| What: Amaxelegu Writer/director: Qondiswa James Dramaturge: Greg Homann Cast: Qondiswa James, Luxolo Ndabeni and Peggy Mongoato Where and when: Magnet Theatre: March 18-21, 2026. Corner Lower Main & St Michael’s Roads in Observatory, Cape Town Azande Theatre: March 22, 2026. Makhaza, 4 Sivivane Cres, T3-V5, Khayelitsha, Cape Town Bookings: Webtickets Performed in English with some isiXhosa |
Exciting news for the theatre year is the staging in Cape Town of Amaxelegu (Messy People), the latest play by award-winning Qondiswa James, actor, writer, director and theatre-maker. The three hander, “an edgy new play about love in the time of non-monogamy”, is being presented, this month, March 2026, at two venues – Magnet Theatre in Observatory and at the Azande Theatre inKhayelitsha. This production is being presented in association with The Market Theatre. Read on for more. Info as supplied:
Qondiswa James’ edgy new play about bedroom dynamics comes to Cape Town
Performed in English with some isiXhosa, Amaxelegu will be presented for a strictly limited season at Magnet Theatre from March 18-21, 2026
There will be a performance at Azande Theatre in Khayelitsha on March 22.
Bookings can be made at Webtickets
Written and directed by Qondiswa James, with Greg Homann, the Artistic Director of The Market Theatre, as Dramaturge.
Amaxelegu (roughly translated as Messy People), is a provocatively risqué yet relatable and beautiful story exploring the bedroom dynamics of a young couple and their interactions with the woman who ‘cleans up after them’.
It is a journey into the complexity of present-day relationships, set in the bedrooms of the characters Thabisa and Azola, in Cape Town. The pair navigate the day-to-day transactions of class, politics and gender as they move between various private and domestic contexts as young, upwardly mobile-middle-class black South Africans.
Amaxelegu features an impressive cast which includes Qondiswa James as Thabisa, Luxolo Ndabeni as Azola and Peggy Mongoato in the role of Mama Priscilla.
This bold, fresh three-hander emerged out of the Market Theatre’s Play Development Programme which was launched in 2025. The initiative focuses on unearthing and developing fresh, urgent, or compelling stories under the guidance of Artistic Director, Greg Homann.
The story: Their romance begins on Bumble and is quickly charged by ideology, desire, and class difference. As they fall for one another through screens and marches, messages and misrecognition, their longing for “free love” collides with the structural inequalities that shape their lives. Hovering between them is Mama Priscilla, Azola’s mother and Thabisa’s domestic worker – the invisible bridge whose quiet labour sustains both their worlds. Her presence draws into view the inheritance of servitude and the unbroken line between care, work, and love in a country still haunted by its hierarchies.
“Amaxelegu is an exploration of how we navigate having multiple relationships, while remaining an ethical version of ourselves,”says writer, director and performer Qondiswa James.
“It maps the intimacy between the erotic and the political. At once tender and unflinching, Amaxelegu is a portrait of contemporary South African intimacy where politics seeps into the bed, where the personal is historical, and where even love cannot escape the architecture of inequality.”
Completing Amaxelegu’s formidable team is:
Assistant Director and Tour Manager: Ketsia Velaphi
AV designers: Abigail Meekel and Claire Meekel
Set and costume designer: Lungiswa Joe
Sound designer: Jannous Nkululeko Aukema
Lighting designer: David Themba Stewart
Movement Director: Ernest ‘Ginger’ Baleni
Intimacy Coordinator: Tshego Khutsoane
Acting Coach: Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi
Stage Manager: Roland du Preez
Book now to catch the short run of this sizzling new play directed and written by one of South Africa’s next wave of brilliant young theatre artists.
Age Advisory: 16 (SNL)
Language: English (with some isiXhosa)
Performances at Magnet Theatre are:
March 18, 19, 20 at 19h00
March 21 at 14h00
Tickets cost R180 / R150 for group booking
Bookings can be made at Webtickets
Magnet Theatre is situated at: Corner Lower Main & St Michael’s Roads in Observatory, Cape Town.
The performance at the Azande Theatre in Khayelitsha (Makhaza, 4 Sivivane Cres, T3-V5, Cape Town, 7784) on March 22 is at 18h00.
Tickets cost R80
Bookings can be made at Webtickets
For media enquiries please contact Christine Skinner christinemskinner@gmail.com / 0828557277
Greg Homann (Dramaturge, Artistic Director of The Market Theatre)
Greg Homann is the Artistic Director of The Market Theatre (Johannesburg). His influential work as a director, dramaturge, and playwright includes award-winning theatre in many forms. As a distinguished academic on post-Apartheid theatre, he has edited a collection of plays and co-edited two books on South African drama, theatre, and performance. He has mentored many theatre-makers in South Africa and the UK, and has a respected track-record as a dramaturge working alongside emerging and established South African and international playwrights. www.greghomann.com
Qondiswa James (Writer, director, performer in the role of Thabisa)
Qondiswa James has built an impressive oeuvre of work since bursting onto the scene.
She has studied and worked with an enviable array of playwrights, directors and theatre houses. Her directorial works include, Emhlab’Obomvu, performed at the National Arts Festival in 2016 and, Silindile, which was part of the UCT New Voices in 2017. In 2022, she was awarded two Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards for Best New Script and Best Original Composition for her play, A Howl in Makhanda. The play was also nominated for Best Ensemble.
More recently, Qondiswa James was part of the Centre for the Less Good Idea’s Season 11, with an innovative project – an experimentation of aural and visual interpretation of theatrical work/play, Emalahleni.
Peggy Mongoato (performer in the role of Mama Priscilla)
Peggy Mongoato is a Fleur du Cap Theatre Award winning actress whose work is shaped by her roots and community. She trained in Theatre and Performance at the University of Cape Town and has built a career across film, theatre, commercials, audiobooks, animation, and performance art. She is also an entrepreneur, running an Industrial Theatre company that delivers awareness campaigns on financial wellness, substance abuse, youth empowerment, and digital transformation. Her activism drives her performances, tackling GBV, child abuse, xenophobia, racism, and discrimination. Proudly working in IsiXhosa, she is a published author, theatre reviewer, acting coach, director, and collaborator advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Luxolo Ndabeni (performer in the role of Azola)
Luxolo Ndabeni is a South African actor known for his work in television, film, and theatre. His notable roles include Zakes in Lockdown, Mthokozisi in Gomora (Season 4), Suno in 8/The Soul Collector, and the Oracle in 1802 Love Defies Time. He has also appeared in Office Invasion (2022) and Surviving Gaza (2022), and performed in Amaxelegu at the Market Theatre (2024).
✳Featured image: Luxolo Ndabeni, Peggy Mongoato and Qondiswa James in Amaxelegu. Pics: Supplied. Sponsored content.
