Mzansi Magic – DStv channel 161 – is home to South African produced soapies. Since the launch of the channel in 2010, we have come to know Mkabayi Zungu, Queen Qondi, Queen Mosadi, Claudia Motaung, Lindiwe Dikana, Harriet Khoza and Thathi Ndaba. Mzansi Magic’s leading ladies – the queens of drama – all possess beauty, brains and the guts to take on the male dominated world. In a man’s world, cheating has long been the preserve of men; a cheating man is often held up as a legend but a woman who strays is labelled all sorts of derogatory names, if not stoned to death. In 2021, Mzansi Magic queens have not only destroyed men’s monopoly on cheating but they have made cheating look cool.
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Harriet steals Vuyiswa’s husband [The Queen]
Perhaps Hector Sebata and Vuyiswa Jola’s relationship was doomed from the very beginning. In what world could a man kill a woman’s husband and then hook up with the widow? The gods were never going to bless this union. It looked like Cupid had finally shown his disapproval of the Sebata-Jola marriage when Vuyiswa walked her own husband to the police station in handcuffs. But Hector, being a proper Phunyuka Bambethe, slipped free. Hector may have fooled the legal system, but the gods weren’t done interfering.
Seeking revenge for the murder of his daughter, Mpho, killed in an armed assault orchestrated by Harriet Khoza, Hector raided the Khoza mansion at dawn. What should have been the end of Harriet’s life turned out to be a new beginning. Hector and Harriet, two grieving parents, bonded over their shared loss. While negotiating a truce between the two feuding families, Hector and Harriet kissed, and subsequently fell in love.
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Last week, Harriet and Hector continued to secretly meet in hotel rooms and secluded nature reserves where they are more likely to get bitten by snakes than get caught. Overwhelmed with the guilt of cheating on Vuyiswa, Hector briefly broke off the affair with Harriet. But the heart is stubborn; the heart wants what the heart wants. They were soon back together again.
Meanwhile, in the real world – away from champagne, petal strewn picnic rugs and Cupid’s whizzing arrows – Olerato is struggling to live up to Rakgadi Harriet’s enormously high expectations. To celebrate the breakup of the Sebata-Khoza drug syndicate and return to Khoza monopoly, Harriet invited her leading cocaine clients: Skhumbuzo “Dollar”Zulu, Jasmine and a diverse scattering of new faces who, going forward, replace the Big Five. Olerato, the obvious replacement for slain daughter, Keabetswe, may have her slay queen cousin’s bedroom, but what she lacks is the knowledge of high society. The event planning was fraught with difficulties.
Hector on brink of getting caught
While exchanging unnecessarily long goodbyes at Noma’s hotel and restaurant, Hector and Harriet almost got caught by Vuyiswa. Luckily for them, Vuyiswa was so focused on getting her take away dinner, “to spoil my husband”. If Vuyiswa had known that Hector was pressed against a wall, trying to evade detection, she would have been feeding her husband poison rather than a delicious meal.
It is not just the possibility of getting caught by his wife that hangs over Hector. Georgina is frustrated by criminals who constantly evade imprisonment in a corrupt South Africa. She came close to quitting her job in the police force. But a pep talk from Schumacher, of all people, who works for one such evasive criminal, Georgina rediscovered her drive to fight crime. She is secretly investigating her boss. After getting Sebata’s phone records, Georgina discovered that Hector’s cellphone was in the vicinity of the Khoza mansion just before the Waterfall shootout.
Georgina confronted Hector and asked for an explanation but her boss pulled rank, backed up by his wife Vuyiswa. Even though to her bosses it looks like Georgina has backed off, she still remains suspicious of Sebata.
Hector and Harriet busted
Harriet’s party was supposed to have been held at the Khoza mansion. But there was a last minute change of plans. Consequently, Brutus forgot to move the parcels of cocaine from the mansion to Noma’s. When the customers asked for their coke, Brutus made his way home to collect the product. Little did he know that Harriet, who had snuck out of the party, unobserved, was with Hector at the Khoza mansion. When Brutus walked into the living room, he found Harriet and Hector cuddling on the sofa. Brutus blew a vein!
After calling Harriet a whore – because that’s what men of Brutus’ generation do when they are angry with a woman, right – Brutus shot Hector in the shoulder. When Hector got home, he told Vuyiswa and Thando that he had been shot by car thieves. Gullible Vuyiswa bought his fictional story, but Thando knew he was lying.
