Dudu Busani, the South African author and publisher, has become quite famous for becoming one of the few self-published authors to attain best-selling status for almost all of her books. She is best recognized as the author of the “Hlomu The Wife” book series, which was later adapted into TV series by the MultiChoice’s video streaming service, Showmax.
The author, who is also a journalist, has published seven books thus far in her career and plans on concluding the Hlomu book series with the sixth and final installment. Dudu Busani-Dube began the “Hlomu The Wife” book series as a blog in 2014 and later followed it up with four installments, which were all bestsellers.
Dudu, who The Johannesburg Reviews of Books have described as a publishing phenomenon, has sold tens of thousands of copies of her books. She has emerged as the face of self-publishing in SA, having written and published four best-selling novels. As a successful black female author, Dudu Busani Dube was named as one of the top 18 young achievers in the eThekwini municipality in 2018.
List of Dudu Busani Dube’s Books
Since publishing “Hlomu the Wife,” Dudu has been hard at work keeping up with the demands for more books. She started writing her famed Hlomu book series in 2015. After sharing the excerpts with her friends and asking for help editing the book, Dudu Busani Dube got a surprising response as she was asked to continue with the story, which most people found fascinating and relatable.
As a result, she has published four installments of the “Hlomu the Wife” book series. Here’s the summary of all the books the best-selling author has written thus far in her illustrious career.
1. Hlomu The Wife
- Publication Year: 2015
- Publisher: HlomuPublishing
- 5-Star Rating on Amazon: 80%
- Print Length: 450 pages
Centered on the lives of eight Zulu brothers from Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal, Dudu Busani Dube began the “Hlomu the Wife” book series focusing on the experience and lives of the wives of the Zulu brothers. In the book, which is the first installment of the series, Hlomu ventures down a road of intense, toxic, and dark love.
The book is a love story that takes its cue from life in a South African township. Mahlomu is a young lady who falls in love with taxi owner Mqhele Zulu at their first meeting. It was love at first sight, and Hlomu is happy with the relationship despite being uncomfortable about her lover’s personality and past life.
Mqhele and Hlomu stand by each other through good and bad times, making their love strong. Mqhele is the most famous of the Zulu brothers, a formidable crime family with a dark and tumultuous past. Their father was a warlord involved in mob justice and money heist. As the brothers are good-looking, wealthy, powerful, and dangerous, the family rank among the richest and most powerful families in Johannesburg.
However, inherent danger roams around the brothers, having had a dark past life. In the end, you are either to understand Hlomu’s thinking and decisions or admonish her for giving Mqhele a hand to control her. With an intriguing storyline, “Hlomu the Wife” has excellent ratings. It’s rated 4.7 out of 5-star on Amazon with 74 global ratings.
Amazon.com Sales Ranking of Hlomu, the Wife:
- Kindle Store: No. 585,568
- African Literature (Kindle Store): No. 126
- African Literature (Books): No. 330
- Women’s Literary Fiction: No. 5,175
2. Zandile The ResoluteÂ
- Publication Year: 2015
- Publisher: HlomuPublishing
- 5-Star Rating on Amazon: 70%
- Print Length: 497 pages
In 2015, the Durban-born author self-published the second installment of “Hlomu the Wife,” entitled “Zandile The Resolute.” In the book, she continued the story of the eight Zulu brothers, narrating it this time through the eyes of Zandile, who got married to the eldest of the brothers named Nkosana.
The two have a strong affection for each other. Despite their families hating each other, their love, which seems more like a South African township Romeo and Juliet kind of love, endures all the hatred, prison time, and even deaths.
The book is available on a handful of online stores, including Amazon, Takealot.com, Goodreads, and Uppercasebooks. Making Dudu’s “Hlomu the Wife” book series a blockbuster, “Zandile the Resolute” has gained several positive reviews. It’s rated 4.5 out of 5-star on Amazon and has 37 global ratings on the popular website. Also, on Goodreads, “Zandile the Resolute” is rated 4.25 out of 5-star.
