With the final installment of her acclaimed Zola series, author Zibu Sithole brings readers to the end of an emotional journey, one that explores love, loss, and the courage to begin again. The series, which has struck a powerful chord with women across South Africa and beyond, doesn’t shy away from messy emotions or hard truths. Instead, it offers something more rare: tenderness.
When The Thing with Zola first arrived, readers were introduced to a woman standing at the crossroads of who she was and who she wanted to become. Zola was flawed but deeply human, ambitious, romantic, and sometimes undone by her own longing to belong. Sithole wrote her not as a heroine to be saved, but as a woman learning to save herself. Through heartbreak, failed expectations, and the quiet ache of self-discovery, The Thing with Zola asked what happens when the fairytale doesn’t deliver the promised ending, and how one rebuilds from the pieces.
The sequel, I Do, Don’t I, deepened the story. It was both sharper and softer, a study of commitment, compromise, and the complicated ways women navigate love when it no longer feels like home. Here, Zola confronted the realities of long distance relationships and identity, questioning not only who she was to others but also who she was when no one was watching. The book revealed Sithole’s greatest strength as a storyteller: her ability to sit inside discomfort without judgement. Every character, from Zola to Zoleka, Ouhle, Nomsebenzi, and Ongama, was written with empathy, even when they faltered.
Now, with Love, Zola, Sithole closes the circle. The final chapter is not about romance in the traditional sense, but about renewal, the quiet, unglamorous kind that grows from acceptance. Zola’s journey comes full circle as she learns that love is not always found in another person, but in returning to herself. The story also expands its gaze beyond Zola, capturing the interconnected lives of women who are choosing themselves in big and small ways, sometimes bravely, sometimes recklessly, but always truthfully.
Together, the three novels form a tapestry of modern womanhood: the pursuit of happiness, the weight of expectations, and the radical act of starting over. Through these stories, Zibu Sithole doesn’t romanticise the idea of being “strong” instead, she celebrates the women who bend, break, and rebuild, finding power in vulnerability.
In this conversation, Zibu speaks about Love, Zola, writing through change, depicting complex women, and redefining what “happily ever after” looks like for a new generation.
GLAMOUR: Love, Zola marks the end of your trilogy. Did you feel pressure to end it well, especially since the books were released so close together?
Zibu Sithole: Absolutely. From the beginning, I knew the story would span three books, so I could plan and organise my writing. The first book felt liberating, I was exploring writing under my own name for the first time, shaping the story how I wanted. By the time the third book came out, though, readers were deeply invested in Zola and her journey. That created a real pressure not to disappoint, while also ensuring I had grown as a writer. I had to balance staying true to the characters and their arcs with improving my storytelling, which made finishing Love, Zola both exciting and nerve-wracking.
GLAMOUR: Let’s talk about the research behind the trilogy. Were there any particular books or authors that inspired you?
Zibu Sithole: Not really. It wasn’t another author or book that inspired me, it was my life. I started writing after COVID, during a period when we were all trying to start over. I had just moved from Randpark Ridge back home to Ekurhuleni, and that shift was humbling. I remember thinking, “I thought I had made it.” And then suddenly, I was back home, hoping no one would notice me at the local shop. But as I spoke to old friends, I realised so many of us were going through the same thing, rebuilding, starting again, redefining success. That’s where Zola’s story came from. Like me, she thought she had her life figured out. But when things fell apart, she had to build a new plan from scratch, and that plan turned out to be better than the one she’d imagined.
GLAMOUR: The ending surprised some readers. You mentioned it wasn’t what you initially planned. How do you feel about how it turned out?
Zibu Sithole: I feel deeply satisfied with it because it’s honest. The women reading my work aren’t chasing perfection anymore, we’re chasing peace. Zola’s ending reflects that shift: it’s about choosing yourself, even when that choice isn’t romantic or traditional. I wanted to honour how many Black women are redefining what fulfilment means. We can be soft, spiritual, and ambitious all at once, and that, to me, is the real “happily ever after.”
GLAMOUR: Which character's growth surprised you the most, while writing Love, Zola?
