South African author Dudu Busani-Dube’s bestselling The Hlomu Series has been adapted for the screen.

The newly launched streaming platform Showmax has commissioned three seasons (40 episodes each) inspired by Dudu’s books Hlomu: The Wife, Zandile: The Resolute, and Naledi: His Love respectively.

Hlomu: The Wife, the first installment in the book series, has already aired. Set in a small South African town, it follows a young woman who falls in love with a taxi driver, oblivious to his complicated, sinister background. The book series is surmised as a thrilling page-turner, with delightfully unexpected turns at intervals.

Dudu herself has been described as “a publishing phenomenon,” showcasing how self-publishing can be immensely successful. Dudu’s novels have topped the Exclusive Books charts and landed four books simultaneously in the Nielsen Bookscan SA bestseller list for July 2021.

The news of the adaptation was met with rave anticipation and also sparked a heated debate on social media with regards to the casting choice. Shortly after the first episode aired, the series broke an unprecedented number of records on Showmax including the most first-day views of all-time and the most hours watched within four days of launch. The reviews following the release have been glowing, with many describing it as the best thing yet.

You can add The Wife to your Showmax watchlist here.