Amazon.com Sales Ranking of Zandile the Resolute:
- Kindle Store: No. 420,038
- African Literature (Kindle Store): No. 79
- African Literature (Books): No. 196
- Women’s Literary Fiction: No. 4,046
3. Naledi His Love
- Publication Year: 2015
- Publisher: HlomuPublishing
- 5-Star Rating on Amazon: 79%
- Print Length: 731 pages
Having attained vast readership and publicity through penning relatable African stories, Dudu Busani Dube was motivated by her support from self-publishing “Hlomu the Wife” books 1 and 2. As such, she moved on to publish the third of the blockbuster book series entitled “Naledi His Love” in the same 2015.
Here, the focus is on the main character, Naledi, who, like Hlomu and Zandile, becomes part of the wealthy and powerful Zulu family by marriage. As part of the epic love story centered on the Zulu brothers, Qhawe and Naledi’s love life is explored. Naledi understands the price of loving one of the Zulu brothers, which involves having a strong affection that covers Qhawe’s dark and rugged past.
She also has to brace herself up for the inherent danger that roams around and the trappings that come with being the wife of one of the Zulu brothers. Though the story is pure fiction, Dudu’s outstanding writing style ensures that all the characters come alive in the imagination of the readers.
Consequently, “Naledi His Love” has attained 4.29 out of 5-star ratings on Goodreads and 5 out of 5-star on Takealot.com. On Amazon, it’s rated 4.6 out of 5-star and equally has 37 global ratings.
Amazon.com Sales Ranking of Naledi His Love:
- Kindle Store: No. 674,681
- African Literature (Kindle Store): No. 148
- African Literature (Books): No. 386
- Women’s Literary Fiction: No. 5,802
4. Zulu Wedding
- Publication Year: 2018
- Publisher: HlomuPublishing
- Print Length: 358 pages
In 2018, Dudu published a standalone book entitled “Zulu Wedding,” named after the 2017 romantic movie of the same name. Different from her way of storytelling, the best-selling novelist had to write this African story already knowing what the end would be. Despite the difficulties she encountered, the book clinched the No. 1 spot on the Exclusive Books chart within a few days of its release.
After being approached by Zulu Wedding film director Lineo Sekeleoane to put the story in writing, Dudu wrote the book by making necessary changes but still retained the main storyline. The book is focused on the major character, Lou Lungile, who goes to live in New York after discovering that she is betrothed to Zweli, a young, handsome king from KwaZulu-Natal.
While pursuing a dancing career in the city, she falls in love with a New York-based man called Tex. Eventually, complications set in due to the family backgrounds of the two, as Lungile, who comes from a royal Zulu family, is bound by an ancestral debt to marry the Zulu king.
Even though she will do anything to avoid returning to South Africa, she is forced to confront the tradition she has been running away from when she gets acquainted with her soul mate, Tex. Unlike the “Hlomu the Wife” book series, “Zulu Wedding” is rated a bit lower on Goodreads, with a 3.95 rating out of 5-star. It has a 4.2 rating out of 5-star on IndianPDF.com.
5. Iqunga
- Publication Year: 2020
- Publisher: HlomuPublishing
- 5-Star Rating on Amazon: 72%
- Print Length: 325 pages
“Iqunga” loosely translates to “the urge to kill again,” and in this fourth installment of “Hlomu the Wife” book series, the Zulu brothers go on a journey of discovering their lineage. After meeting with a man who reveals to them that they need to rid themselves of a curse, they embark on another trip to break the curse, ensuring that it doesn’t pass onto their offspring.
As expected, “Iqunga” comes with all the drama surrounding the Zulu brothers, although Dudu Busani Dube switched things up a bit in the book. The storyline is split into two parts; present and past events. The two events sensationally alternate, and the past events unfold why the famed and rich Zulu men are the way they are.
“Iqunga” is rated 4.03 out of 5-star on Goodreads and has a 4.5 rating out of 5-star on Amazon alongside 25 global ratings.
Amazon.com Sales Ranking of Iqunga:
- Kindle Store: No. 667,956
- African Literature (Kindle Store): No. 140
- African Literature (Books): No. 379
- Women’s Literary Fiction: No. 5,762
6. Mess
- Publication Year: 2020
- Publisher: HlomuPublishing
- 5-Star Rating on Amazon: 66%
- Print Length: 302 pages
In 2020, as Dudu Busani Dube published “Iqunga,” she also penned and self-published the fifth installment of the book series, “Mess.” Slightly different from the rest, the book is a heartbreaking story about love, family, and mental health.
