Coming up on
Rhythm City in November, 2008:
Monday 3 November 2008Episode 346 Tshidi wonders why there should be such discrepancies in the explanations given by Charlotte and Stone about Charlotte's bruised eye. When she suspects Siya is cheating on her, Tshidi turns to Portia for support, giving away more information than planned.
After burning the midnight oil to record their album on time, S'bu and Bongani find themselves burnt out from exhaustion. S'bu is forced to tell Miles why he won't accept his help. Bernard prepares for tomorrow night's poker game - organised in order to get back into David's good books.
Tuesday 4 November 2008Episode 347 Problems at the Khuse household are growing worse by the day: Tshidi refuses to quit Star Struck and focus on her matric studies. Stone tries to justify his behaviour by saying that Charlotte provoked him. Too afraid to antagonize Stone again, Charlotte agrees not to discuss their problems with anyone else.
David does not arrive at the poker game, arranged in his honour, and to add insult to injury, fires Bernard. Tshidi confronts Siya about the real reason he had Nana fired from her job.
Wednesday 5 November 2008Episode 348Amongst the girls, concern grows over Charlotte's sudden change of mood. As Star Struck heats up, Mamokete and Kop are becoming fed up with Tshidi's attitude. They give her an ultimatum.
S'bu works around the clock to finish Bongani's album. Miles advises him to change Bongani's name to avoid a lawsuit from Redemption. Zondi gives them some shocking news.
Pedro and Maria are grateful for Miles' intervention in securing Pedro a job. Bernard shows up at work, but David has had enough of him. Lucilla voices her frustrations to David over her somewhat shaky start to stardom.
Thursday 6 November 2008Episode 349It's Star Struck again, and Tshidi faces her biggest challenge so far, but first she has to find a place to live. Portia encourages her to drop matric. David is trying to find a new marketing manager to replace Bernard, while Bernard is taking legal advice about his work situation. He asks a very reluctant Diphuka to spy on David for him.
At Ponto d' Oro, Elvis and his cronies return to continue their harassments and threats. Mannie gets very anxious about the possibility of violence. Charlotte tells Stone she doesn't want to be with him any more.
Friday 7 November 2008Episode 350Stone promises to try and sort out his anger management issues, telling Charlotte he will do anything to save their relationship. Tshidi refuses to withdraw from Star Struck, which leads to a terrible argument with her parents. Kop tries to take his belt to her. She stands her ground and leaves home.
Bernard refuses to resign, and David says he will make Bernard's life a living hell. Suffocate has the brilliant idea to let S'bu hold his album launch at Kilowatt. This way he won't have to pay venue hire. However, Fats is anxious about conflicts with the Star Struck contract.
Monday 10 November 2008Episode 351 Kop finds out Tshidi is staying with Puleng and asks her to return home. She refuses. Stone asks Thomas to help him to manage his anger.
David humiliates Bernard in front of the Redemption staffers. Bernard decides he can only redeem himself by supplying David with the information about Hustle's launch of Bongani's new album. He asks Diphuka to help him.
S'bu and Gail have hatched a plan to sow a little disinformation about their launch plans. David makes a great play of signing over 30% of the shares in Redemption to Lucilla.
Tuesday 11 November 2008Episode 352Things quickly grind to a halt when Stone finds himself unable to be honest with Thomas about his real feelings.
Tshidi finally gets a chance to apologize to Bobo. Portia raises the reality that Bobo is now the biggest threat to Tshidi in the Star Struck competition. Bernard learns from Diphuka that Bongani's launch is set to take place at Kilimanjaro. It all unravels quickly when David discovers Bernard's information isn't reliable.
Elvis lets a terrified Pedro off with a warning. When Miles hears of what has happened, he's outraged, but Mannie refuses to turn to the police for help.
Wednesday 12 November 2008Episode 353 Portia encourages Tshidi to use her relationship with Siya to find out how each of them is faring in the votes. When Thomas tells Stone there's a Christian camp that might be able to help him turn straight, Stone signs up.
Miles complains to S'bu about the attack on Pedro, disgusted by the xenophobia. However, S'bu has his mind on Bongani's upcoming launch, which is under threat by David. Bernard's position at Redemption becomes even more precarious after David introduces his replacement to the staff: Zoleka.
Thursday 13 November 2008Episode 354 It's the final three on Star Struck, and Tshidi is under extreme pressure from Portia to do something to tilt the balance in her favour, especially with the announcement of the unexpectedly large prize money at stake for the winner.
David gets Zoleka to start work on Lucilla. Bernard is crushed and resentful. Elvis returns and threatens worse retribution upon Mannie and his family.
S'bu tells Suffocate and Fats it won't be a problem to move Bongani's launch from the Kilowatt, but he's stumped for another plan, and shocked at the realisation of how much David hates him.
Friday 14 November 2008Episode 355Tshidi is wracked with guilt over what she did to Bobo. Miles tells Mannie about the problems S'bu's having in finding a venue to launch Bongani's CD. Mannie immediately offers the use of Ponto d' Oro, although the only available date is the same night as the Star Struck finale.
S'bu can't escape the feeling that Miles is trying to take over. Stone begins the church retreat to cure his homosexuality. He meets a man called Swazi, who is "cured", and is now happily married with children. This gives Stone hope.
