Letting go
Nandi is standing up for herself for the first time and it’s going to see her turn her back on the man she loved: Jack.
“Losing a child is an indescribable feeling. It’s an ugly mixture of pain and anger. No matter how much Nandi tries to hide it, she is struggling to keep her emotions together,” reveals Brenda Mhlongo. Nandi’s grief at losing her son Fana (Duma Mnqobi), who was gunned down on Tuesday 23 October, is compounded in the worst way possible on Wednesday 7 November when her estranged husband Jack (Vusi Kunene) exploits her broken heart. “It’s disgusting,” says Brenda. “He wants her to sign over Fana’s shares in the family’s land development project JM Eco City.” She already blames him for Fana’s death because the bullets that killed her son were meant for Jack. “He has always been selfish and power hungry, but this is an all-time low. The family is going through their darkest period and he just wants money.” After years of fighting, cheating and worse, this is breaking point for Nandi. “She wants to be rid of this man, no matter the cost,” adds the actress. Nandi agrees to sign the shares over to him on one condition: that he stays away from her for good. There is some good news for Nandi though – her boyfriend Mandla (Themba Nofemele) is moving to Cape Town for business, giving her the chance to start over again… away from her dirty, rotten husband.
AT A CROSSROADS
While Nandi will never forgive Jack for his role in Fana’s shooting, she blames herself for sending her son there in the first place, something that will follow her no matter where she goes, explains Brenda. “Fana was her divorce lawyer and Nandi sent him to Jack to convince him to amend his settlement offer. She believes that if she hadn’t stooped to Jack’s greedy level by demanding more money, Fana wouldn’t have been there in the first place.”
With the share deal signed and her boyfriend ready to move on Tuesday 13 November, there’s one last thing for Nandi to do: talk to her daughter Sphe (Pearl Monama). “Nandi has a lot to consider. Sphe and her granddaughter Rorisang (Dithoriso Mosaka) are all that she has left. While she wants to spend as much time with them as possible, she never wants to see Jack’s face again. Since she can always visit them, Nandi’s decision seems to be made: it’s off to Cape Town for a new life.
BEGINNING OVER
While Nandi tells everyone that she’s doing okay, viewers will immediately pick up that things aren’t as good as she claims on Friday 16 November. The caring, loving mom doesn’t so much as send Sphe a goodbye Whatsapp – she leaves her life and family and all she’s ever known in the dust. “She doesn’t know what she’s going to do with her life yet,” says Brenda. “She’s just happy to be rid of that evil man.” That doesn’t mean that her new man is any better, hints the actress: “Their relationship wasn’t that serious to begin with. They have only been on a few dates. While there is chemistry, they’ve gone from kissing and holding hands to moving in together so quickly…”