Monster-in-law
Lulama Langa will do anything to stop her son from marrying the biggest mistake of his life: Yvonne.
Boniswa (Lusanda Mbane), Siseko (Hlomla Dandala) and Yvonne (Kgomotso Christopher) will become a big “happy” family by the end of this fortnight. But the marriage isn’t just about sharing a man and Siseko’s mama Lulama Langa (Nomhle Nkonyeni) is madder than a wet hen about bride number two. “She resents Yvonne,” says Nomhle. “Siseko is turning his back on his mother by marrying Yvonne after all the things that woman did to him… after all the sacrifices that Lulama has made for her son, after all the protection she gave him.” If Mama has her way, there’ll be no second wife.
JUST SAY NO
Lulama confronts Boniswa and Siseko on Wednesday 5 July and turns nasty when her warnings fall on deaf ears. “Because of the relationship that Lulama has with Boniswa – they get on very well – she is disappointed that Boniswa initiated this,” says Nomhle. From meddling in lobola negotiations to threatening not to attend the wedding, Lulama tries it all, with some help from granddaughter Xoli (Sivenathi Mabuya). And when Yvonne sets foot on Lulama’s turf in Bisho on Friday 14 July, Lulama is waiting to scare her off and prove to everyone that Yvonne is just a golddigger. “Lulama is very cruel. I wouldn’t talk to people like that! People are going to hate me for this role,” laughs Nomhle.
SAY YES TO THE DRESS
But the bride is ready to bite back with a wedding dress the likes of which the Langa clan have never seen on Tuesday 18 July. “The way that she is dressed shows that she has no respect for what she is about to do. Lulama is disgusted and disappointed,” adds Nomsa. Meanwhile, Kgomotso laughs that “the joke within that is, that by custom, the dress shouldn’t really be anything fancy but if Yvonne can’t have the fancy white wedding, she is absolutely going to have a red carpet official outside and the tightest dress.” Scandal!’s head of wardrobe Corlene Furstenberg adds, “Both wives represent the tradition and beauty of their individual culture – Yvonne representing a Sesotho bride and Boniswa the Xhosa women. But, of course, Yvonne would push boundaries to add her own personal sparkle.”