Khaya Khoza was introduced in season one of The Queen as the sweet, chubby child who was the glue between his father Shaka and mom Lindi. In his preteens, Khaya (real name Paballo Koza) began to question his family’s involvement in crime. He seemed to be the improbable apple that fell miles from the tree. But now that Khaya has finally reached his teenage years, daddy Shaka is faced with a parenting crisis.
Mpho makes a big decision
It has been three months since Mpho and Schumacher tied the knot. Theirs is a marriage of the haves and the have nots. princess and pauper. Mpho comes from money, she inherited R2,000,000 on her mother’s death and Schumacher is a humble driver for Khoza Trucking. For several weeks, viewers have questioned a key milestone in the story plot.
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When Siyanda stole Dollar’s money – R2,000,000 in total – Schumacher saved her from certain death by stealing Mpho’s inheritance money to pay back Dollar. You know what, viewers of The Queen wondered about Mpho’s stupidity for not spotting a whole two million rands that went out of her bank account. But what everyone should have been concerned about is Schumacher’s stupidity in thinking that he would get away with his crime. I mean, did he think it would go unnoticed forever?
Last week, Mpho put her signature on a contract to buy a house for the newlyweds. As soon as the paperwork was finalised, Mpho hoped to transfer the R2,000,00 in order to conclude the purchase deal. Father of the bride, Hector Sebata, seemed pleased that his daughter had put her inheritance to good use. But Schumacher looked like he had seen a ghost, when Mpho made the announcement.
Lies on top of lies
When Schumacher realized the implication of Mpho’s decision to buy a house, he panicked. Schumacher new that Mpho would soon discover that a huge chunk of her money had gone missing. Siyanda, the schemer, came up with a plan to delay the home purchase. Death.
Siyanda suggested that Schumacher fakes a death on his side of the family. Schumie invented an aunt and wept convincingly enough to merit a SAFTA. To make his lie more believable, Schumacher rented a couple of fake uncles – is that funcles – to play the grieving family elders. The two funcles Schumie hired were so convincing that Hector gave them an envelope filled with cash to help with funeral arrangements. But Thando was suspicious. It wasn’t long before her doubts were vindicated.
Schumacher is found out
The greatest downfall of criminals is pride. Getting away with a crime causes arrogance. Schumacher was on the phone with Siyanda, celebrating his little victory. Thando walked into the room just in time to hear him talking about the “award winning performance” by his two fake uncles. Thando did not give her thoughts away.
She tracked down one of the funcles and made him confess at gun point. The timid man laid bare all of Schumacher’s dastardly plans.
Thando then obtained Mpho’s bank statement which revealed the transfer of R1,700,000 to Siyanda. She presented her findings to Mpho. You know what stings the eye more than chopping onions? Betrayal. Mpho wept, not for the stolen money but for the misplaced trust, for being made a popeye. If Schumacher has nine lives, he may just have used up the last one.
Khaya comes home
In all my years in boarding school, I only went home once in the middle of the term. I had the chicken pox and school policy dictated that I take my contagious self home.
Little Khaya arrived home in the middle of the school term, and he didn’t have the chicken pox. What added to the shock of seeing him walk into the living room is that his boarding school is all the way out in KwaZulu Natal. Upon his arrival at the Khoza mansion, Khaya was welcomed, not with hugs, but with what the hell are you doing here! Frankly, as one of the only two real Khozas in the Khoza mansion – his real name is Paballo Koza, remember – he should have told Harriet, Brutus, Kagiso, Noma and Goodness to shut up.
After an attempt to be evasive, Khaya told his father and grandmother that he left school because of bullying. Shaka whose temper is as short as a penguin, was quick to reach for his phone so that he could give the school principal an earful. But Khaya prevented him from making the phone call.
