How well do you know your neighbours? They might seem like the perfect family but are they? What are they hiding when they close their curtains at night?
Who are the Welmans?...
They're a new family who arrive on 7de Laan soon, and they have a history with the place. Chris (played by David Rees) and Mariaan (played by Deirdre Wolhuter) lived in Hillside years ago before moving to the Eastern Cape, followed by a five year stint overseas.
And now they're back in South Africa so that Chris can pursue his business in property development. He's a hardened businessman who knows how to get what he wants. He won’t hesitate to play a little dirty if that’s what it takes.
His wife Mariaan is sophisticated and stylish - nothing is more important to her than her family and the image they present to the world.
They have three children:
28-year-old Rickus (Andre Lotter) who clashes with his father constantly. He has a close and loving relationship with his mother though. Rickus has a BCom degree and has lots of potential to follow in his father’s footsteps but he fell in love with tennis and stands up to his father’s authority as a matter of principle.
Alexa (26) (Carina Nel), a medical doctor. She's smart, beautiful and gentle, and doesn’t give her parents a moment’s worth of worry. She gets overlooked as a result and “disappears” when it comes to family matters. She's closer to her mother than her father, and sometimes wishes it was the other way round.
Amorey (22) (Kristen Raath), who is energetic, spontaneous and the centre of attention, especially when her father is around. According to Chris “Ammie” can do pretty much no wrong. She is the apple of her father’s eye and the one person who can always make him laugh.
Mariaan, on the other hand, frequently quarrels with her. Amorey’s choices, general attitude and even her clothing style at times make Mariaan shudder.
The three children are very close and support each other in everything. They're also very close to their cousin Willem.
Word from 7de Laan is that they seem to be the perfect family but if you were to peak through their front door or listen in to their kitchen you'd discover that there's a lot more to them... which will be revealed on the show.
Chris arrives on the scene first, on Monday, 6 June.