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’.
Written and directed by Qondiswa James, with Greg Homann, the Artistic Director of The Market Theatre, as Dramaturge.
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.(see lead photo above)
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.
“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.”
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.
WHAT: Amaxelegu Written and directed by Qondiswa James
WHERE & WHEN: Magnet Theatre, Corner Lower Main & St Michael’s Roads, Observatory, Cape Town | 18, 19, 20 March at 20h00 21 March at 14h00
WHERE & WHEN: Azande TheatreAzande TheatreMakhaza, 4 Sivivane Cres, T3-V5, Cape Town, 7784 | 22 March is at 18h00
BOOKING: Magnet R180 / R150 for group booking. Bookings at Webtickets | Azande TR80 Bookings at Webtickets
INFO: Language: English (with some isiXhosa) | Age Advisory: 16 (SNL
