Our weekday evenings are now consumed with one thing. Okay, let’s make that two. The lockdown – and Gomora. It’s the telenovela that has unashamedly highlighted social issues plaguing township folk like Teddy (Sicelo Buthelezi) who has a drunk for a mother and completely different like Gladys (Thembi Seete), who’s waging a one-woman revolution for the downtrodden and children of Alexandra township aka Gomora.
A strong underlying theme in the telenovela, and one that will be explored in depth this week, is one of family conflicts and paternal relations. It’s no secret that Melusi’s bond with his son Ntokozo is quite strained; Melusi does, after all, belong to that old-fashioned school of thought that does not show affection to young men – because it’s a sign of weakness. And weakness is not a character that suited for the principal of Gomora High School. Interestingly, he’s a warm and affectionate father figure to his students, which inevitably results in Ntokozo’s resentment towards him.
This coming week, expect more deceit from the Don of Gomora, Mam’Sonto, especially with Thathi. Here second daughter, Beauty is also around, but why bother caring about her, she’s always been in the background lurking in the shadows. She’s desperate for her mother’s love, which she’s only ever had in rationed portions, because Mam’Sonto’s heart was won over by her firstborn. Now all Mam’Sonto cares about is making sure Thathi stops digging into her husband’s death.
Thathi’s grief is at anger stage; angry at her dead husband for leaving her drowning in debt, angry at everyone in Alex giving her the pitiful stares, and angry at the incompetence of the police who just can’t find one maroon Cressida. She proves to still be the resourceful ‘kasi’ chick who can do what needs to be done and finally discovers the identity of one of the hijackers. Meanwhile, the real owner of the Cressida, Mam’Sonto, is making strides to counter Thathi’s efforts and begins ‘helping’ with police investigation, only to feed them false information. Her mantra, in township parlance, could be described as: Dala what you must, loosely meaning “do what needs to be done to get what you want”.
A lovely little tale of brotherhood is brewing with the bro-mance between Langa and Ntokozo. They do, after all, share many qualities, and there is a likeness in their physical features that you can’t shake off.
Tune into Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) every weeknight at 19:30 or stream it on DStv Now.
Download and watch later
Get the DStv Now app (Apple or Android) and download episodes to watch on your phone or tablet – just remember to connect to the Wi-Fi first so there are no surprise data costs.
