Man on a Mrs mission
Scheming Pastor Mbatha is on the hunt for the perfect love match, but will he find who he’s looking for?
Pastor Mbatha (Thaboka Mnguni) is quite the shady character, and whatever he touches turns into a scam or scheme. Which is no surprise then that his search for a Mamfundisi (preacher’s wife) is less about finding love and more about finding a cash cow. “Mbatha’s prayer for Mamfundisi left him quite frustrated. He’s eager to find someone for a few reasons, all sinister,” says Thaboka. “He wants to show off a wife, so she has to be very beautiful. He wants someone with money so that the money will be his to do what he wants with it – he’s always trying to get rich quickly.” And plotting Mbatha soon gets the perfect platform to advertise his vacancy for a Mamfundisi.
RADIO SHOWDOWN
Mbatha doesn’t even feel an ounce of shame when he goes on live radio and invites hopefuls to “come for an audition to be his wife”, says Thaboka. And they have to bring bank statements too! Radio host Gabisile (Baby Cele) invites Mbatha and Pastor Gwala (Menzi Biyela) to speak about their faith and their churches, which is when Mbatha spots this golden chance. “This upsets Gabisile. It’s not why she asked them to be on her show,” says Thaboka, adding that his character is frustrated because “Pastor Gwala is busy with sermons and verses on the show, which is chowing his time to carry out his mission. Mbatha truly is a menace!” But all is not lost…
THE HUNT
Mbatha receives a flood of acceptances to his audition invitation. Not everyone is suitable though, says the actor. “Some women who audition are very old and bring their SASSA cards as proof that they will take care of him, which just frustrates him further. One catches his eye, explains Thaboka. “I can’t tell you who she is but she’s a well-known businesswoman in the community and she’s actually too much for him. He can’t adjust to accommodate her needs.”
But there is light at the end of the tunnel when he meets a young woman named Sonto (Nosipho Mhlungu) and she ticks all the boxes. “She’s beautiful and they get along right away. She’s got the money he wants and she wants him around her all of the time. Mbatha is a busy man, so he may neglect her,” says Thaboka. Sonto doesn’t seem like the type of woman who will sit around and wait for attention, so Mr Mbatha had better make sure that he doesn’t let this one slip or he may be back at square one, having missed his last shot…