Vuyiswa Jola – real name Zandile Msutwana – has pursued the Khoza family for five seasons. Her late husband, Jerry Maake – played by the late Shona Feguson – died in the pursuit of the Khozas with whom he had a grudge that dates back to season one when matriarch, Harriet Khoza, shot and killed his son Mogapi, to conceal her involvement in the assassination of Mzi Khoza – real name Treasure Tshabalala. They say, over time, lovers assimilate each other’s idiosyncrasies. Vuyiswa Jola is fortunate not to have acquired Jerry’s obsessive compulsive disorder but she has, clearly, soaked up Robocop’s intense dislike for the Khozas.
Vuyiswa Jola guns for Harriet
After agreeing to a truce and, later falling in love, Harriet and Hector – which kind of has a poetic ring to it, Hector and Harriet, H & H – had expected their dawn shootout to disappear into suburban folklore. But if there is one unifying trait among wealthy people it is that they dislike noise, which is why they buy houses in leafy suburbs where they wake up to the cooing of doves rather than the din of amapiano. A shootout in the middle of suburbia was always going to annoy the rich neighbours; they paid a lot of money for their Waterfall address. Someone reported the shootout to the police. Vuyiswa Jola, back from attachment at Interpol assisted by her equally zealous sidekick, Georgina Zulu, returning from training in Cape Town, leapt at the opportunity to bring down the Khozas, even though the incident is 30km out of their jurisdiction. Ordinarily, a shootout investigation is focused on finding the attackers. But Vuyiswa obviously sees this as an opportunity to final nab the Khozas.
Vuyiswa’s smug expression, when she arrived at the Khoza mansion, spoke of her deep-rooted desire to get Harriet behind bars. The Khozas, who are effectively the victims in this case, weren’t so cooperative. They denied Vuyiswa access to their home but the search warrant she brought, along with that “I’m gonna getcha” look on her face, was the only permission she needed. Harriet perused the warrant with her face screwed up like it had been written in dog poo. Vuyiswa found nothing but only a fool would think this would discourage the headstrong lieutenant.
Harriet ghosts Hector
While Vuyiswa Jola was in the gym doing push-ups and squats for her Harriet vendetta, she had no idea that her husband, Hector, was slipping away from her as he fell deeper and deeper into the inescapable whirlpool of his emotions for an erstwhile foe.
With Vuyiswa thinking up ways to crack the Khoza mansion shootout case, Hector was parked outside the venue of that dramatic gun battle. Seated in his car, Hector poured out his guts into Harriet’s voicemail.
“I can’t stop thinking about you… the kiss”
Behind the heavily guarded gate, only Harriet’s expensive wardrobe remained. Harriet, The Queen, had ghosted her family, leaving only a sketchy explanation to Uncle Brutus. She had rushed to the North West to attend to her sick mother who, as elderly people often do, seemed reluctant to accept medical intervention. At the Khoza mansion, Olerato oversaw the interior decoration process as new furniture and ornaments arrived to replace the property damaged in the gunfight. Olerato also took receipt of a bouquet of flowers for Rakgadi Harriet. The card attached said H & H.
I am not privy to the truth, but it could be assumed that Connie Ferguson – forget Harriet for a moment – was at this time attending to ill health in the family which, as everyone now knows, resulted in the sad passing of legendary actor/producer, Shona Ferguson.
After a lengthy wait for some kind of feedback to his new love interest, Hector was finally rewarded with an SMS on his phone; voicemail alert. When Hector put his phone to his ear, out came Harriet’s voice, telling him that the feeling was mutual. Bliss!
Vuyiswa Jola inches closer
Meanwhile, there was a fresh development in Vuyiswa’s Khoza mansion shootout case. Word reached her that one of the mercenaries (hired by the Sebatas) was in hospital under police watch. If only he could come out of his coma, she would be one step nearer to solving the case.
But Vuyiswa Jola is literally sleeping with the enemy. Whatever she knows sooner, rather than later, reaches Hector’s ears. But Hector was preoccupied with his new infatuation, only Thando seemed to take this potentially incriminating information seriously. Thando suggested killing the hospitalized mercenary, Hector, softened by love, said it would be risky. But he was talking to Thando’s back. The hot-headed girl was already on her way to the hospital to “take care of the problem.”
