Madam & Eve

Madam & Eve is a South African comic strip created by Stephen Francis and Rico Schacherl.

The original text

Written by Stephen Francis and drawn by Rico Schacherl, the Madam & Eve cartoon strip has been tickling the South African funny bone since 1992. The cartoon depicts the daily lives of a white madam and her black domestic worker, Eve, exploring themes of race, class, and gender in post-apartheid South Africa. The strip is known for its humor and social commentary.

The strip was first published in July 1992, in a black and white weekly format in The Weekly Mail (now the Mail & Guardian) and in a monthly colour format in Living magazine. In 1993 the creators added five daily cartoons, also in black and white.

Translations and adaptations

Roberta Durrant (Penguin Films CEO) adapted the cartoon into a live sitcom for etv! Four seasons and fifty-four episodes later, the sitcom ran from 2000 to 2006.

It's a groundbreaking eOriginals South African television sitcom based on the popular comic strip Madam & Eve created by S Francis, H Dugmore and Rico which takes a humorous look at the unique relationship between a middle-class white woman, Gwen “Madam” Anderson (Val Donald-Bell), and her black maid, Eve Sisulu (Tina Jaxa), who are coming to terms with the new South Africa as the apartheid era draws to a close. Like the cartoon strip, the sitcom examines the fears, prejudices, and foibles of white and black South Africans alike, aiming to show South Africans the absurdities of separateness. Madam & Eve is, more than anything else, a comedy of hope and reconciliation.

Writers of episodes for the TV show include: Stephen Ronald Francis, Craig Gardner and Dennis Venter.

Directors of episodes for the TV show include: Andre Odendaal and Raymond Sargeant.

The cast was as follows: Val Donald-Bell (Gwen 'Madam' Anderson), Motashabi Tyelele/Tina Jaxa (Eve Sisulu), Pat Sanders (Edith Anderson), David Dukas (Bobby Blackburn), Lillian Dube (Mielie Lady), Angelique Pretorius (Hippy Girl), Sean Cameron Michael (Steven), Jennifer Steyn (Marge), Karl Thaning (Dr. Bushnell), Matthew Dylan Roberts (Laurie Immelman), Patrick John Walton (Security Salesman), Ralph Lawson (Gwen's suitor), Joe Mafela (Sol), Lukhanyo Bele (Dumisani), Joshua Lindberg (Motivational Speaker), Brendan Pollecutt (William), Petunia Tsotetsi (Thandi), Paul du Toit (Madam’s son Eric).

The crew included: Producer Roberta Durrant, Editor Maryke Kruger, Costume Designer Ayesha Khatieb, Art Department Etienne Harris, Camera and Electrical Department Jason Walters, assistant editor Toni Osborne, continuity Mia Breet.