Veteran actor Israel Matseke Zulu set social media abuzz this week when he finally uttered his famous killer line, “voetsek!”.
It’s been five months since the character Don (portrayed by Israel) got introduced to audiences of Mzansi’s favourite telenovela Gomora and fans have been waiting patiently for him to say his infamous line on the screen, but, as of this week, the wait is over.
The talented actor is so closely associated with the word that it has become his on-screen trademark since the days of Yizo Yizo. He has also been seen using it on local movie iNumber Number. And now, the killer line was uttered on the latest episodes of Gomora, and boy did it feel authentic to what his character was going through!
Let’s recap events leading to this iconic moment.
Another messy love triangle in Gomora
The Gomora storyline is filled with messy love triangles. Just when we thought Melusi’s love life is something to cringe at, the writers of the show hit us with another messy love triangle involving Zodwa. Bongani’s relationship with Zodwa has made them fan-favourites with viewers. This is due to how well Bongani treats Zodwa in comparison to her ex-lover, Don.
But since Don came back into the picture, Bongani and Zodwa’s union has been tested.
Don gave Bongani an ultimatum, to either break up with Zodwa or meet his maker. A heartbroken Bongani chose to comply and he left Zodwa. This gave Don a chance to try and fix things with Zodwa – until she discovered that Don is still living a life of crime.
Bongani proposes to Zodwa in front of Don
People who are truly in love will always find themselves back in each other’s arms. And that’s exactly what happened with Bongani and Zodwa. Unfortunately, this pushed Don to be more jealous.
Lovestruck Bongani asks Zodwa to come to his shisa nyama for lunch, but she doesn’t know that he’s planning to ask for her hand in marriage. Don gets furious when he sees Bongani proposing to his ex-lover and the mother of his child.
Don still believes he has a chance with Zodwa but Bongani’s proposal leaves him insecure and angry. He has tried every possible way to win Zodwa over – from pleading with his children to speak on his behalf, to threatening to end Bongani’s life, none of which worked to his advantage.
Don finally utters the famous “voetsek” we’ve been waiting for
Furious, Don goes home to clear his head only for Tshiamo to trigger his anger. He was still taking it all in, and thinking about what the woman of his dreams has done. What didn’t seem like a big deal infuriates Don – Tshiamo accidentally bumps into him and the poor girl becomes the victim of Don’s fiery wrath.
When Tshiamo’s parents confront him about the incident, Don gets furious. “I’ll hit you with dozens of slaps, you won’t even dodge one!,” Don lashes out at Sbonga. Pretty tries to defend her husband but Don silences her with a sizzling “voetsek!”
This set social media abuzz with all kinds of reactions to this iconic moment:
Binge-watch all episodes of Gomora on Showmax and DStv online.
