Daughter drama
Boniswa’s drug habits and bad behaviour have driven a wedge between her and her criminal mom Mam Rebs.
“Boniswa is not a bad person, but she’s definitely the most flawed character I’ve ever played,” says Gabisile Tshabalala, who previously played Moya in comedy series Single Guyz. “Boniswa has done a lot of things in her life that aren’t exactly good, but she’s got a good heart and she’s trying to be a good person, a professional performer and set a good example for the people she encounters.” But that’s not always possible thanks not only to Boniswa’s addiction, but also the fact that she’s being manipulated…
OUT OF MY CONTROL
Boniswa’s troubles aren’t new and she’s been abusing drugs and living the wild life for years. She’s also been going in and out of rehab, but she just can’t seem to kick her habit – and Gabisile knows why. “Boniswa is really trying to clean herself up. She’s in rehab because she wants to be there, but she’s dating someone who is pulling her back into those habits.” Nkanyiso (Mzikayise Makroti, Fistos in telenovela DiepCity) isn’t just Boniswa’s boyfriend, he works at the rehab and is her carer… and the man who is feeding her drug habit. “She wants to be clean but she has no control – it’s her partner who’s making sure that she’s off the rails and that her body is being pumped full of drugs.” And it’s not like Nkanyiso is going to stop any time soon, adds the actress.
“Nkanyiso stands to gain so much (from Boniswa being on drugs) because he knows the shares that Boniswa has in her mom Mam Rebs’s (Linda Sebezo, Lillian in now-cancelled telenovela Isibaya) factory are worth a lot of money. So if Boniswa is out of control, on drugs and drinking all the time, he can manipulate her,” says Gabi, adding that the pair are dating right now but Nkanyiso has more in store. “Boniswa, being drunk could be talked into doing something like marrying him and then Nkanyiso has access to the shares. He only wants to marry Boniswa because of her money – he’s an absolute golddigger and he smells money with ‘his love’ Boniswa… and lots of it.”
TROUBLED HISTORY
A person doesn’t just wake up one morning and decide to start taking drugs, so there has to be a reason that Boniswa first tried them. And as The Black Door goes on, Gabisile is hoping that viewers will get to explore that journey. “Boniswa’s history hasn’t fully been revealed yet, so we don’t know who got her onto drugs and her bad habits originally. It probably stems from losing her father (offscreen). She was a daddy’s girl and that kind of loss sent her spiralling,” says the actress, adding that her character hasn’t had the best relationship with Mam Rebs as a result. “Growing up, even now it’s a very strained and tense mother-daughter connection. Boniswa went out of control and was a party animal and drugs are part of that reckless scene. She drinks and is wild.”
But she has a problem because of her enabler now who knows her past and is using that against her. “She went to rehab to get clean, she met Nkanyiso – and he’s become her enabler. He makes sure that she gets these drugs and because her body craves them, she doesn’t stop. I think that Nkanyiso might be more of a father figure, that’s why she’s with him. She’s trying to fill that gap of her missing father,” says Gabi.
FAMILY FIGHT
Because of the situation with her drug abuse and wild lifestyle, Boniswa and her mom have a massive wedge between them. And it’s not one that will be easily fixed, Gabisile believes, for a
number of reasons. “After her father’s death, Boniswa and her mom drifted apart badly. Now Mam Rebs is trying to protect her daughter, she’s trying to build a connection and bond with Boniswa. It’s never too late to do that in life, but they still butt heads a lot.
It’s also difficult for Mam Rebs to trust Boniswa when she says that she’s not the drug abuser that everyone thinks, because Mam Rebs knows what her daughter has done before – the wild partying, the drinking and, yes, drugs, even though Boniswa is trying to prove that she’s trying to get clean. Mam Rebs is very smart, so I think deep down she actually knows that this guy Nkanyiso is the reason Boniswa is taking drugs.”
The pair have come a long way but there are still issues plaguing them, says Gabisile, revealing that Mam Rebs didn’t want to believe that Boniswa was a drug addict at first. But after years of drug use, she accepts that Boniswa has troubles. “Even now, her mom doesn’t fully believe that Boniswa wants to get off the drugs and that she’s wanting to start a new life. When Mam Rebs finds out that Boniswa is misbehaving at her factory business, being drunk and doing drugs and other dodgy things, it makes Boniswa seem untrustworthy and that is a problem for Mam Rebs.” But Gabi is quick to add that Mam Rebs is streetsmart and that she sees things that others don’t. “She gets this feeling about the situation with Boniswa and Mam Rebs isn’t wrong when she says, ‘No, this is not my daughter and I don’t know what’s going on but I’m going to find out and save her.’”
A MOTHER’S LOVE
Despite their differences and the stress that their past has put on them, Mam Rebs cares deeply for her daughter and only wants the best for Boniswa. “It’s important for Mam Rebs that Boniswa is clean and sober and off the drugs.
She is Boniswa’s mother and loves her child,” says Gabisile. It’s more than just a parent’s love, though, adds the actress. “You must remember that Boniswa is very intelligent. She’s business savvy and she can run companies… when she’s thinking straight. So Boniswa being clean is financially beneficial for Mam Rebs because there will be all the clients she needs at her factory.”
Gabi says that she wants her character to give up drugs “because Boniswa doesn’t actually want to use drugs. She is being controlled and manipulated into using them. She needs to be off drugs for her own health and safety.”
A WORD OF ADVICE
Gabisile is quite pragmatic when it comes to giving her character advice about her current situation. “Boniswa really shouldn’t be so hard on herself. She is her own worst critic and she doesn’t actually know that she’s in a relationship with a horrible guy who’s after her money and her family’s money. She needs to take care of herself because she’s not the person she’s portrayed to be – she doesn’t know that she is capable of breaking this drug habit and being a good person, because the habit is being controlled.”
PREVIOUSLY
Nomsa’s family gathered round when she was humiliated by someone she trusted, Mam Rebs told her toyboy Junior that she loved him, and Khaya’s dreams seemed to fade.
IN THIS ISSUE
Nomsa comes to an upsetting realisation about her son Khaya when he seemingly chooses his boss Mam Rebs over her, and Nandi is having loved-up daydreams about her new romance with Khaya, unaware that he’s working at The Black Door brothel. Khaya misses Nomsa’s farewell before she goes to hospital for surgery, and Mam Rebs almost walks in on her lover cheating on her. Khaya empties his bank account to quietly pay for Nomsa’s hospital and doctor’s accounts, and Romeo can’t hide his excitement about the strip party. Velaphi has to swallow his pride and go back to school, and Mam Rebs sees Junior flirting.
Two of The Black Door sex workers get into a hilarious feud that sinks to new lows – they start to sabotage each other’s equipment and wardrobe. Thenjiwe is oblivious to some of the things going on around her, and Nomsa isn’t pleased when she sees Khaya and Nandi kissing. Junior realises that he’s made a massive mistake and he tries to smooth things over with his fling before Mam Rebs finds out, and Khaya panics when his pregnant new client goes into labour. Nkanyiso makes it clear to Junior that cheating on Mam Rebs is the worst thing he can do, and Khaya tries to surprise Nandi with a gift but she’s suspicious. Khaya makes a bad decision and breaks Mam Rebs’s number-one rule: No kissing the clients. Boniswa is surprised by Nkanyiso’s accusations toward Junior, and Khaya finds out why Nandi is avoiding sleeping with him.