Award-winning actor Abdul Khoza, has bid farewell to Showmax's telenovela The Wife. This follows after Showmax released a statement this week, confirming his departure from the telenovela.
Taking to his Instagram timeline, the actor who plays Nqobizitha Zulu on the show, expressed his gratitude to those who supported him throughout his journey on The Wife. Further, he apologized to those who are dishearted by his unexpected departure.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has shown me love and overwhelming support on The Wife. I will always love you, but I would also like to apologize to those who are hurt by my departure," he wrote.
According to the actor, his character was written off by the producers and he had no choice but to accept the decision.
"Unfortunately no actor writes their own character story, so please understand that I cannot change or influence any show to keep any of my characters once they have written their story," he continued.
Abdul expressed his gratitude for the support and hoped they would see each other again in the future.
The Wife cast has also bid farewell to the prolific actor.
Zikhona Sodlaka: “He is the scene partner I didn’t know I needed.”
Mandisa and Nqoba became Mzansi’s most relatable and loved couple. “What an incredible opportunity it is to work with such a talented man,” says Zikhona Sodlaka, who plays Mandisa. “I think our chemistry worked because of how dynamic yet similar our characters are. The one is a female version of the other and vice versa. He is the scene partner I didn’t know I needed. We got to play so much on set.”
Mondli Makhoba: ”We were always on our toes because of how good he is.”
“I really enjoyed working with Abdul,” says Mondli Makhoba, who plays the eldest Zulu brother, Nkosana. “I’m really grateful for the relationship we have, both on and off-set. I think the off-set relationship we had made it easier for the on-screen chemistry. I was lucky to have an opportunity to work with him because of how good he is. It was challenging but a good challenge because he always wanted us to push each other to get better every time. He always wanted us to find better and more artistic ways to do scenes. We were always on our toes because of how good he is."
“But also, we were able to find ourselves in each other. I knew that I was safe with him, and we were all safe with each other in terms of work. I remember there was a scene we did when we were disciplining Mqhele, and while discussing the scene, he was like, ‘it’s going to be too far to go around the table, I’m just going to go over it. One of you has to catch me.’ And we did!"
Mbalenhle Mavimbela: “He was fun and made fun.”
Mbalenhle Mavimbela, who plays one of the Zulu matriarchs, Hlomu, shared some of her fondest memorable moments with Abdul. “Oh man! I have so many memories with Abdul but my favourite one was when he jumped on the table to try to reach one of the brothers. That showed how much he cared about Hlomu and Mbali,” she says.
“Honestly, something that’s very close to my heart is how he used to encourage me in between scenes. When I had challenging or very emotional scenes, he would come to me and speak to me on the side. Just to reassure me that I’m doing well. He would give me tips on how to play a certain part. I think that’s how much he cared and how much he saw my passion. I learnt so much from him; he was fun and made fun. He created that unity. He’s so talented. We love you, Abdul,” adds Mbali.
“I also loved how he called me ‘uMakoti obizayo’ (an expensive wife) and guess what, that stuck with the whole nation. Everyone now calls me ‘uMakoti obizayo’ because of him. Oh my God, he’s such a talented artist and we’re going to miss him. Shout out to you, Abdul; I hope I’ll work with you again one day.”
Sipho Ndlovu: “He brought us together.”
"One thing that was evident amongst the Zulu brothers was the bond they built between them on and off screen. Sipho Ndlovu, who plays Sambulo, shares how they’ve become family in their time working together and how important this was for Abdul."
