These unbelievable moments had us with our jaws on the floor last week as we watched Gomora, Mzansi Magic’s hit telenovela about a Sandton socialite who loses everything and has to return to her township roots. (Stream all previous episodes on Showmax and on DStv Now.)
In episode 11, Thathi (Katlego Danke) tells Detective Kolisi (Sibulele Gcilitshana) about the one thing she remembers most about the hijacker who killed her husband Mbongeni (Themba Ndaba): his laugh.
“I thought I was dreaming and then I heard it again. I ran outside, but he was already gone… but it was definitely the hijacker’s laugh. It’s a distinct laugh, very demonic,” she says as the laugh plays subtly as background audio.
There are two slaps in the face for Thathi, although she’s only aware of one, where the detective snaps back and says she’s not taking notes of Thathi’s clues “because what do you expect me to do? Knock on every door in Alex and ask people to laugh at me?”
That stuns Thathi, but the real kick in the pants is when her crime-queen mom Mam’Sonto (Connie Chiume), whose very employee is the hijacker, calmly sits and soothes her daughter, lying to her face with ease.
There’s not even a hint of guilt on Mam’Sonto’s face as she tells her daughter, “It’s not going to be easy to track a person with a laugh,” knowing full well that the killer works for her.
Mother of all problems
In episode 12, Gladys and Melusi (Thembi Seete and Zolisa Xaluva) return home and find their foster son Teddy’s (Sicelo Buthelezi) drunk mom Zodwa (Sana Mchunu) holding their son Ntokozo (Ntobeko Sishi) hostage with a knife to his throat.
“I want my son, you took my son away from me,” she shouts, telling Gladys and Melusi that she’s not leaving without Teddy. “I know that I’m not perfect” is the understatement of the show from the fan-favourite character Zodwa, who has been slurring her way through episodes since the show began.
She’s never spoken truer words than “I birth it, I make it, I born it, I grew it and you take it. Like why? This thing is not right.”
It’s when she plops down in the chair and drops her knife that usually cool and calm, loving, caring mom Gladys sees her opportunity.
She grabs Zodwa’s arms as Melusi snatches the knife and says, “I’m calling the police”. The cold words from Gladys tells you how protective she is: “Leave her to me, Papa. I won’t let her get away with threatening my child,” to which Zodwa calmly says back, “We’re just having a discussion, you know?”
Girl problems
Foster brothers Ntokozo and Teddy are sitting talking outside a class when Teddy suddenly goes, “Yoh yoh yoh, incoming!” as Thathi’s daughter Buhle (Amamkele Qamata) sashays up to them. She looks at Ntokozo and says, “So apparently you’re the hero that saved my brother’s life.” The look of sheer terror on his face is hilarious.
Here’s a guy who was involved in a hijacking and murder and robbery and fights and all sorts of dangerous things, and he’s scared by a girl. He almost literally sits with “help me” written across his forehead, unable to muster a single sound, let alone a full word.
He does eventually get out an “I’m no hero,” as Buhle sasses back, “Riiiiight. So now I know who to come to when I need protection from the bad guys.”
If this interaction doesn’t scream “star-crossed lovers”, we don’t know.
Catch up on all episodes of Gomora on the DStv Now app and on Showmax. New episodes created after the production break will arrive every weekday from 1 June 2020 on Showmax and on DStv Now.
