Two dads & a bride
PJ pops in to reveal that he is Botho’s biological pappa.
Keeping Score Mon-Tue SABC2 (*192) 21:30
Botho’s (Moliehi Makobane) fourmonth search for her true paternity is about to end – but it isn’t all good news on Monday 2 April. “Her curiosity kicked up in during November last year when she found her late mom’s diaries revealing that Justice (Saint Seseli) isn’t her biological father,” explains Moliehi. “Her search even got her kidnapped in February and March, so she is relieved at getting the truth.” But is everyone else happy? Probably not…
GUESS WHO?
There’s nothing strange when Justice’s trans bestie PJ (Coco Merckel) knocks at the door on Monday 2 April. “He’s been around Botho all her life, so she thinks nothing of him visiting,” says Moliehi. But there is something he needs to get off his chest, reveals Coco. “Recently he learnt that he was Botho’s father, so he – or she – is also coming to terms with the situation. He’s like, ‘I’m your pa… I mean your ma… agh just call me PJ!” Moliehi adds that there’s no change in Botho and PJ’s dynamic since she has been PJ’s support while he transitioned into Jaqueline. “Validation is validation,” explains the actress. “We knew from the first table read in 2016 that Justice wasn’t Botho’s real dad, but we never discussed who it was. Now she knows so her mind is at ease.” But Coco warns that his bestie may be on the warpath – “I know that if I was Justice, I would want to kill PJ!”
THE RIGHT REASONS
But PJ hasn’t made this revelation to upset the apple cart or to steal Botho’s thunder now that she is engaged to Tladi (Solomon Sebothoma). “There’s no hidden agenda here. Only recently PJ started to accept who she really is and the fact that she is a parent by far supersedes any other selfish motivation,” explains Coco. And while the actor jests about being the father or mother of the bride, he knows exactly where his character’s head is: “It does not matter to him-her. PJ loves his child irrespective of his sexual orientation or trans grouping. That is what parental love is all about!”