On Sunday night Code Sangala was the eighth housemate to be booted out of the Big Brother house after 10 countries whacked him instead of Richard.
When I caught up with him for us there was NO ways I was gonna let him off the hook the way his girlfriend Janu did when she so gobsmackingly hugged him outside the house.
If I’d had my way I would have made the interview last at least four days and four nights so I could grill him by coming back to the same questions over and over again - my voice getting louder and louder (wearing black leather with a whip natch) - with him tied up on a chair with Chinese water-torture dripping on his head.
*Big Brother cam zooms in on the scene:*
Tashi: I was shocked out of my mind at what you did to your girlfriend and baby especially - how could you have done what you did with Maureen knowing you had a family on the outside?? I just don’t understand.
Code: Well um it was hectic in the house, just losing it a little bit. We were confined, we were in a box and we had no track of the outside - it was just completely crazy.
Tashi: How could you have not thought about how hurt she must have been watching, knowing what was happening?
Code: I really didn’t know about the baby actually in the first place.
Tashi: You didn’t?
Code: No I didn’t.
Tashi: How about thinking about her then?
Code: I always had her at the back of my mind but Maureen was showing me so much love I had to give back love - my heart isn’t made of stone.
Tashi: If the situation were reversed there’s
no ways you’d have greeted Janu the way she greeted you when you came out of the house.
Code: I wouldn’t know because it’s not there but obviously it was difficult. I know she went through a hard time - I mean if it happened the other way I probably would have thought about it that way.
Tashi: You mean you would have done what she did?
Code: Granted if I’d felt the way she felt I would have done the same.
Tashi: But you wouldn’t even let anyone look at Maureen.
Code: Well I mean there were guys talking this and that and it was difficult not to notice these things - especially bringing them to her attention.
Tashi: But if Janu were in the house and had a relationship - that would be like guys looking at Maureen but a million times worse.
Code: The situation was the way it was because I was gathering things and people were talking to me about this and that and it fueled my reaction.
Tashi: You said that you forgot about the outside world - that’s what I don’t get - how can it happen to that extent?
Code: As the days go by you start losing track of the outside world. You start to exist in this confined space so the outside world starts phasing out. That’s why I say at the back of my mind I had her but because of the pressures and the reality that I was seeing in the house - certain things from the outside started slowly shutting down.
Tashi: You’ve declared your love for Maureen - now what?
Code: Nothing. What was in the house was in the house - I left it there. That’s why I was constantly saying that if we don’t do anything in here I think it will end here because I knew on the outside I had to face my girlfriend.
Tashi: If you’d had sex with Maureen would it have been different? Would you have committed to her?
Code: I don’t know - I would probably take it as it came. I can’t speak for something that never happened.
Tashi: Do you think you used Maureen?
Code: No, I think we were there giving each other emotional support. I don’t think we used each other. I think we needed each other and I think we helped each other in a good way emotionally.
Tashi: The thing that’s stressed me out is that three of the guys in the house have had major love commitments on the outside and have had affairs on the inside - don’t you think it’s a huge blow to women’s lib?
Code: I mean it wasn’t something nice, it’s not something I’m proud of but at the end of the day, as I said when you’re in the house you slowly start to shut down to the outside world and you start doing things that aren’t imaginable. Deep inside there was always that love and respect but because of the confinement and different psychological things that came along that messed with my head.
Tashi: Was your relationship with Maureen a security blanket?
Code: It was giving love back in return to someone who’d been pouring their heart to me. As I said my heart is not made of stone, I had to do something because it would be very weird if somebody gave me so much love and I was stone cold.
Tashi: If all that love was going on how do you cut it off now and say that was in there and means nothing now? It obviously wasn’t real?
Code: What I was given was real but what’s also real is that I have somebody who I hold deeper in my heart.
Tashi: Do you think Maureen’s gonna to be hurt?
Code: I’m not too sure because right up until the moment I stepped out of the house I wasn’t sure if what she had for me was genuine.
Tashi: I assume you’d like her to win?
Code: It’s more like who I think is going to win than who I would like to see win. I think Ofunneka’s a good contender and she stands a chance of winning.
Tashi: But you’d prefer Maureen to win?
Code: Well, she always talked about winning so it seemed like it was a big deal for her to win so if she wins well and good.
Tashi: But she was your major alliance - with all the love surely you’d be on her side mostly?
Code: Yes she’s somebody who expressed her love but she’s also somebody who I didn’t know if she was genuine or not so it’s a complicated disaster I’d call it.
Tashi: Why didn’t you have a different strategy? All the guys went into the house and the first thing they did was get a girlfriend. Didn’t you think about any other strategy to stay in the house?
Code: I did not have getting a girlfriend as a strategy - I did not get a girlfriend in the first place - I got companionship and that’s something I respect.
Tashi: Your choosing Ofunneka - she’s the only person who’s gotten as far as she is alone.
Code: Yes this is why I have a feeling she stands out because it’s very difficult to watch people love each other or whatever it was going on and still maintain yourself so I think she’s a very strong woman.
Tashi: The Untouchables - Max and that crowd - talk about them for a bit.
Code: They were people who really related to very well at the beginning until the nomination of Max which seemed like a big deal all of a sudden and I was very shocked that it was a big deal. We knew that if we were in the house that sooner or later we were going to be nominated so if someone gets nominated and they make a big deal of it – and like you’re saying, they’re fondly known as Untouchables, it’s just confusing – that’s why I never made a big deal of my nominations.
Tashi: Yes they thought you nominated them when you didn’t.
Code: That’s right, especially on the part of Max which hurt me even more because at the end of the day he accused me of things I didn’t do and spread it amongst the Untouchables sort of like a wild disease and here I am getting confused, trying to find out what’s really problem and nobody wold confront me about it. I’m the one who went around approaching everybody- the only person I didn’t talk to was Lerato as far as I’ concerned - but I spoke to everyone else and tried to make peace with them.
Tashi: So - what are you gonna do to make everything up to Janu?
Code: I don’t know - we’re talking, we’re taking it a day at a time. I just want to be a responsible person, a responsible father.
Tashi: Does being in the Big Brother house drive you out of your mind?
Code: It’s a box man, when you’re confined in a box you do unusual things - you wouldn’t know it until you get there.
Tashi: What you’re saying is you lost touch with reality?
Code: One way or the other.
Tashi: So you went a bit nuts?
Code: I’d like to think I derailed a little bit in my actions and the way I looked at things - you just lose track of - reality.
Ends with a whip crack