Consider it handled
Duma won’t rest until his wife Mabuyi’s rapist is behind bars – even if she doesn’t want that.
“Rape is a traumatic experience. It isn’t only difficult for the victim but also their loved ones who stand by and watch them suffer throughout the ordeal. It’s a devastating process,” says Muzi Mthabela, whose character Duma is crumbling on Wednesday 19 December. He hasn’t been the same since mid-November when his wife Mabuyi (Samukele Mkhize) told him that she had been raped by the village troublemaker Zembe (Sipho Mdhlovu). “Duma is upset that Mabuyi had to go through so much pain on her own,” explains Muzi. And as much as he wants to find Zembe and have him arrested, Duma doesn’t want to be a nuisance to Mabuyi. “He wants to be the shoulder that Mabuyi can cry on but he doesn’t want to push her too hard by asking too many questions,” adds the actor. Secretly though, Duma wants to throttle the life from Zembe with his bare hands.
IT WASN’T YOUR FAULT
Soft-spoken gentle giant Muzi is in the perfect physical position for this storyline – on the outside, he is a big, tough man who is a pillar of strength. But on the inside, Duma is struggling with his emotions. “As a former hitman, he blames himself for failing to protect his wife when she needed him most,” says Muzi. Duma doesn’t know what to do or say to ease Mabuyi’s pain on Thursday 20 December. “He bottles his anger and frustration. It’s hard for him to see her smile through her pain,” says Muzi. “Mabuyi has always been strong and optimistic, so it tears Duma to see her at her lowest. She’s finding it hard to be anything but vulnerable after an evil man like Zembe invaded her privacy and defiled her dignity.”
SAFE SPACE
Duma rallies the valley on Friday 21 December to help him find Mabuyi’s assailant and everyone is onboard. “From the taxi association to the chieftaincy, they want Zembe in prison,” explains Muzi. Duma’s quest is twofold – he wants to do right by Mabuyi but also stop Zembe from raping again. “It doesn’t sit well with Duma that Zembe is still roaming around Bhubesini. What if he comes after Mabuyi again or another woman? Giving up the search is an option that he isn’t willing to take,” says the actor with clenched fists. “Duma takes it upon himself to clean the valley and no one is going to stop him,” reveals Muzi.