When Harriet Khoza found out how Hector Sebata had betrayed their partnership by excluding her from the Colombia supply deal from Santiago, she did not react. She kept up the appearance of a defeated woman who had been abandoned by her supplier. Harriet, real name Connie Ferguson, instructed her family to remain calm so as not to alert Sebata to the fact that they were onto him. This was no easy feat for the two hot heads, Brutus and Shaka. Brutus – KhandaShisa One – was itching to go to war and Shaka – KhandaShisa Two – could no longer stand the sight of his girlfriend, Thando, barely a week after he had put an engagement ring on her finger.
More on that later.
Vuyiswa barred from Thato’s funeral
In the aftermath of Thatho’s fatal car crash, Vuyiswa could only weep alone in her new bedroom at the Sebata home. Hector, the man who had caused Thato’s death, had the liver to offer her meals in bed, which she rejected. He should have offered her his wrists so she could handcuff him. Murderer!
Cousin Maipelo Maake is like a raven, the bird of death; she only seems to join the cast of The Queen when there is death in the air. Maipelo – real name Mmarona Motshegoa, whom you can stalk on Twitter – last appeared when Jerry Maake had been killed. It was Vuyiswa’s wedding that brought her to Thembisa but then Thato died on the day of Vuyi’s nuptials so Maipelo stayed longer. When the Maake elders, Jerry’s two uncles, arrived, they gave Vuyiswa her marching orders. She had ceased to be part of the family when she married another man, they said. Eish, these uncles are so bitter, you would think they had called dibs on Vuyiswa when Jerry died.
Even though the uncles sat on Vuyiswa’s chairs, ate Vuyiswa’s food, drank Vuyiswa’s water and breathed Vuyiswa’s air, Vuyiswa still humbled herself and left. I don’t know about this. The real Sis Vee would not have stood for this nonsense. She would have been like intoni! Tshini!
After all, this is not new territory for her character. After Jerry died, Vuyiswa successfully fought off Thato and Jackal from looting her late husband’s insurance money. So this is a gross inconsistency in the story plot. It’s almost as if the everchanging episode writers don’t bother to read previous episode scripts or check with headwriters/show creators Phathu Makwarela and Gwydion Beynon.
Meanwhile, Hector, attempting to wash the blood off his hands, paid for Thatho’s coffin. Officer Mbele, the cop who first broke the news of Thato’s death, was at the Sebata house. Mbele delivered Thato’s belongings, rescued from the accident scene. Among the items was Thato’s cellphone. And the entire continent crossed its fingers and prayed; dear Lord, please let there be a tell-all voice note from Thato on his cellphone. Justice from the grave that would be!
Vuyiswa gets to bury Thato
When Schumacher and Siyanda – Thato’s closest friends – learned of Vuyiswa’s exclusion from the burial proceedings, they went to the Maake home and spoke on Sis Vee’s behalf. Schumacher and Siyanda pointed out to the Maake uncles that it was their nephew’s friends who had been there for him when he almost lost the corner house in a fire and it was them who were there for Thato when his father stole the stock from the diner. Come to think of it, when Thato went through his drug problems, all he had was Jerry. And now these uncles crawl out of drainpipes and take over everything. I’m with Vuyiswa on this, even if she’s not really Vuyiswa.
After Vuyiswa’s friends spoke up for her, cousin Maipelo, the raven, appeared. The uncles thought she would back them up. But, alas, Maipelo did the right thing. Finally Vuyiswa was permitted to enter her own house and mourn Boy-Boy and lay him to rest.
Funerals and weddings are killing season on The Queen. Those two mismatched writers, the diminutive Makwarela and giant cohort, Beynon, make a habit of causing mayhem at such events. But Africa had already been dragged through the most with Thato’s awful death. So there was to be no second corpse and Thatho’s funeral proceeded without incident.
Harriet Khoza takes control
With Brutus intent on a shootout with the Sebatas, Harriet Khoza urged caution. She took her time in thinking up a plan for dispatching with Hector. When Sebata paid a visit to the Khoza mansion, to announce that he was quitting the drug business, she thought it was part of his plan to lull her into a false sense of security before an imminent attack. It was therefore time to deal with Sebata.
Santiago was still in the country and Hector had been calling him nonstop. But, because Santiago had chosen to stick with Harriet, he had been ignoring Hector’s calls. Harriet advised Santiago to arrange a meeting with Sebata at The Blue Moon Lounge. To Hector, this would be just another day at the Blue Moon, little did he know that Harriet Khoza, The Queen, had moved all the chess pieces way ahead of his arrival. The diners, the restaurant staff, everybody in the room would be on her payroll. Hector would fly into the spider’s web and wouldn’t know it until it was too late.
Harriet did not want Hector bringing back up. She made sure Shaka invited Thando to a meeting at the Khoza mansion, just to distract her. She too buzzed into the spider’s web. After Shaka told her he knew about her betrayal, Thando found herself staring into the dark depths of Shaka’s pistol barrel.
Thando desperately tried to tell Shaka that it was her father who betrayed the Khozas and she did her best to get rid of Santiago. But Shaka, angry, hotheaded Shaka wasn’t hearing it. As he fumed, waving his gun, Thando cowered in her chair. You know what, Thando should have stayed with Fezile on Isibaya. He was a killer but would never point his gun at her.
Meanwhile, at The Blue Moon, Sebata found himself seated with Kagiso, Brutus and Harriet Khoza pointing guns at him. He pleaded with Harriet, he was out of the drug game, yes he meant to betray the Khozas, but he was out of the game. As Sebata sensed his end was near, he begged Harriet to spare his daughter, Thando. Harriet Khoza did him one better; she spared both he and Thando. Sebata was let off with a warning. “Stay the f*ck away!” Eish, rude words sound so strange, coming out of Connie Ferguson’s mouth.
Goodbye my love
Hector rushed home, fearing for Thando’s life. When Mpho told him she had gone to meet Shaka, he rushed to the Khoza mansion. Hector went in shooting. Only Phathu Makwarela’s ancestors know how Hector got past the Khoza CCTV and past the armed guards to enter the mansion with his gun drawn. A lot of voetseks were exchanged before Hector, relieved that she was unharmed, left with Thando.
As the show wound down, Thando met Shaka on a wasteland – she never learns does she, remember Shaka shot her in more or less the same venue. But he did not have murder in mind. Shaka and Thando agreed to go their separate. Love, it seems, isn’t enough to hold their relationship together. Not with their families constantly at war.
Thato buried without loved ones
There is a pattern of supporting actors vanishing from The Queen without explanation. Thato’s burial did not draw his mother Adelaide from where ever she is. Jackal, his father was a no show and cousin Akhona (Vuyiswa’s niece) did not even call her aunt to console her. Thato’s ex, Warona, perhaps wasn’t moved by his death, because she didn’t appear. Where is Cleo, Uncle Roy’s wife? And Buntu Toto? Amogelang was as unbothered by Thato’s death as she was by Jerry’s passing.
I am not sure how his can be avoided in future. Perhaps actors should sign a special occasion appearance clause which compels them to be present at weddings and funerals, even if they have left the show.
Till next week, my pen is capped.
The Queen airs weekdays on Mzansi Magic at 9:00pm
image from Twitter, videos from YouTube
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