A burst of new characters arrive on our screens tonight (17 October) at 21h30 with the debut of SABC2's telenovela Keeping Score.
Last week we gave you an idea of
what to expect from the story and today we can reveal a lot more about the leading characters: their past, their mind set, what makes them tick.
We got our clutches on these production profiles to give you the inside scoop on exactly who they are:
Justice a.k.a The Spitting Cobra
Played by: Saint Seseli
He wants: To be the star he used to be.
He needs: To forgive himself and reconcile with his children.
His flaw: Impulsive anger.
An orphan and street kid, Justice lived on the streets, until he found that his own inarticulate rage and inner demons could be exorcised in the boxing ring. Nicknamed “ The Cobra” because of the unrelenting speed and viciousness of his left hook, Justice went to America and became world champion and hugely wealthy but his inner demons that made him such a ruthless fighter destroyed his career and family.
Estranged from his two daughters (Botho and Ashanti) by his guilt about their mother Anna, and unable to sustain any real relationships, Justice believes that the real world is the only place he gets hurt: his only real home is the ring; his true family are the fighting fans.
Broke, disillusioned, desperate to conquer his elusive past, make a new life for himself and reconcile with his daughters, Justice returns with his family to South Africa and starts another battle.
This time a Sports Academy. The academy is the culmination of his quest for atonement by helping underdog athletes achieve their dream The Academy is his last dance at the last chance saloon and his last chance at redemption.
Warona
(Sotho unisex name meaning “He/she is ours”)
Played by: Maki Mokhitli
What she wants: Justice.
What she needs: To be less of a doormat.
Her flaw: Trust.
Warona is one of those unsung heroines. She was hired by Anna (Justice’s former wife) who took her to the States so the girls could keep in touch with their culture, and she was very close to Anna. When Anna died, Warona raised the girls and fell more and more in love with Justice.
She has always stood by him, quietly calming him, keeping the family together, always there, never really seen. She’s very close to Botho, who is the only one in the family who sees what she does for Justice. She has always loved him, raised his daughters for him and is finally, appearing to get what she always wanted - Justice.
Mmamosa (“Mother of kindness”)
Played by: Sonia Mbele
She wants: Revenge.
She needs: Love.
Her flaw: Greed.
Mmamosa was beautiful, young, idealistic and desperately in love with Justice until a drunken week long fling left the 16-year-old girl pregnant, alone and bitter. She had a son (Tladi) and learnt the hard way how to marry money - and how to divorce to make even more money - and how to work her way up the corporate ladder to make serious money with clever investments.
A black diamond to the core, she’s a sharp, shrewd operator known as the barracuda who has a fine line in vendettas and retribution. There is only one passion more uncontrollable than love… the desire for revenge and Mmamosa has that in spades. Her two sons are the centre of her life.
Now Mmamosa is back in Justice’s life, hell bent on taking away every piece of his existence, starting with the Sports Academy, moving on to his career, and ending with his family.
Mmamosa doesn’t mind getting her hands a little dirty. She’s going to use every weapon in her arsenal - including her own sons to help her ruin Justice, destroy his school, and achieve the ultimate revenge on the man who destroyed her life through his daughters.
Botho (Sotho name meaning “Humanity/ubuntu”)
Played by: Moliehi Makobane
What she wants: Love.
What she needs: Self respect.
Her flaw: Insecurity.
Age: 23
Botho is Justice’s older daughter. Shy, loyal, awkward, insecure, unprepossessing but with a magical heart, she’s the Cinderella of the family, the one who does the scut work and cleans up the messes.
She’s close to Warona who has constantly tried to bolster her. Although she has the potential for great beauty, she hides it under her care and concern for the rest of the family.
She’s non-sporting - bookish - which in a family like Justice’s is the ultimate sin, Botho is involved with the charming agent/guru of the school Greg Bliss, but she’s not comfortable in the relationship and with Warona’s encouragement is bracing herself to break it off.
