Seamless integration
Lalage’s bringing her big dreams in “little” Horizon Deep.
Isidingo Weekdays SABC3 (*193) 19:00
Her family is being torn apart but Lalage Lategan (Elma Postma) is determined to be their rock. Her hostel-manager husband Hendrik (Gérard Rudolf) is fighting to keep his job after angering the miners with his changes, and misfit teen daughter Anja (Lee Visagie) is drinking, hanging out with the wrong crowd and being a brat. But frustrated Lalage has a plan from Wednesday 28 June.
HEART & HOME
Food poisoning slows down the mine hostel on Wednesday 28 June and Hendrik comes to blows with shift boss Matlala (Robert Mpisi) who accuses Hendrik of not doing his job. Lalage can see how furious her hubby is after the fight and “for her, it’s important to give Hendrik the emotional support he needs while keeping their home together,” explains Elma. “Lalage is a support for her husband and she tries to calm him when he’s in a bad mood.”
And she’s got her calming work cut out for her on Thursday 29 June when it seems that Hendrik is crumbling under the pressure of his work, keeping the miners happy and taking care of their daughter. “His limits are being tested more than in the past but she thinks that he is doing well,” says Elma. “She tries to boost his confidence by reassuring him that he’s doing a perfect job at work as well as at home.”
KEEPING UP APPEARANCES
Dealing with Hendrik and his mining matters is easy though compared to Lalage’s other problem. “She wants to maintain the family’s good name,” explains Elma. “She wants them to be seen as wholesome and happy and a family unit. But Anja is making keeping up the façade much more difficult.” The teen is always in trouble at school and lately she’s been hanging out with the wrong crowd and missing curfew.
UNHAPPY MOMMY
Running after Hendrik and Anja is taking its toll on Lalage but she won’t say it outright. “She’s a mom and housewife but she does her own thing too [she’s a seamstress] and she’s starting to remember the ambition she had as a young woman,” Elma explains. She’s bored at home and knows that there’s much more to her than just being the “hostel manager’s wife”. “She’s going to try convince her husband that she needs a proper job,” says Elma. But will traditionalist Hendrik allow it?