Drunk & disorderly
Culinary student Sphola’s dreams come to a halt when the police catch slurring behind the steering wheel.
Skeem Saam Weekdays SABC1 (*191) 18:30
There’s nothing that can stop aspiring chef Sphola (Thabang Lefoa) while he’s on his way to the top – or so he thinks. The final-year culinary student is having back-to-back meetings with investors with hopes of selling his signature marinade recipe on Wednesday 28 March. “Sphola is living the dream! He feels like he can do anything,” exclaims Thabang. To celebrate his success, Sphola heads out to party on Monday 2 April with his best friend Katlego (Patrick Seleka) but later that day, Katlego urges his drunk pal Sphola to stay at his place until he’s sobered up. “But that doesn’t happen,” reveals Thabang. His character has an important meeting that he can’t miss, “So he takes off despite being drunk,” adds the actor. But Sphola doesn’t get to his business meeting – the metro cops pull him over that same day and arrest him, leaving his investors and dream hanging…
THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND
Things take a turn for the worse when Sphola is put in jail later on Monday 2 April. “He regrets not listening to Kat. This one bad decision has cost him a meeting that could have changed his life,” sighs Thabang. Driving under the influence is a serious and criminal offence and Sphola could face six years in prison, have to pay thousands of Rands in fines or have his driver’s licence suspended – or even all three! It isn’t Sphola’s first time in trouble for reckless driving either. “Sphola has a bad track record with the police. His friends have been warning him about drinking and driving but he didn’t realise that it was a serious offence. He is about to throw his life away. Having a criminal record is the last thing that Sphola needs with his business plan in progress,” adds the actor.
LESSON LEARNT
Sphola gets bail and is released from jail on Tuesday 3 April, but his life and business are in shambles. “He messed up big time. Sphola regrets getting into the car,” explains Thabang. Viewers were first introduced to Sphola in 2014 while he was struggling to get by, but he managed to turn his life around by going to culinary school in 2017. “No one should drink and drive. You’re not only putting your life in danger but you could kill someone else too,” warns Thabang. “There are so many other ways of safe transport or you could just ask someone to take you to where you need to be,” adds the actor. Instead of being the next big chef, Sphola will be facing court cases for months while his investors have pulled the plug on working with him, possibly forever thanks to his ignorance.