A bitter pill

Gabisile goes against her beliefs and consults a sangoma after she’s diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

- IPELENG RAKGANTSHO

SABC1 Weekdays 20:30

Weekdays SABC2 (*192) 12:00

Sundays SABC1 (*191) 12:00

As KwaMashu Kingdom Church’s First Lady, Gabisile (Baby Cele) spends long hours on her feet. If she isn’t driving around town buying the choir new uniforms or whatever it is that they require, she’s counselling a dejected teenager who’s struggling with their faith. So when Gabisile feels numbness and a tingling sensation in her hands, she believes that it’s fatigue. She’s overworked after all. “But days later, the tension transforms to spasms. Without realising, Gabi’s hands are uncontrollably shaking, and she can’t even hold a glass of water without it crashing to the floor,” explains Baby.

Rather than seeing a doctor, Gabisile is set on praying the illness away. However, her symptoms worsen. She feels light-headed and she has impaired vision. “Gabisile isn’t aware yet but she has multiple sclerosis (MS). It will take her a while until she seeks medical advice. We’ll see her try all the tricks in the book to get healed,” adds the actress.

THE GUILT TRIP

Gabisile is certain that her health woes are a punishment from God. She murdered her stepson Khehla (Thobani Nzuza) after he tried to rape her in December 2019. When Khehla’s mom Nomcebo (Nombulelo Mhlongo) later arrived in town to find answers to his mysterious death, Gabi and her doctor-turnedgangster son