When her husband Mbongeni was murdered, Thathi Ndaba (real name Katlego Danke) lost everything, she went from a Sandton mansion, Mercedes Benzes to sleeping in her childhood bedroom, back in Gomora, Alex Township. Thathi seemed like a broken tree branch, tossed from one river bank to the other, with no control over her own life. A year has passed and boy has she grown into her role. Thathi has really become the alpha female of Gomora.
Gomora goes up in smoke
Led by the grizzled Sifiso Mhlophe, a group of Gomora community members took to the streets, burning tyres, disrupting industry and preventing the movement of traffic in and out of the township. Their protest was against Mam Sonto escaping murder and organized crime charges. The protesters laid siege to Mam Sonto’s tavern where they presented a list of demands, chief of which was a R500,000 scholarship fund to be set up by Sonto.
As Sonto resisted these demands, the protestors invaded her home at dinner time. They looted her fridge, cupboards and even the food on the table. With roads closed, many women who could not got to their jobs also mobbed Sonto’s home before she persuaded them to leave using her sjambok.
With Pretty monitoring her mother’s self confessed reformation, Sonto could not employ her usual violent tactics. Mazet put her ear to the ground and found out that Sifiso Mhlophe, the protest organizer was an unemployed father whose hidden motive was to get his daughter’s university fees paid. With this information, Thathi plotted Sifiso’s downfall.
Langa saves Sonto
While the protests continued outside her home, within her four walls, Mam Sonto had a different kind of battle on her hands. Grandson, Langa, still clung to the bitterness of watching his father’s killer going unpunished. But if Langa thought the powerful emotion called love issues from a brass tap which can be turned on and off, Life showed him otherwise.
Outside Sonto’s house, protesters got more and more agitated. Someone threw a brick through the window. As the brick flew towards Sonto’s head, Langa instinctively stretched out an arm and did a Khune move, punching the brick away from his grandmother. For his troubles, Langa ended up with a bandaged fist to add to the internal injury of seeing Mbongeni’s killers go free.
After the brick incident, Langa and Sonto appeared to have begun to repair their broken relationship.
Melusi the father and protector
After Melusi found out about the brick attack on Mam Sonto’s house, he went to visit his son, Langa. He congratulated the boy for being brave and vowed to punish the man behind the violent protests. It sounded like a job for Diamond Mabuza. It was time for Melusi the law abiding school principal to take a back seat.
Melusi found Sifiso Mhlophe with other members of the protest group, drinking at Mnandi Shisanyama. After an exchange of words, Melusi beat Sifiso thoroughly! As Melusi repeatedly punched Mhlophe, in the background was the obligatory bystander with cameraphone capturing the incident.
With Melusi caught on camera, it was easy for Mhlophe to lodge an assault complaint at the police station. It wasn’t long before the cops arrived at the Dlamini double storey. “What has Ntokozo done now?” thought Melusi. But to his horror, the police said they had come to arrest him. As Melusi left with the police, he asked Gladys to arrange his bail. But Gladys told him flatly she wasn’t going to pay bail. If anyone would come and get Melusi, it would be Thathi, the woman he had “tried to impress” by beating up Mhlophe.
Trouble at the Dlamini double storey
After Melusi was arrested, Gladys kept her word. She did not even flinch when Ntokozo asked her to pay his father’s bail. Thathi soon found out about Melusi’s arrest and promptly paid his bail. When Gladys came downstairs, she found Melusi seated at the breakfast counter with Langa and Thathi, his rescuer. There was the usual exchange of caustic words between Gladys and Thathi and then Gladys and Melusi. After Gladys told off Langa she said “and take your father with you, he is no longer welcome here!”
Initially Melusi told Gladys that he was not leaving since he was the home owner. But Melusi later packed his bags and left for a bed and breakfast where he spent the night. In the aftermath of the Sonto trial, Melusi and Thathi had a….. moment, during which they touched hands. I sense that the time is ripe for their reunion. Not only is Langa the new glue to hold them together but Gladys’ hostility has facilitated Melusi’s journey back to Thathi’s warm, welcoming arms.
Teddy discovers Don’s shameful secret
There is some good news coming out of Gomora. But before getting to the good news, here is more bad news.
Don, Teddy and Ntokozo went for a spin in his old Mercedes. Ntokozo never learns. Going for a joy ride when it was Mazet’s joy ride which got him behind bars. After the joy ride, Teddy walked Ntokozo halfway. And after the two boys parted ways, Teddy was attacked by two young men who left him bleeding and passed out. Thankfully Don found Teddy and loaded him into his car before rushing to hospital.
Teddy quickly made a full recovery but his attack brought Don closer into Zodwa’s space which Mzozozo seemed to dislike. Zodwa’s bitterness towards her ex only seems to have reignited Don’s feelings for her, especially after he saw her with Bongani the Shisanyama owner.
Now to the good news. Zodwa finally gave her blessing for Teddy to spend time with his biological father. It was while Teddy was waiting in the car for Don (who was buying refreshments) that he discovered evidence of his father’s destitution; toothbrush, face cloth, toothpaste in the glove compartment and a pile of Don’s worldly possessions in the back seat. That was when Teddy realized that his father was living in his car.
Danke Katlego for ending Gomora protests
After Thathi learned Sifiso Mhlophe’s hidden motive for the violent protests, she set a trap to catch him. She invited Mhlophe for a sit down in Mam Sonto’s office. She gave Mhlophe two choices: either he accept payment of his daughter’s tuition fees, or Thathi sets up a R500,000 education fund for Gomora youths. But the fund would be managed by Melusi, the very man who had recently clashed with Mhlophe. There would be no guarantee that Melusi would include Mhlophe’s daughter among the beneficiaries of the education fund. Mhlophe chose to walk away with just his daughter’s varsity tuition.
And that’s when Thathi had him by short hairs. “I am not giving you a cent!” said Thathi. She pointed to the hidden camera.
Once Mhlophe realised the implication, Thathi ordered him to end the protest or face the embarrassment of being exposed for having an ulterior motive. Go Onthathile! Kerry Washington has nothing on you moghel!
Till next week, my pen is capped
Connect with the author on Twitter @RewindMzansi
Images from Twitter, Videos from YouTube
Gomora airs weekdays at 7:30pm on Mzansi Magic