The story focuses on Mqoqi and Lahliwe’s relationship as they try to make things work out despite the damage done to them. Mqoqi, who is the most misunderstood of the Zulu brothers, is stuck between the expectation of being among the “wolf pack” and the person he ideally wishes to be.
Though considered the most gut-wrenching book in the “Hlomu the Wife” series, “Mess” has garnered good ratings on several online book stores. It has 23 global ratings on Amazon and a 4.5 out of 5-star rating. Then on Goodreads, it’s rated 4.28 out of 5-star.
Amazon.com Sales Ranking of Mess:
- Kindle Store: No. 516,010
- African Literature (Kindle Store): No. 107
- African Literature (Books): No. 281
- Literary Fiction (Books): No.38,521
7. The Narrowing
- Publication Year: 2020
- Publisher: Hlomu Publishing PTY LTD
- 5-Star Rating on Amazon: 50%
- Print Length: 50 pages
Separate from the “Hlomu the Wife” series, Dudu Busani Dube published “The Narrowing” in 2020. The story is centered on Sfundo, who led a tragic life of solitude. Her solitary life, which was full of bad decisions after another, started the day her sister passed on, and the tragedy put her mother in a state of depression.
Left emotionally bereft, Sfundo chased away everyone who tried to genuinely show her affection and ended up keeping anyone who used and needed her close. Having mastered the art of suppressing her anger and displaying a calm demeanor, the emotional scars inflicted on Sfundo never healed.
Consequently, the suppressed emotions manifested in an absurd and shocking manner at the latter stage. Like the Hlomu book series, “The Narrowing” has positive reviews on online book stores. It has a 4.33 out of 5-star rating on Goodreads and a 4.2 out of 5-star rating on Amazon, with 14 global ratings.
Amazon.com Sales Ranking of The Narrowing:
- Kindle Store: No. 703,687
- African Literature (Kindle Store): No. 166
- African Literature (Books): No. 395
- World Literature Short Stories: No. 617
Dudu Busani Dube’s Books in Order
Hlomu The Wife Book Series:
- Hlomu The Wife (Book 1)
- Zandile The Resolute (Book 2)
- Naledi His Love (Book 3)
- Iqunga (Book 4)
- Mess (Book 5)
Other Books Written By Dudu Busani Dube:
- Zulu Wedding (2018)
- The Narrowing (2020)
TV Adaptation of Dudu Busani Dube’s Books
Dudu Busani Dube’s special knack for writing African stories has made her a household name in Mzansi. Apparently, her growing popularity stemmed from penning and self-publishing interesting books with a touch on themes of love, power, and motherhood.
She became the face of self-publishing authors after her books topped the Exclusive Books charts and four simultaneously gained spots in the Nielsen Bookscan SA bestseller list. With her works captivating South African readers since her first book, it’s no surprise that Dudu Busani Dube’s “Hlomu the Wife” series caught the attention of Showmax.
The streaming service announced the adaptation of the first three installments of the fascinating book series in early 2021. The streaming platform commissioned three seasons of the series, The Wife, and it became its first-ever South African original telenovela.
The Wife debuted in November 2021 and was inspired by “Hlomu the Wife,” “Zandile the Resolute,” and “Naledi His Love.” It has turned out to be one of Mzansi’s favorite TV series, having shattered several records on Showmax, including being the TV series with the most first-day views of all time and the most hours watched within four days of its debut.
Since its release, the hit series has gained rave reviews, and many have described it as the best thing yet. The compelling telenovela, which is a tale of love stories through the wives of the Zulu brothers, will be split between the three books for three seasons with a total of 120 episodes.
Showmax commissioned 40 episodes per season of the series and has wrapped up the first and second seasons. The third season is expected to debut late this year and will be focusing on Naledi (Gaisang K Noge), a doctor who starts developing a feeling for Qhawe Zulu (Kwenzo Ngcobo). Though a bit different from the book’s fiction storyline, The Wife is a fan favorite.
