Good girl gets edgy
Sibonginkosi Teza gives us a look into Nandi’s world.
The Black Door has its fair share of evil characters who’re conniving and seek revenge, power, money and lust. Nandi (Sibonginkosi Teza) is the much-needed good girl who balances out the darkness around Mam Rebs (Linda Sobezo). Yes, we said it: Mam Rebs and those around her bring bad vibes.
As Khaya’s (Zamani Mbatha) love interest who may have gotten her heart broken by him, Nandi is the quintessential girl-next-door who follows all the rules, but soon she’ll have a coming-of-age moment and evolve into more than just a good girl.
“Nandi is a very naïve, carefree young lady – that’s her number-one trait,” says Sibonginkosi about her character. “She has all the hope in the world for people, so she just believes everything she hears at face value, which is why she is blind to Khaya and all that he is doing at The Black Door.”
The truth however, is that Khaya loves Nandi and wants to protect her. Remember when Khaya broke up with her and showed up drunk at her house, professing his love for her in late August? Khaya was also the one who didn’t want to take things to the next level too quickly with Nandi and encouraged her to wait. So is this turning point a good girl gone bad, or a young girl coming into her own?
NANDI POPS HER CHERRY
“Her current storyline is one of the biggest turning points she has ever had in her life,” says Sibonginkosi. “Until now, she isn’t someone who has had much activity (literally). She grew up following all the rules until she met a boy and things changed. A classic story about when a boy meets a girl and she pops her cherry with that boy. But things get even more interesting when Nandi fails her second semester exams,” Sibonginkosi hints at what’s to come. “They finally have sex and because they both waited for so long, it becomes this delicate thing between them. They will almost be in a bubble of their own for a while.”
But as we know things change really fast at The Black Door… “This is nothing compared to what happens after,” adds the actress, emphasising how her character might just discover all the secrets that have been kept from her.
A MOTHER’S BOND
Viewers can also expect to see a strong relationship between Nandi and her mom. “Nandi opens up to her mother about her relationship with Khaya,” says Sibonginkosi. “They have a whole conversation that I personally have never had with my mom. It’s a very beautiful storyline and I hope it inspires our viewers.”