Sweet salesman

Sibonelo starts a new business adventure in a desperate attempt to prove his worth to his father.

- ELEANOR MAVIMBELA

Sibonelo (Wiseman Ncube) has been struggling with his identity ever since he found out that his married mother Gabisile (Baby Cele) had an affair with KwaMashu crimelord Nkunzi (Masoja Msiza) and that Nkunzi is his biological father. It turned him from doctor to criminal and he’s tried to prove that he is his father’s son at every turn, explains Wiseman. “He’s done everything from heists to common theft,” says the actor. And Sibonelo has a new scheme that he is hoping will show Nkunzi that he’s ready to take over the family business: brewing and selling illegal alcohol.

TAKE WHAT YOU GET

In the streets they’re called “the take it or leave it guys” – if you’re desperate enough, you buy their booze without asking questions like “where’s it from, why is it so cheap, what’s in it?” And it’s making Sibonelo a small fortune. There is something he should have thought of before though: Sibonelo is selling “swidi elimnandi” (loosely translated as “nice sweets”) from Nkunzi’s shisanyama food joint and Nkunzi may be unhappy when he finds out. “Sibonelo came up with the idea to start brewing his own alcohol after it came up in conversation with a friend. Sibonelo wanted to rebrand himself and not be seen as a spoilt rich boy,” says Wiseman. “He wants to show his dad that he’s a buinessnessman too and can do something on his own.” And it’s paying off for the sneaky Sibonelo.

MAN ON A MISSION