Zibu Sithole: Definitely Mbali, He began to open up. I didn’t plan for him to be so emotionally aware, but the more I wrote him, the more he wanted to be seen differently. That was powerful, and also sad, because even though he tried, he couldn’t fully unlearn his patterns. It made me realise how rare vulnerability still is for men, both in fiction and in real life.
GLAMOUR: Have you ever considered writing fully from a male perspective?
Zibu Sithole: I’ve thought about it, but I struggle. I’m careful about not misrepresenting voices that are already underrepresented. It’s the same reason I don’t write from an LGBTQ+ perspective, I don’t want to misstep or speak for experiences that aren’t mine. You can’t authentically portray what you don’t understand from the inside.
GLAMOUR: We’re seeing that about 20% of women are choosing not to have children. Did you intentionally reflect that in Love, Zola?
Zibu Sithole: Interestingly, the book was ready for printing before those stats even came out. But as a black woman, I write from within a culture that’s evolving, women are making new choices, questioning traditions, and redefining their paths. It felt natural for Zola to embody that shift. I’m not observing that change from a distance. I’m part of it. I’m living it. So it found its way into the story without me forcing it.
GLAMOUR: Zozo’s storyline touches on the idea of being drawn to toxic relationships, even when something good and healthy is right in front of you. Why do you think that happens, and what did you want readers to take from her experience?
Zozo, is a mirror held up to so many women I grew up around, and to a certain extent, myself. There’s a kind of addiction to toxicity that’s not always easy to recognise until you’re out of it. When you’ve spent years in chaos, peace can feel unfamiliar, even uncomfortable.
Having grown up without a father and experiencing Thabo’s unreliable love, she doesn’t know how to navigate a healthy relationship. Vusani’s devotion feels “too much” because she’s always expecting the other shoe to drop. By showing him as patient and understanding, the story highlights that healing comes from honest conversations: admitting your patterns, asking for patience, and learning to accept love without fear.
GLAMOUR: Readers often argue about Okuhle, is she misunderstood or just plain mean?
Zibu Sithole: (Laughs) She’s misunderstood. She’s not cruel; she’s heartbroken. When your dream of love collapses, it’s easier to lash out than to grieve. She doesn’t know how to let go of what she thought her life would be.I think many women will see a bit of themselves in her, that fear of starting over, of not being chosen. She just doesn’t have the tools to navigate that pain.
GLAMOUR: Love, Zola balance drama and romance beautifully, which isn’t something we often see in South African fiction. What’s your take on that?
Zibu Sithole: It’s strange, isn’t it? South Africans love romance, we’re obsessed with soapies, yet when it comes to literature, romance isn’t respected. There’s this belief that a book isn’t “important” unless it’s tragic. That if you write about Black people, it has to be about pain or struggle. We’re addicted to what I call “poverty porn” and “trauma porn”. I’m not interested in that. There’s space for those stories, but mine are different. When I write a love story, my girls are winning. Always. We deserve to see ourselves in joy, in softness, in victory, not just in survival.
GLAMOUR: If the series could be adapted on screen? Who do you see playing Zola?
Zibu Sithole: I can completely see it on screen. For Zola, I picture Rosemary Zimu. She’s stunning but still has that relatable, girl-next-door quality. She embodies the beauty, strength, and self-awareness that define Zola. She doesn’t fit neatly into anyone’s box, she’s not exaggerated or artificial, just naturally beautiful and confident. That, for me, makes her perfect for the role.
GLAMOUR: What have you learned about yourself while writing Love, Zola, or the trilogy as a whole?
Zibu Sithole: Writing this trilogy has been like group therapy. Every time I re-read my work, I see parts of myself in my characters. I’ve learnt that it’s okay to start over, again and again if you need to. Plan A doesn’t have to work. Plan B doesn’t either. You can go all the way to Plan C, have it succeed, and still decide to change your mind. That’s growth, not failure.
GLAMOUR: What message do you hope readers take from Love, Zola?
Zibu Sithole: That every woman deserves love, and not because she’s proved herself worthy of it. Just because she exists. Even the flawed women in Love, Zola find love in one way or another. It might be romantic, it might be friendship, or it might be the peace that comes when you finally accept yourself. Love wears many faces.
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