Princess power
Kuti has taken his wife Princess for granted for the last time.
Tempy Pushas Season 3 Fridays SABC1 (*191) 20:30
“For the longest time, I have asked the writers when Princess is going to wake up and smell the coffee,” says Tempy Pushas (2013- current) actress Tumi Ngumla. “It felt like my character was becoming basic and boring and I hated that. Princess was the girl next door – sweet and obedient. She could easily be the wife who is barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.” Now Tumi is getting her wish because on Friday 16 December, Princess’s husband Kuti (Fezile Makhanya) plants the seed of her rebellion when he goes behind her back to replace her as the head designer of fashion label Three. It’s going to open Princess’s eyes to just how little he values the supporting role that she has played in his life and we’re going to see her finally fight back. Kuti isn’t entirely wrong in wanting to make a change. It’s become clear lately that working as the head designer for Dot.Kom (Sibulele Gcilitshana) at fashion label HOF and holding the same position at Three is spreading Princess too thinly. And perhaps she’s been doing better creative work for HOF because, ironically, certified lunatic Dot.Kom is a better boss to Princess than Kuti has been. “Professionally and artistically, it’s the perfect thing for her to be head designer for the company. She is given leeway and she gets final word, which is something that she never got from Kuti in the previous years,” explains Tumi. “Kuti has always acted superior. He is always the boss. Dot.Kom gives Princess a lot of leeway to explore and do as she pleases.” But Kuti should listen to his best mate Ngulube’s (Akhumzi Jezile) warning Princess is going to strike back when she finds out what Kuti’s done to her on Friday 30 December. “She goes to the spot they’ve gotten for the new pop-up shop and when she’s there, Qaqa, who’s the new head designer, blurts it out assuming that she knows,” reveals Tumi. And from that point, Kuti can kiss her goodbye. “Princess has always had Kuti’s back, even when she shouldn’t have. She left her family and abandoned her brother because of this man she loves so much. And then you think of what he’s put her through: he’s cheated, he’s left her out to dry and she’s always stood by his side. She’s been waiting for that moment to let the relationship go and this is the final strike against it. She is done. She pulls herself together and says, ‘ Yes, I love this man but I deserve better’.”
Tumi believes that Kuti has blown it for good with Princess now. “When I look at what’s happening between them, it would have to be some kind of magic trick to get her to be on his side again. Now she doesn’t want to give up stuff for anybody; she wants to stand up for herself.” Tumi adds with glee that “the transformation from this little girl to this powerhouse that’s she’s turning herself into is miraculous. It’s beautiful and it’s about time!”