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Mjolo continues on Gomora Mzansi Magic
The second Mzansi Magic queen who would be eligible for death by stoning under Sharia Law is none other than Thathi Ndaba (real name Katlego Danke). Come to think of it, this isn’t Katlego’s first cheating role. Remember Dineo “Little Dinny” Mashaba, the wife of Paul who slept with stepson Thomas behind her husband’s back on Generations.
The affair between Melusi and Thathi has escalated to a live-in relationship. After Melusi moved in with Thathi, he drank often, as he battled to carry the weight of keeping Gladys’ secret.
Gladys loses the baby
Tired of Gladys constantly phoning Melusi during their quality time, Thathi went to confront her rival. Since when do side chicks confront the wife? Cheating is the new cool on Mzansi Magic. During their verbal exchange, Gladys told Thathi that she “deserved what had happened to her.”
Thathi went home with these words on repeat in her head. When finally Thathi couldn’t stand the voice in her head – you deserved what happened to you – she went back to Gladys for a rematch. But Gladys pulled out her phone and tried to call the cops on her. Thathi and Gladys ended up wrestling over the cellphone. It was during this tug of war that Gladys hit her belly on the table before falling on the floor. Thathi’s anger turned to guilt and fear as Gladys groaned in evident agony. Thathi dialled the emergency number and requested an ambulance. As she waited for paramedics to arrive, Thathi realized that Gladys had blood streaming down her leg. You don’t need a medical degree to know the implication. At the hospital, Gladys was rushed to the OR.
Melusi and Ntokozo hurried to the hospital after they had been contacted as Gladys next of kin. When they arrived, the Doctor said the three words that no expectant father wants to hear:
“I am sorry.”
Thandokuhle was no more.
The friction between Melusi and Ntokozo continued at the hospital. Thathi entered the hospital ward in time to hear Ntokozo accusing Melusi for punishing Gladys for “what she did to Langa.” When Thathi quizzed him, Ntokozo began to stammer out a lie. Just as Melusi began to assist him in doing damage control, Gladys put a stop to it. She was tired of the lies. After asking Melusi and Ntokozo to leave the room, Gladys told Thathi the truth. She said “we are even?” Before confessing to the killing of Langa.
Away from the cheating lead females of Mzansi Magic, Zodwa and Bongani are back together. Zodwa discovered that Don was stealing cars for a living. She threw him out. When Don offered to support his two children, Zodwa would not accept his blood money. Don then made a counterfeit lease agreement giving him access to Mam Sonto’s properties, which he used to bulldoze his way into the Molefe house.
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It was Teddy’s birthday this week and, despite Miss Hlungwani’s protestations, Don pulled him out of an important class test just to give him his present – a chick magnet of a sports car which Zodwa did not want her son to accept. Teddy briefly accepted the car before giving back the keys. Meanwhile, his best friend Ntokozo, who had been pestering Don to let him join the gang, immediately became the Teddy surrogate. Don brought him into the gang and handed him the car keys. This car is going to be the death of the Three Musketeers – Teddy, Ntokozo and Langa’s ghost – because Teddy is hurt by the fact that his best friend took the car that was initially meant for him.
Miss Gomora Loading
It began as just a ploy for Thathi to get close to Melusi, but the Miss Gomora pageant is underway and loaded with social message. Apparently the young version of Thathi was a timid girl until she won the school beauty pageant. From then, her confidence grew. Buhle – beautiful, self assured and the daughter of the pageant organiser – looks on paper to be the favourite for the crown. Even guest judge and former Miss Teen South Africa 2006, Zizo Beda, who plays herself, was quick to single out Buhle when the contestants mobbed the beauty queen. The former Selimathunzi presenter completely ignored Buhle like she was a windscreen cleaner at the traffic intersection. Thathi, watching the girls backstage was quick to spot that her niece, Tshiamo, could benefit greatly from winning the inaugural Miss Gomora. I am backing the underdog.
If you don’t wanna miss the Miss Gomora pageant, tune into Mzansi Magic.
Till next week
My pen is capped
Connect with the writer on Twitter @RewindMzansi
The Queen airs weekdays at 9:00pm Mzansi Magic
Gomora airs weekdays at 7:30pm Mzansi Magic