Khaya and grandma Harriet had some alone time. Harriet reassured her grandson she would find him another school much closer to home. But Khaya had other ambitions; he wanted to leave school and join the family business. When Khaya repeated his high school dropout ambitions to Shaka, daddy lost his mind and pointed a gun at him, just to illustrate that the boy lacked the intestinal fortitude for a life in the dangerous drug trade. When Shaka reminded Khaya of the importance of an education, little Khaya – who isn’t so little any more because he turned 19 on the 19th of March – pointed out that his dad didn’t have a Matric certificate but had turned out fine. Talk about a clap back.
Shaka learns the truth
Shaka eventually phoned the principal only to find out that Khaya was expelled from school for selling weed and having sex with some girl in the dormitory. I know you’re thinking what I’m thinking. How did we get from sweet little Khaya to him having sex in the dormitory?
But Brutus doesn’t share our horror. He was thoroughly impressed with the boy. He is a true Hlase, said Brutus. Shaka was about to punch Khaya in the face when Brutus stopped him. However, the butt whipping was merely postponed rather than cancelled.
Khaya gone wild
Khaya carried on from where he left off since being expelled from school. He stole liquor from the family bar cabinet to entertain his friends. He hooked up with a couple of older looking girls at the Blue Moon Lounge. When the manager demanded to see proof of legal drinking age, Khaya told her he was a Khoza, “ID for what”. Bontle, the Blue Moon manager still refused to serve him. But Khaya still got his drinks because his companion, Cici, is old enough to buy alcohol.
Later, Khaya swaggered into the Khoza mansion with a girl on each arm. It was time for that delayed butt kicking.
Khaya’s girlfriend, Cici – real name Nosipho Silinda – did her Delilah to Samson charm on the kid and made him promise to pay R2,000 entry fee to a party. But Khoza or no Khoza, his father wasn’t going to give him that much money. Khaya became creative. He stole money from Antoinette and Harriet before drugging Shaka so that he could take more money out of his father’s bank account via his phone.
Later, Shaka discovered transaction notifications for the money that Khaya had stolen out of his account. But the doting dad couldn’t believe that his privileged son could steal from anyone. Noma – thank goodness for her – soon set Shaka straight. Even rich kids steal, she told Shaka, before reminding him of the old adage about sparing the rod and spoiling the child. Khaya was drifting closer and closer to an ass whooping.
Shaka stops Khaya’s nonsense
Meanwhile Uncle Kagiso and Aunt Goodness had just returned from their brief honeymoon when they walked into their bedroom to find Khaya in bed with a girl. Goodness was horrified, as if she was never caught naked in the swimming pool with Kagiso on the day she was supposed to be marrying Shaka.
When Shaka discovered Khaya and his girlfriend coming down the stairs, he was calm but firm. He told Khaya that he would try something new in dealing with the boy’s declining behaviour. Close your eyes lets pray, said Shaka. Khaya shut his eyes as Shaka prayed, proving that, despite having the street smarts to sell drugs and have sex at school, the boy was still very naïve. Midway into the prayer, Shaka unbuckled his trouser belt and, without warning, attacked Khaya. Harriet and Noma came rushing down the stairs and placed themselves between Shaka and his weeping son. I found it hilarious that, earlier, Khaya had told Noma that she wasn’t his mother but when the ass whooping came, Khaya cried onto Noma’s bosom.
Did Shaka take Noma's advice a bit too far? #TheQueenMzansi https://t.co/1qQc9xn0N0 pic.twitter.com/4TIZolNis0
— Mzansi Magic (@Mzansimagic) March 22, 2021
I stand with Shaka; no child of such an age should be having sex, especially not with older women. But who is Shaka to judge Khaya? Children learn from watching their parents and I have lost count of Shaka’s sexual conquests, several of which occurred while he was married to Mmabatho. Monkey see, monkey do.
Till next week, my pen is capped
The Queen airs weekdays at 9:00pm on Mzansi Magic and is available on DSTV catchup and Showmax
Images from Twitter, videos from YouTube
Connect with the author on Twitter @RewindMzansi