Twice as nice, twice as dangerous
Smooth-talking Mthambisi is upping the ante in KwaMashu – and he’s not alone…
Buyile Mdladla made his debut on Uzalo screens towards the end of September and plays the role of a self-absorbed wealthy man who will not let the word “no” get in his way. Ever.
Buyile plays Mthambisi Phakathi (aka Putin), who’s best described as being dangerously charming with a magnetic aura. Mthambisi entered the Uzalo world under the false pretence of being the owner of a massive media company, but unbeknown to all, his sole aim is to shake up KwaMashu by all means necessary – even by channelling his alter ego Putin when things really get heated.
Mthambisi begins with sparking a romantic relationship with Gabisile (Baby Cele) and, of course, this risky move will make him an arch-nemesis to Gabisile’s boyfriend and KwaMashu’s longstanding villain Nkunzi (Masoja Msiza). Next on his hit list is terrorising the Magwazas – the relatively new family in KwaMashu, led by matriarch Njinji (Thembi Nyandeni). The Magwazas are also criminals, so that automatically makes them competition for Nkunzi – and therefore for Mthambisi too. In fact, it seems the Magwazas make him so angry, his alter ego Putin comes out – a two-timing ruthless monster. Putin plans to terrorise his enemies because he wants to take over a fort they’re in. He may even have beef with Njinji from long ago, but that is yet unknown…
“Mthambisi is a self-made hoodlum whose criminal activities have made him a fortune. He rose quietly in Durban’s dark underbelly, deliberately avoiding rivalry and gangster warfare. Mthambisi is more dangerous than your garden-variety gangster; he has an alter ego who is ruthless, aggressive and maniacal in his operations. Having been born and raised in Durban, Mthambisi is in tune with the rhythm of the city,” Buyile sums it up.
THE AFFAIR WITH GABISILE
Mthambisi knows Gabisile because of her relationship with Nkunzi – someone he’s been watching for a while since he wants to take over his title as “the landlord of KwaMashu”. “Mthambisi and Gabisile took a serious interest in each other the moment they met. She is a beautiful woman whom he feels needs to be rescued from a passionless and directionless relationship with an overbearing boyfriend. He is an exhilarating ride that leaves her in awe and gasping for air,” Buyile reveals.
Initially Gabisile tries to be levelheaded and only to be friendly, but there’s no denying her attraction to Mthambisi. So Mthambisi wins all the way – he will get his enemy Nkunzi’s woman if he plays his cards right, and he actually enjoys her company, so Mthambisi is definitely not letting Gabisile’s cold shoulder get in his way. And soon Mthambisi sees another
opportunity to woo Gabisile into going on a date with him…
THE PLAN TO DETHRONE NKUNZI
The township of KwaMashu is too small for two landlords, and Mthambisi knows this all too well. His plan is to remove Nkunzi from his position as the landlord of KwaMashu, so he digs for information about Nkunzi from Sbu (Simphiwe Majozi). “Mthambisi did his research on Sbu. The chatterbox is easily seduced by nice things in life. His severe dislike of Nkunzi and a deep-rooted desire to avenge himself make Sbu an obvious ally of Mthambisi,” Buyile says, referring to the fact that in August, Sbu stopped working for Nkunzi because he didn’t like how Nkunzi treated him and then started his own business.
“Of course Sbu falls for Mthambisi’s charm and charisma and it doesn’t take him long to start singing like a canary. The information that Mthambisi gets will give him the upper hand in his plan to bring Nkunzi and the Magwazas to their knees,” he adds.
While Mthambisi’s plans are evil, we’ve seen nothing until Putin comes out to play and gives everyone a reason to fear him – watch for yourself to see the transition in Mthambisi and what Putin does, we can’t spoil it!
When Mthambisi is himself again, he goes all out to win over Gabisile. And Nkunzi might be too preoccupied with other issues in his life to realise that his woman has been swept off her feet by a man who’s about to be more than a headache to him. “Nkunzi is frustrated with his son Pastor Gwala’s (Menzi Biyela) relationship with the young Nosipho (Nompilo Maphumulo). He doesn’t deem Nosipho good enough, but now that she’s pregnant with his grandchild, it’s tricky,” Masoja reveals. And things go from bad to worse when Nkunzi realises that his son has proposed to Nosipho, leaving him to put out fires, while Mthambisi is creeping closer to Gabisile. And finding out more info about Nkunzi by the day to bring him down. Why, maybe it was Mthambisi’s idea for Pastor Gwala to get engaged…? And don’t get to comfortable, you never know when Putin may pop out again.