Jessica Nkosi looked simultaneously lethal and seductive in her nurse uniform. Hidden behind a surgical mask, she snuck into the mercenary’s room. She had in her hand a syringe and, trust me, that wasn’t a covid vaccine inside the glass tube. But just as Thando was about to inject the man with poison, Vuyiswa entered the room. With her back to Vuyiswa, Thando’s identity remained unknown. And just then, the mercenary came out of his deep sleep.
“Nurse, call a doctor!” said Vuyiswa.
Thando made her exit, relieved to have escaped unidentified, but worried that the mercenary might incriminate her and Sebata. Thando’s concerns weren’t entirely irrational. The man did not even need to be tortured. He gave up Thando’s name to Vuyiswa and Georgina. Unfortunately he had neither her last name nor a description.
After receiving a tongue lashing from Thando about his “absence” Hector decided to look into the mercenary issue himself. Using his position in the police force, he dismissed Mbele, who was sentry at the hospital. Hector threatened the man. But a mercenary’s greed is never satiated even under threat of his own life. He demanded R2,000,000 to keep quiet and disappear. Hector agreed, even though Thando insisted that her poisoned syringe was a cheaper option. The next time Vuyiswa returned to the room, her prisoner was no longer cooperative. He would later disappear from the guarded hospital room. Vuyiswa’s case had hit a dead end.
Schumacher wants the bag
The mutual love for easy money – the soft life – is the glue that strengthens Schumacher and Siyanda’s inseparable bond. But Siyanda – real name Cindy Mahlangu – who is now the owner of the Corner House diner has denounced her gold digging ways. Schumacher, who let his latest golden goose, Mpho Sebata, slip through his hands, is still after the bag, though. He talked Siyanda into holding an SMS competition in order to reinvigorate the Corner House. Contestants enter a raffle by sending an SMS which costs R2 per entry. Once Schumacher realized that the contest raised R8,000, he wanted to turn the money making scheme into a scam. But Siyanda, with the support of Mjekejeke, wants things to remain above board. In the past, anything that Schumacher has touched turned to mud. I already have a box of Kleenex. It will end in tears.
Vuyiswa takes another shot
Cape Town must have taught warrant officer Georgina Zulu a thing or two. She not only came back looking more beautiful, she seems to be a lot cleverer too. Vuyiswa appeared to have resigned herself to the collapse of her case.
https://twitter.com/RewindMzansi/status/1425062520990146581?s=20
After the mercenary ghosted her, she woke up grumpy. Hector confronted her and Vuyiswa Jola, who has arrested her own husband before, told him that it seemed suspicious that the mercenary became less cooperative so soon after Hector has interrogated him. But Hector convinced his wife that the mercenary’s employers must have “got to him”. Back at the station, Georgina, who had been poring over the case file, had found CCTV images of a woman in an armoured vehicle and a man in a helicopter – Thando and Hector respectively. Once they can identify the two, Georgina and Vuyiswa might just crack the case. Hector, looking on, was visibly worried as the film faded to black and the credits rolled up.
Pandemic or no pandemic?
When the coronovirus pandemic struck, Mzansi Magic soapies took different stances on whether or not to include the viral outbreak in their plots. Isibaya, now canned, had actors in masks, coronavirus was the new reality so it was woven into the story. The Queen however took a different position. Nobody wore masks…. until this week. Thando entered the mercenary’s hospital room with a mask on. Vuyiswa and Hector weren’t masked when they interrogated the prisoner. If anyone can tell me why Officer Mbele never questioned the fact that fake nurse Thando wore a mask for a routine check on a patient, I’ll pay them R100.
And while we’re at it, can someone tell me why Vuyiswa is investigating a shootout in Waterfall – 30km from Tembisa Police Station – as if she is the only cop in the country. Even with the Vuyiswa-Harriet vendetta, this part of the story makes no sense at all.
Till next week, my pen is capped
The Queen airs weekdays at 9:00pm on Mzansi Magic
Connect with the author on twitter @RewindMzansi