Ashanti (African American name derived from Ghana. Also the name of the people
who live there.)
Played by: Shalima Mkongi
What she wants: To be the centre of attention/her father’s approval.
What she needs: To love other people.
Her flaw: Selfishness/recklessness.
Age: 21
Ashanti is Justice’s younger daughter (Botho’s sister) who moves from sex bomb to running for her province to directionless to selfish to hard working and compassionate.
She is the spoilt, wild child apple of her father’s eye. She is the spitting image of her dead mother Anna, which both breaks Justice’s heart and makes him favour her.
She has the potential to be a great athlete, inheriting Justice’s talent, but has ignored this ability for a long time. Her relationship with her father is turbulent. He adores her but feels enormous guilt whenever he sees her, so he’ll buy her gifts but remain emotionally unavailable.
In turn, Ashanti manipulates his guilt to get whatever she wants, but what she desperately, desperately wants from him is his approval and love. Presents just aren’t enough.
To keep his attention focused on her, she constantly plays up, and is the “problem child” of the family, flirting with anorexia, promiscuity and later the far more deadly drugs of alcohol and cocaine.
She loves Botho but takes her for granted, and sometimes resents the “Good Sister”. Like all sisters, their relationship is complex. They will fight like cat and dog but turn as one on any outsider who might try to intervene or hurt the other.
Tladi (Sesotho name meaning “Lightning”)
Played by: Solomon Sebothoma
What he wants: To be left alone, to have an easy life.
What he needs: To find his own inner strength.
His flaw: Compromises far too easily, self sacrificial.
Age: 28
Tladi is the glue of the family. When the family is torn apart by conflict, he is the one that gets to the heart of the issue and solves the conflict. He is there for his family, not just as a surrogate husband but also as a surrogate father.
Tladi is fiercely protective over his family, particularly his mother, Mmamosa. He is emotionally intelligent/sensitive, a natural peacemaker and a great visionary/support system.
The problem is, he can be that for everyone but himself. Tladi is a good looking, gentle young man, who avoids all conflict with his driven mother and younger brother Lehasa.
This gentleness and easy going nature has stood him in good stead with women. His track record with women is almost as famous as his brother Lehasa’s - except Tladi leaves them smiling, friends and with the fondest of memories.
A natural peace maker, he always chooses the path of least resistance and does whatever it takes to keep his mother happy. If she wants him to join the Sports Academy - he will. Anything to keep her calm. While he doesn’t approve of what she’s trying to do, he goes along with the plan, believing that once she “gets it out her system” she’ll get bored and nothing drastic will happen.
Lehasa (Sesotho name meaning “He spreads upon the ground”)
Played by: Siyabonga Sepotokele
What he wants: Power
What he needs: Love
His flaw: Ambition
Age: 25
Lehasa is Mmamosa’s youngest son. Sexy, smooth and suave, with the morals of a street cat, a lawyer in training, he’s inherited Mmamosa’s looks, sex appeal and mind for money.
He’s enormously close to his mother who has spoilt him rotten, and he’ll do anything for a quick buck - or f*ck.
Promiscuous as hell and amoral, he happily uses his charm and sex appeal to get what he wants. He has a deep contempt and anger towards women which stems from his mother, but he’d never acknowledge it. And because he’s so amusing and charming he gets away with murder.
Lehasa has built a career and reputation by breaking the rules. Whether it’s picking up cocktail waitresses, inspiring witnesses or bullying CEOs, Lehasa’s shoot-from-the-hip style has made him an effective lawyer and a slick character. But it’s made him a pretty crap human being.
Underneath it all there is a nice guy, but he’s going to have to go through a lot of soul searching to find him.
He happily joins his mother’s vendetta thinking it’ll be a laugh, and there might be a lot of money in it for him, besides which - he’s slept with the wrong girl once too often and needs to lie low for a while.
If you missed the first teasers, you'll find them here:
Keeping Score Teasers - October 2016.