By Neo Kolane
Fashion model and radio presenter, Diva Motelle, will be seen on national TV starring in the drama Bophelo Season 2 from June 17.
Bophelo Season 2 is a sequel to the much loved locally produced drama series, Bophelo, and is packed with even more action and vigour. This is because those with a soft spot for dramas are eager to see how the characters evolve in their respective roles.
When the first season of Bophelo premiered late 2020, no one knew that it would go on to become one of Lesotho’s most talked about soapies.
It centres around the Mokuena family. When Jacob Mokuena, a wealthy widower creates an empire but dies of COVID-19, his family realizes that he has bestowed his estate to his second son Tśepo. This leaves his other children fight to over his inheritance.
Diva will be acting as Landlord, a woman in her 30s who survived gender based violence at the hands of her husband who she ended up killing because she wanted to protect her kids. That landed her in jail.
The husband had tried to rape her kids and wanted to touch them inappropriately. Now she has to deal with her new reality of being caged in prison.
On her first appearance in the series, Landlord is seen walking in escorted by a prison guard. She is not hard to identify; she has a big muscular body and messy hair with untidy knots. She walks past some guest tables towards the lawyer that represented Dorris Banda in court.
Landlord, with her stone cold emotionless face, always stands her ground and will be seen brandishing a nail cutter all the time while imposing her will and running the entire prison which she regards as her turf.
Landlord sells cheap easy to find drugs like dagga, but later moves up a notch as she ventures into selling the more expensive cocaine
Diva tells theReporter that she was approached by one of the producers of the series, Puseletso Sekese who invited her to audition for the role, which she did.
She says she has always wanted to be regarded as hard core and relishes the opportunity to portray something she has always dreamed of.
“I went ballistic with excitement when I received a call informing me that I had got the role, and knuckled down as soon as I received the script. Landlord is someone who stands her ground, she does what she knows best to protect her two daughters.
“In direct contrast to Landlord, I do not do weed nor drugs and do not have the energy to kill. However, I do have a thick skin just like Landlord, but that is all because of the dog-eat-dog entertainment industry; one needs to be on their guard at all times.”
The 23-year old actress and movie debutant warned that, if there is one thing she learned from the drama, it has to be that life in prison is not at all easy for anyone, “unless, of course if you are Landlord and you get everything you want.”
