Kagiso wants divorce as Goodness returns to The Queen

When Kagiso and Goodness drove away from the Khoza mansion, everyone believed that this was the last of the young family. But four months later, Zenande Mfenyana who plays headstrong makoti, Goodness Mabuza-Khoza has made a comeback on The Queen.

When Lorraine Moropa signed her contract with Ferguson Films, she probably expected to play a minor role as Olerato, the daughter of Kgosi and niece to Harriet Khoza. On screen, her aunt Harriet shielded her from the dangers of the drug industry. She played the sweet girl who has no enemies, no squabbles with anyone. Like her late cousin, Kea Khoza, all she had to do was look pretty and dress up to go nowhere!

But with the absence of key players Loyiso MacDonald, Sthembiso “SK” Khoza, Zenande Mfenyana and most recently Vuyolwethu Ngcukana, the shrunken cast has meant that the scriptwriters have had little to work with. This is why we have seen long time helper, Dorcas and the chatty Patronella receiving more screen time. For Lorraine Moropa, Olerato, this has also meant a prominent role. Ordinarily, when a character’s story reaches its conclusion, the story shifts to a different character. But the camera has followed Olerato, even when her story has ended.

Lorraine Moropa’s character is probably the most kidnapped on Mzansi Magic, although Melusi and Thokozani Zungu (real names Nkanyiso Mzimela and Amina Jack respectively) may come a close second.

After surviving the restaurant hostage situation, Olerato found herself in love with her rescuer, Khumo Sebata, real  name Molemo Tlali. But not long after they embarked on their cute little romance, Olerato’s past came back to haunt her in the form of an abusive if not creepy older ex, Darlington (real name Getmore Sithole).

Darlington’s end game was to get in on the Khoza cocaine action. To achieve his sinister goal, Darlington blackmailed Olerato (who did not want her embarrassing past known to Harriet) into stealing Harriet’s client list. Darlington picked one of the clients and killed him, hoping to create a vacancy. Aware that the Khozas were now short of a client, Darlington made his move. But after proposing a business arrangement with Harriet and Brutus, they rebuffed him. Darlington was angry at being snubbed. Meanwhile Olerato, seeking to escape the increasing demands from Darlington decided to flee to Brazil with Khumo. On her way to the airport, Darlington intercepted her and abducted her, making her the most kidnapped character on Mzansi Magic. His ransom demand was cocaine.

While Harriet and Brutus were putting together Darlington’s cocaine package, Olerato made a daring escape attempt. She clubbed her captor with a stick before making a dash for the door. Unfortunately he shot her in the leg before recapturing her. Meanwhile Harriet and Brutus delivered the cocaine which they tagged with an electronic tracker. While Darlington imagined his impending rise in social status and triumphantly sniffed his coke like a dog inhaling another’s backside, Harriet, Noma and Brutus swooped onto his hiding place. They finally found Darlington and Olerato who had lost a lot of blood from the gunshot wound and was barely alive.

With Olerato under the care of a private nurse — because that’s what rich people do when they get shot — Brutus and Harriet had Darlington in a barrel of water with just his nose sticking out above the surface like a frog. Brutus clamped on a pair of electrodes, ready to electrocute Ntombenhle’s kidnapper. I was keen to see Darlington come to a shocking end. But there was to be a plot twist. Drat!

Darlington invited Harriet to check his phone. Harriet indulged him. Only to find that he had incriminating evidence on the Khozas; from Harriet burying Brutus’ girlfriend Phumeza who she had killed and Brutus moving the body.

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Darlington had put in place arrangements for this evidence to become public in the event of, say, him being electrocuted by Brutus. Having regained the upper hand, Darlington demanded that the Khozas become his regular cocaine supplier. Harriet was forced to go into business with a man who almost killed his niece.

After the Darlington business had been put to rest, Harriet and Olerato flew to Brazil to visit Kgosi.

After a very brief courtship, Akhona agreed to marry Clive. He hurriedly arranged for lobola negotiations presided over by Mjekejeke, because Akhona has frozen out her last remaining relative, aunt Vuyiswa. At the conclusion of the lobola negotiations, Clive presented his wife with a brand new Mercedes Benz.

But this whirlwind romance, like every sweet smelling rose, has a thorny side. Clive is controlling; he has changed Akhona’s wardrobe, making her dress like a stiff lipped college librarian, he changed the Corner House staff uniform without even consulting Akhona and pushed Akhona into banning Georgina from the establishment until she settles her long running bar tab.

Viewers of The Queen — a steadily dwindling fan base — had resigned themselves to a week of boredom with Harriet and Olerato away. But Goodness arrived with the invisible baby Mvelo — I kid you not, the only evidence of Mvelo was a recorded baby crying.

When asked why she had travelled without her husband, Goodness was evasive. But Noma overheard her in argument with Kagiso over the phone. Later Goodness admitted that she and Kagiso were having marital problems. But she declined Noma and Brutus offer to intervene. Then the envelope arrived. Kagiso had served her with divorce papers.

I carried out a Twitter poll, hoping to find out how fans of The Queen felt about Patronella. But a resounding majority were more interested in how the show had deteriorated. There is no bigger fan of The Queen Mzansi than me. But even I have to admit that the show is no longer the same. From the most watched telenovela on Mzansi Magic, to a Spinach and Popeye show whose plot barely makes sense. The current Goodness story sounds like it was written by a simpleton on drugs, when kidnappped, Olerato struck Darlington in the leg rather than the head and everyone knows the show went down the toilet the moment Kagiso and Shaka left. It will take a miracle to save The Queen from losing her crown.

Till next week, my pen is capped