No chance in sight
Lerato has a crush on her boss Smanga, but he is looking in another direction.
Digital marketing intern Lerato (Candice Modiselle) is the first one at the office in the morning and the last to leave at night. But she isn’t getting much work done because she is daydreaming about her boss Smanga (Moopi Mothibeli). “It isn’t some school girl crush,” reveals Candice. “Lerato is totally smitten with the CEO and she is working overtime, trying to get his attention. She’ll touch his hand while they are talking or compliment him during a chat, but he is oblivious to her advances.” Candice adds that “he just sees Lerato as a child. She’s new at the office and he interprets her enthusiasm as willingness to work”. While Lerato continues to fall harder for him, it can only lead to disaster in the workplace if he’s just not that into her.
DAYDREAMING
Lerato misreads Smanga’s good-guy character as him taking a liking to her. To her defence, she just graduated from high school and she is naïve, explains Candice. “Smanga is the type of boss who knows everyone’s name in the company. He greets everyone with a smile, from the receptionist to the junior assistants. Lerato thinks that when he makes eye contact, it’s a sign that he feels the same way as she does,” adds the actress. Smanga’s confidence and wit make it more difficult for Lerato to stop from catching feelings. “He isn’t like boys her age,” says Candice. “Because he has years ahead of Lerato, he is wise and gives her life advice. She enjoys their serious conversations. The fact that he runs his own business doesn’t hurt either.”
GOING THE EXTRA MILE
Not that Smanga is looking to get into a relationship right now, but if he was, he definitely wouldn’t date his subordinate – not at this point in his life anyway. He is still getting over his abusive relationship with his ex- girlfriend and business associate
Zitha (Zoe Mthiyane) who used to bully him. “He doesn’t want a girlfriend anytime soon,” says Moopi adamantly. Smanga doesn’t want to cross the line again by mixing business with pleasure. Plus, he is focussing on growing his political party VOTE and getting his marketing company Moroka Inc off the ground. “Smanga is getting to know himself again after his failure of a relationship with Zitha. Even if Smanga was aware of Lerato’s feelings, he wouldn’t want to sabotage his new political career by dating a teen.”
DRAWING THE LINE
A colleague having the hots for Smanga is nothing new. His former employee Namhla ( Thulisile Phongolo) had a crush on him in September 2016 and they ended up kissing. Before they were a couple, Namhla accused him of sexual harassment in June that year but dropped the charges after he apologised for inappropriately touching her. “It was different with Namhla because he genuinely cared about her. They tried to fight their feelings for each other, but it was too late. They were really in love,” explains Moopi. Three years ago, Smanga was young and reckless – he has a lot to lose this time round, so he is keeping his hands to himself now. “The stakes are high. Smanga won’t look at Lerato in any kind of way other than as someone who works for him because he doesn’t want to jeopardise everything that he’s worked for,” reveals the actor. But that won’t keep Lerato from trying.