Thandeka King as tough mom on ‘Diep City’ finds it hard

Black Brain Productions’ latest drama series Diep City on Mzansi Magic at 8.30pm has captured audiences since it took over from telenovela Isibaya at the beginning of April.

The dramatic first episode showed how part time burglar Nox’s (Nozuko Ncayiyane) latest job led to her intelligent younger brother Sibusiso’s (Tshiamo Molobi) murder during a house robbery gone wrong in the gated suburbs of Johannesburg.

Fast forward five years and after doing some time in prison Nox returns to find her family who still live in a shack after her alcoholic father Bonga (Hamilton Dlamini) lost his job. Her domestic worker mother, Thandiwe (Dawn Thandeka King), is now the breadwinner and has not forgiven her for Sibusiso’s death.

King has stepped out of her famous role as MaNgcobo on Uzalo and says she was always going to play a different character, she told The Citizen.

“I always felt the characters find me, my calling is my acting and it reflects in the characters I play. There must be no trace of another character, I challenge myself in my job, that is the goal.”

Thandiwe is a mother who still hasn’t come to terms with her son’s death, believing Nox played a role. The resentment is seen in the way she treats Nox after her return.

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“She is a mom, it’s something I have in common with her. She wants her family to have a better life. What I don’t like about her is she still blames her first daughter for her son’s death. She treats Nox so badly, not realising she is the cause of her son’s death after she chased him away to go look for his sister.”

She goes on to explain that her character became a mother at a very young age, losing her “innocence”, one of the reasons for her hardness as “she wanted to give her daughter away”. There are many themes in Diep City, set in the township of Diepsloot. The archetype of a hardline mother who has built a façade of strength, her fierceness comes off as cold.

The actor said it was tough reenacting certain scenes because of the character’s traits and she found it hard as a mother to understand how a parent could treat their child so cruelly.

With societal issues and family dynamics in black homes, and King says the show opens a “can of worms”.

“We tackle a lot of things people don’t talk about. The fact the story is set in Diepsloot, these people have backgrounds, they settle in because of different cultures and challenges in life. A teacher sleeping with a student, that is one of the societal problems, we know these things.

“Mothers who are breadwinners, Thandiwe’s husband loses his job, she makes sure there is food on the table. The complex relationship between mother and daughters, these are all known but are not necessarily addressed extensively. “

Even though the show can be heavy, the biggest lessons are love, patience and kindness. She adds that Nox, unfortunately, lacked proper love at home and “one kind word can change a direction in one’s life”.

In her final appearances on Uzalo she teased that her exit story will be riveting. “I cannot wait for viewers to watch that, because it is so good and well written.”

The award-winning actress isn’t much of a fan of bingeing but she loves Suits, which featured Meghan Markle.

Diep City airs Monday to Friday on Mzansi Magic at 8.30pm.