Maternal instinct
Can Hllelo be the mom she needs to be?
Young, pregnant, alone and not really sure about how this motherhood thing works, Hlelo (Nothando Ngcobo) thought that the best decision for her and her child was for them to part ways – at least in the beginning. So, she gave birth in secret, wrapped him up and left him on MaMlambo’s
(Gugu Gumede) door step, hoping she would never have to deal with the reality of being a mother. But the police arrested her for abandoning her child, and now a whole new chapter is awaiting Hlelo.
HLELO ABANDONED HER SON
“Hlelo is a young woman who’s had to deal with so much in life. She doesn’t know love, doesn’t know how to give it or receive it – she only knows survival. Her own mother also didn’t want her,” explains Nothando. “She didn’t tell anyone about the pregnancy, including Gabisile (Baby Cele), because she didn’t want to disappoint her.”
Gabisile, her dear friend, tries everything in her power to get Hlelo released. Hlelo helped
Gabisile when she was left for dead years earlier, so Gabisile will always do what she can for the troubled teen.
Finally, Gabisile’s efforts to get Hlelo out of prison pay off when Hlelo is freed and reunited with her baby. “Hlelo is excited and wants her baby back. As a mother, she was yearning for her child while in prison, even though she did abandon him,” the actress explains. “She wants a chance to be a better mother to her son than her mother was to her.”
But the happy family reunion is shortlived when Hlelo starts to come apart at the seams when she has to face the realities of being a mom. Soon, she’s abandoning her baby again and leaving him with Gabisile, choosing to paint the town red instead. And then she disappears for days without a word.
GIVE YOUR CHILD UP FOR ADOPTION
When Hlelo comes to her senses, she returns with promises of being a better mother. But she’s pushed Gabisile too far and Gabisile proposes that MaMlambo adopts Hlelo’s baby. “The idea of her child getting adopted makes Hlelo angry. She knows that she is a terrible mother, but she doesn’t want her child to be taken away from her; she wants to see him grown up,” explains the actress.
While contemplating how she will deal with her child possibly being adopted, she gets a shiver down her spine when she bumps into the father of the baby. Is this the wake-up call Hlelo needed to become the mom she never had?