and vibrant Diepsloot.
Thabethe spoke to City Press about the misconception that housekeepers are stupid and don’t have opinions. “People don’t know that most helpers or housekeepers can write a book simply because they know the secrets of the household and what’s happening behind the closed doors of their bosses,” she said.
Reneilwe Sema, director of Local Entertainment channels at M-Net, said he was excited to be able to tell a story of the voiceless and those who were sometimes overlooked, “yet they run the households of those with financial power and social stature”.
“Housekeepers is an exploration of the class dynamics that exist in our society. As Mzansi Magic, we wanted to go into unfamiliar territory – but territory which is not foreign to our audiences,” said Sema.
Meanwhile, Thabethe, who is an ambassador for luxury vodka brand Ciroc, recently returned from Milan Fashion Week, where Ciroc launched a new collaboration with Italian fashion house Moschino.
Speaking about her experience in Milan, she said: “We got to witness the biggest fashion show in the world. We were in the front-row seats of the fashion show. It was so beautiful and amazing, with the greatest collaborations in the world.” – Ntombizodwa Makhoba