Pains of the past

Siblings Kwaito and Pretty have been through the most this past year – but they’re stronger than ever!

- LEZANNE JANSE VAN RENSBURG

Talk about a year from hell for brother-and-sister pair Kwaito (Clement Maosa) and Pretty (Lerato Marabe)! Not only did they find out they have different fathers, the duo have also had to come to terms with self-esteem and identity issues throughout the year. But despite these seemingly insurmountable challenges, both Pretty and Kwaito have managed to come out stronger, wiser and more confident in themselves as 2021 comes to a close. And more importantly, the siblings are headed into the new year closer than ever before.

I’M YOUR FATHER

Probably the most dramatic and life-altering development of this entire year is the revelation that John Maputla (Africa Tsoai) is in fact Kwaito’s biological father. After years of questioning his roots and digging where his mom MaNtuli (Dieketseng Mnisi) begged him (and Pretty) not to, the truth about his dad finally came spilling out. “It has affected him quite a lot,” admits Clement. “Kwaito had always thought that a lot of his traits, mannerisms, likes and dislikes and talents were things he inherited from his father (not onscreen).” So when Kwaito was faced with the reality that his entire identity was based on a lie, he had a lot of introspection and self-discovery to do. “He maybe even realised that who he thought he was didn’t actually exist. It almost felt like a reset, a way to start over and discover who he really is,” Clement explains further.

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