Fuel to the fire
Everyone’s worried when they learn about Simi and Banzi’s unexpected bond, especially her love interest Zamani!
Joburg students renting at gangster Banzi’s (Hamilton Dlamini) apartment building are the driving force of his empire. He tells the press that “cheap accomodation” it’s his way to give back to the community and he’s got his got his eye on a new venture: worming his way into naive student Simi’s (Nandi Mbatha) heart on Thursday 6 July. Oblivious Simi grows closer to him and “thinks that it’s genuine. Simi sees Banzi as the father figure that she’s never had,” explains Nandi and she doesn’t realise that her connection with him is one of the many reasons that he’s marriage with Claudia (Chichi Letswalo) is falling apart. “Claudia and Banzi have always had a complicated marriage and Simi adds tension to the already broken unit,” says Nandi.
CALL FOR CONCERN
People notice Simi spending more time with Banzi on Monday 10 July and his mom Mme Ethel (Lillian Dube) orders him to back off from Simi. But it’s too late for Banzi to leave and “Mme Ethel sees that, but she hopes that her advice got through him. She thinks of Simi as family and wants to protect her as she would her granddaughter,” says Nandi. Mme Ethel believes that Simi saved her life when her health took a downward turn in June 2017 and “Simi is one of a kind. She’s got this healing power, an energy that makes people feel at ease and eager to stand up for her,” says Nandi. Zamani (Zamani Mbatha) tries to warn his crush SImi to stay away from his shady ex-boss on Wednesday 12 July “but it’s impossible for her to see the truth. Simi sees the good in everyone and she won’t believe the bad things she hears about Banzi,” adds Nandi.
SOMETHING’S NOT RIGHT
Simi’s friend Anathi (Zimkhitha Nyoka) also isn’t sold on Simi’s “innocent” link to Banzi on Monday 17 July. “Anathi sees through his scheming and tells Simi that something isn’t right. Banzi is not to be trusted,” says Nandi, whose character questions Banzi’s actions towards her on Tuesday 18 July when she sees him with his gang. “Simi didn’t see this coming. Part of her didn’t want to know the truth but she’s seen it before it’s too late. Luckily!”