It’s in the way he talks
Mampho’s health secret isn’t nearly as bad as the one that her new love interest is keeping.
Radio DJ Mampho’s (Itumeleng Bokaba) hasn’t been entirely honest with her new boyfriend Joe (Nhlakanipho Manqele), keeping her HIV status secret until they’re at the point where sex comes next. “She’s terrified,” explains the actress, whose character chooses a dinner date to tell him. She has been through this before and she knows what to expect. That doesn’t stop her mind racing past every outcome, focussing on Joe pushing her way, adds Itumeleng. “She has fallen for him but fears that he’ll dump her when learns that she is HIV positive.” It’s quite the opposite and curiously for Mampho, “Joe doesn’t flinch, reassuring her that he’s still interested in dating her,” says Itumeleng. Mampho is relieved that she no longer has to hide this part of who she is, but Joe has secrets of his own: a pregnant wife.
LIVING A LIE
Mampho has been so preoccupied with telling Joe her health info that she has ignored the disconnect between them. “He lies about where he is,” explains Itumeleng. “His stories don’t add up. One minute Joe tells her that he was having drinks with his friends at a bar, the next he’s just come back from a jog. He can’t keep track of his lies and she feels like a fool when she realises that he’s lying.” As soon as he steps out of her room, she snatches his phone and scrolls through it for incriminating evidence. “She finds it! SMSes from a woman who claims to be his wife!” says the actress with a hint of rage in her voice. “She is stunned and broken and can’t believe that he lied to her like this. It’s unforgivable. And she’s going to expose him for the liar that he is.” And what better way than to do it on her radio show?
PLAYING THE GAME
Mampho is at a loss for words when pregnant Constance (Mokokobale Makgopa) walks into the studio after her exposé story, not sure why she is there because Mampho never revealed that it’s got to do with Joe. While she feels guilty and considers that this woman could go into early labour after finding out that her husband is a philanderer, Mampho softens the blow and warns Constance to “keep an eye on your man”. Constance doesn’t take kindly to Mampho’s interference in her marriage, warning her to stay away from Joe who Itumeleng says has his wife wrapped around his finger. “He is good at manipulation. Constance has fallen for his tricks and Mampho did too. But she isn’t going to take this lying down. Joe will be exposed in public and there’s nothing he or Constance can do to stop Mampho.”