The devil’s triangle
Boniswa’s polygamy proposal binds her into an epic power struggle with Siseko’s mistress Yvonne.
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Once your husband’s sordid affairs hit the front page, it’s probably time to put your foot down. But Boniswa’s (Lusanda Mbane) solution to Siseko’s (Hlomla Dandala) sneaking around with his mistress Yvonne (Kgomotso Christopher) had us reeling on Monday 12 June. Can’t cure infidelity? Try polygamy! By Friday 16 June, all three were on board with the proposal… and clearly paddling in different directions. Now Kgomotso and Lusanda discuss their characters’ campaign for victory as these two strong-willed women battle for Siseko’s attention like cats in a sack. And one actress hints at why we could be witnessing the birth of an epic villain…
IN IT TO WIN IT
After her failed wedding to Damon Bradbury (Craig Urbani) in February this year, Yvonne latches onto the idea of marrying Siseko with stars (and dollar signs) in her eyes. “It’s not a great deal. But she thinks she’ll go for it because she’ll get the man she’s always wanted and the money or inheritance she would have gotten from her ex-husband Hector (Tumisho Masha), which went to Boniswa and Siseko,” explains Kgomotso. “She is not a polygamous person. For her, it’s not ideal to be wife number two because culturally wife number one is your boss. Traditionally a second wife would accept that there would be more wives after her and as more come in, so her seniority rises.” But with patience not being Yvonne’s strong suit we doubt she’s hang around being number two for long – Boniswa had better watch out. “Yvonne’s in it to win it!” laughs Kgomotso.
GET OVER IT… AND HER
While Yvonne sees a golden opportunity, the more pragmatic Boniswa sees an unpleasant compromise, but one that she can control. “She knows that Yvonne was there before her and when she met Siseko he had already been hurt by Yvonne. She’s not trying to deny the kind of power that Yvonne has over her husband. Boniswa has come to the conclusion that Yvonne is a thing that is just not going to go away,” says Lusanda. “But she thinks that when people are stealing something it makes it so much more exciting. It’s a strategy to give him the permission to live it out so that it can pass and we can move on with our lives.”
KNOW YOUR WORTH
Boniswa and Yvonne have complete faith in what they’d bring to the marriage. Lusanda reveals, “She knows that he loves her and that what they have is real and that’s exactly why she’s not willing to give it up for some sort of fling. She is in no way concerned about her position. Boniswa is motherly. Boniswa is homely. Boniswa is a professional who knows how to earn her own living and how to maintain a family and bring balance to it. She is the wife and she is Siseko’s pillar of strength.”
Anyone who thinks that magnetic sexual attraction is a flimsy offering in the face of all Boniswa has is sadly wrong, though. Siseko wouldn’t have been cheating if it meant nothing to him. Kgomotso adds, “Yvonne’s feeling is that as long as she gets in, she’s already one step up because she’s believes that Siseko has always loved her more than Boniswa. Strategy number two is, ‘I am just going to push her out by taking over his heart, his mind, his world so he forgets about this other first wife’. She’s going to hypnotise him to believe that he only needs this one, perfect wife.”