The real cost
Zekhethelo is about to pay the high price for her addiction.
Zekhethelo (Nyalleng Thibedi) was once on the fast track to becoming a doctor. Now she lives in a one-room flat, supporting herself by cleaning the salon. But Zekhethelo’s downward path became a plunge after evil Amos (Ernest Msibi) forced her to become his drug mule on Wednesday 4 July. Even prayer didn’t seem to help, but Zekhe’s worries melted away when she took her first hit of qoh (ecstasy) on Friday 20 July. And when Amos offered her cocaine on Friday 27 July, Zekhe thought, “Why not?” But while she learns that cocaine is expensive on Wednesday 1 August, she could pay a far higher price on Friday 10 August.
NEED & GREED
By Thursday 2 August, Zekhethelo has lost control. She even steals from her colleagues at the salon on Friday 3 August to score more and from Nkunzi (Masoja Msiza) – the man who raised her as a loving father. Nyalleng, who spoke to addicts undergoing rehabilitation to prepare for the storyline, reveals that her character isn’t slowing down enough to feel ashamed and not even an over- dose on Friday 10 August can stop her. “Everybody I spoke to talked about the downer like it is the worst thing ever. The thing with the cocaine that stood out for me is that it’s time in your body is 30 minutes. So you have to do a line every 30 minutes. It sounds like a hellhole if you don’t keep taking it. This is what gets people hooked. It’s the drug itself. The motivation there is to feed Zekhe’s craving. The need is physical.”
THE HIDDEN COSTS
When stealing doesn’t work for her, Zekhethelo digs into her other tactics, corroding all of her personal ties in her pursuit of relief from her addiction. “Zekhethelo lies, she manipulates, she flirts, she guilt-trips people. She makes people feel bad so that she can get money. If she misses her rent, then she uses the fact that she has been a good human being. So for instance, she will say to her landlord, ‘Come on, this is the first time. I’ve never made mistakes before.’ It’s not malicious though, none of it,” points out Nyalleng. “It’s more ‘what can I do to make sure I feel right, to make sure I get my next fix?’”