Monday 17 November 2008Episode 356 Thula's back. Charlotte's thrilled and takes great pleasure in filling him in on all that has happened, particularly her engagement to Stone. Stone breaks down as he confesses his despair over his homosexual feelings to the group at the retreat.
Mamokete and Kop are in conflict over how to get Tshidi to return home. Tshidi confesses to Bobo the part she played in his downfall.
The launch is back on track, and with the news about Bongani's album, S'bu is on top of the world. David is furious he has been thwarted by Hustle, and orders Bernard to block the launch.
Tuesday 18 November 2008Episode 357 Kop and Mamokete approve of Charlotte's suggestion that Thula move into Tshidi's room. Portia hints to Siya that she knows everything, and that she'll want a favour from him in return for not revealing his little secret.
Bernard goes to threaten or bribe Mannie into cancelling the Hustle launch. Mannie misinterprets Bernard's feeble warning, and sends him packing. David learns Mannie is involved in a labour dispute with someone called Elvis.
Bernard is on the rack: his wife is demanding more money, his bank won't grant him a loan, and he can't find another job, thanks to David.
Wednesday 19 November 2008Episode 358 Tshidi goes home to try and persuade her parents to attend the Star Struck finale. Mannie tells the Hustle team that a stranger tried to convince him to cancel the launch. They are horrified when they work out it was Bernard.
Stone prepares to face the massive cleansing ceremony where he will be healed and reborn. Bernard returns to Ponto d' Oro, posing as a CCMA employee, and gets information out of Maria.
Thursday 20 November 2008Episode 359 It's the day of the Star Struck finale. Tshidi's appearance at a live press conference plants a seed in the minds of Kop and Mamokete. Portia continues to blackmail Siya into making sure she ends up the winner.
David meets up to scheme with Elvis. S'bu grows increasingly concerned, that despite all his hard work, Miles might end up stealing the limelight from him.
When Zoleka brings through a high-profile music star to record on the Rachel Phakati duets album, David takes the opportunity to further embarrass Bernard. Speshil suggests an unorthodox way of making extra cash on the sly to Bernard.
Friday 21 November 2008Episode 360 It is the climactic Star Struck showdown. Siya wants to warn Tshidi about Portia's plot against her, but Portia is turning the screws.
At home, Kop and Mamokete wrestle with whether they should attend the finals - as tension builds backstage at the Kilowatt.
At Ponto d' Oro, S'bu fears the Hustle launch will be a disaster, and Gail fears Miles will hijack the occasion. Will Bongani even arrive? However, thanks to David Genaro's scheming, once the launch gets underway, it takes a turn that no one could have anticipated.
Monday 24 November 2008Episode 361 Tshidi's put on the spot, following Portia's dramatic revelation on live TV. In the media circus which ensues, Portia insists Tshidi be stripped of her crown.
At Ponto d' Oro, Miles tries to intervene, unsuccessfully, in convincing Elvis and his thugs to leave and ends up getting knocked on the head. As Elvis and his guys are about to drag Mannie and his family out, Bongani decides he's had enough.
He and his prison boys stand up to the xenophobes and a fight breaks out. Things soon spiral out of control and everyone's lives are in danger.
Tuesday 25 November 2008Episode 362 Puleng tries to comfort a shattered Tshidi, who's reeling from her horrible experience on Star Struck. Siya and Tshidi question what will become of their relationship.
Mamokete and Kop are gutted when they wake up to find a whole lot of journalists in their yard and are repulsed by the articles about Tshidi.
Mannie tells Miles he doesn't think he can continue living in South Africa. He gathers his staff together to tell them the same. News of the restaurant attack has made the front page. Miles realises the bang on his head has started to bring his memory back.
Wednesday 26 November 2008Episode 363 Nana's expose on her relationship with Siya appears in the paper. Tshidi's implicated and reels in the aftermath. She and Nana clash and shocking news is revealed.
Gym patrons put Fats under pressure to rehire Nana. There's a media frenzy around Bongani and his album is selling like hot cakes.
Mannie has decided to stay in South Africa and the blow Miles received on the head is activating unpleasant memories. A desperate Bernard seeks out Gail for a job at Hustle. Stone and Thula catch up. Things are awkward between them.
Thursday 27 November 2008Episode 364 Portia suggests to David that a scapegoat is required to end the Star Struck matter. Siya finds himself under attack from Tshidi who wants confirmation he slept with Nana.
Fats wrestles with the problem of Nana who is playing hard to get. Suffocate employs Thula as a bartender at the Kilowatt. With the help of the community, Mannie's restaurant is put back to rights. Maria, however, informs him that she has definitely decided to return to Mozambique with Pedro.
Zoleka plays the first of Rachel's duets to David who is left in no doubt that the album will be a success. S'bu rejects Bernard's pathetic plea that Hustle hire him.
Friday 28 November 2008Episode 365 Tshidi is starting to face the remains of her life. Siya's past infidelity and her tattered relationship with her parents leaves her with a lot to think about.
Maria and Pedro bid farewell to their friends and family in SA. Their departure only serves to remind Miles of how far he went in almost destroying his own family.
David's calculated destruction of Bernard continues, leaving him incapable of meeting his parental responsibilities. Bongani's public status is on the rise, enough to even make Diphuka reconsider him as a worthy conquest.