OPINION
Let me admit: I was the last person in South Africa to know that the voice of reason within The Wife's Zulu brothers was going to die.
And I am glad the funeral episode of Nqoba Zulu was not a serious emotional one that made me feel like I was attending a funeral for someone I love. But of all the funerals we've encountered in the telenovela, Nqoba's one was my saddest because he was my favourite character out of all the brothers.
The Wife follows the family of eight Zulu brothers who are criminals – they execute cash heists and murder people. Nqoba is the second of the eight brothers and was often his elder brother Nkosana's sounding board.
Nqoba was played by Abdul Khoza and he carried the character in an exceptional way. Among the brothers, he was the most flashy, colorful, funny, quick to make decisions and very chatty with a mind of his own.
Evident to his stellar performance, he went on to become a decorated actor in the series after bagging the DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Awards Favourite Actor and his second Golden Horn when he won Best Supporting Actor in a Telenovela at the 2022 SAFTAs.
#TheWifeShowmax Out of all the characters in his acting career, Nqoba will forever be iconic.
You are highly appreciated for pushing and bringing this awesome character to life and you will be missed on the show.
Shout to you Abdul Khoza pic.twitter.com/BgRFMWepiT
(@Jabu_Macdonald) November 17, 2022
King Abdul Khoza…THANK YOU
Nqobizitha Zulu remains the best character I've seen you play so far.
As the 2000s would say, ON T0 THE NEXT…..see you soon in something else great
What a class act you are, take your flowers bhuti #TheWifeShowmax pic.twitter.com/r9O12iMOE9
Mandisa Malevu (@MalevuMandisa) November 17, 2022
I was late to catch on to The Wife’s train. But when I did get into the show, it was Nqoba who kept me looking forward to Thursdays when the next episode drops. When the third season of the show came around, I again was slow to jump on it. As I was getting used to the new characters in the show, I couldn’t wait to see my Nqoaba. I thought, okay any minute now… until I heard the wail of Mandisa. She's his loving partner and she found him lying dead on their bed. Mandisa’s cry was my cry.
Saying goodbye to Nqoba in the funeral episode was not easy. As much as he lived a flashy lifestyle, the send-off Mandisa insisted on giving him didn't fit well for an honourable ndabazitha. 👑
There were half-dressed women, mannequins with his actual clothes on around his coffin, guns were shot through the air and motorbikes revving – more in line with a funeral for a mafia member.
Given what I said about the crimes the brothers committed, it might be fitting. But his more memorable scenes made me soft.
What made his character so colourful and fun was the companionship of Mandisa, played by Zikhona Sodlaka. She was such a perfect match to Nqoba because she is quite unfiltered and tells it like it is, is very relatable and implacable at the same time. It is tough to think of that union without smiling.
The only scene where I felt like I could not connect with Mandisa was the funeral episode. But who could tell the shebeen queen otherwise?
While I think about the rest of the series without Nqoba, I am looking forward to seeing Khoza flourish as an actor after the Nqoba Zulu I came to love.
Artmotion S.Africa
