Sins of the father
Smanga has revealed his niece’s true paternity and that won’t go down well if it becomes public knowledge.
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He hasn’t always been in favour with his Moroka family, but thanks to his loose lips, Smanga (Moopi Mothibeli) is about to become the family outcast “for some time”. On Tuesday 7 November, he reveals that Rorisang (Lethokuhle Jiyane) isn’t his niece – she is his daughter with his sister-in-law Sphe (Pearl Monama). “Letting this out is a combination of being fed up with the situation and being so enraged that he doesn’t realise what he is saying,” explains Moopi. “He is made out to be this monster, while his brother Mazwi (Musa Ngema) and Sphe take credit for Rori and he’s sidelined.” And when Smanga lets slip that he’s a dad, it’s to the wrong person: Namhla (Thulisile Phongolo), who knows exactly what this info will do in the wrong hands.
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“A lot is at stake here,” say Moopi. The Moroka- Cele family alliance is fragile enough as it is, so finding out that Mazwi never “sealed the deal” with Sphe but that it was rather his “lowerstanding” brother “could destroy lives, nevermind business deals,” adds the actor. During this time [Wednesday 8 to Friday 10 November], Smanga is walking on eggshells around Namhla and Moopi says that Smanga knows what will happen. “If word gets out, the family will know that it came from him and he will be ousted by his family for going back on his word [to keep Rori’s paternity secret – he got Sphe pregnant as part of a business deal in late 2016 as his brother is infertile].” But it isn’t just himself that Smanga worries about – “Sphe also wouldn’t escape the avalanche of shame, criti- cism and abuse hurled her way,” says Moopi.
“YOUR MOVE”
Being involved in the advertising business, Smanga is no fool when it comes to thinking on his feet. He’s a wheeler dealer and he comes up with a plan to protect his secret and himself on Friday 10 November. “He has come too far along to be reduced to a mere uncle again,” reveals Moopi. “He wants to be in Rori’s life as a father and he will stop at nothing to make this happen.” That includes lying through his teeth to Namhla, if that’s what it takes. Doing damage control that same day, “He paints a romantic picture of how perfect it would be if all three of them – Namhla, Rori and Smanga – lived as a family in a coastal town far, far away.”
A MAN WITH A PLAN
Namhla wasn’t born yesterday and she isn’t down with Smanga’s plan, but he is aware of that on Monday 13 November. He knows Namhla well enough to know when she’s onboard with a plan, so Smanga shifts tactics on Wednesday 15 November and hires a shady character named Spororo (Bheki Mahlawe) “to make things work”. Moopi adds that Spororo is connected and is going to organise new identities for them. “Smanga is going to skip town with Rori and go where no one will find them. He is determined to raise his daughter knowing who her father is.” And it’s brutally clear that Smanga isn’t going to be stopped: that same day, he gets Namhla to send the Moroka family a ransom letter – yes, he’s kidnapping his daughter! “The thought of Rori calling him ‘uncle’ breaks his heart. His coping mechanism kicks in but only to make matters worse. His life is a hot mess and it’s going to get worse!”