‘They are talking to Mapitsi, not me.' - Mogau Keebine on real-life reactions to cheating storyline
Mogau Keebine has played Mapitsi on Skeem Saam since its inception. Viewers have seen her grow from her teenage years to varsity and now a working wife and mother.
Mapitsi was recently involved in a cheating scandal with a colleague, which was exposed on the radio for the whole community to hear.
The actress says she does not mind the negative comments because she knows they are not directed at her.
Daily drama series Skeem Saam is known for its captivating storylines, which do not only entertain audiences but also educate them. Recently, all eyes have been on Mapitsi, played by actress Mogau Keebine, and DJ Thomas, played by Tiisetso Thoka.
Mapitsi and DJ Thomas, two colleagues from local radio station Berry FM, have been exposed for their extramarital affair.
On a quest to satisfy her loneliness, the married Mapitsi successfully covered up the affair. However, they exposed themselves on air when DJ Thomas tried to end the affair, but Mapitsi pleaded with him to stay.
The incident sparked conversations both on and off social media, with many expressing disappointment in Mapitsi in Keebine's comment section. Talking to City Press about this, the actress, who was nursing a flu at home, said she did not take the negative comments on her social media pages personally.
She said she knew the comments were directed at her character, not at her personally. She shared that some people even confronted her in person about the storyline, but they could tell she was simply doing her job:
I feel like most of the people who try to attack or be rude on social media are just looking for a victim. They are just not nice people; it's not about them believing the story as much as they do. I can read between the lines when someone attacks me in a post; I know they are not talking about me but Mapitsi.
She added that the outrage just meant that she did her job well and made the story believable.
The actress, who has been with the show for 13 seasons, said she was good as long as the outrage stayed on social media. Keebine told City Press that she had received mixed reactions regarding the storyline; most men were disappointed in Mapitsi no longer being an epitome of a good wife, while some women cheered the character on.
She recalled more intense confrontations in previous years, including an incident where a viewer once pulled a knife on her. However, she said there have been no extreme reactions since then.
The actress said although she did not condone cheating, she understood that Mapitsi just wanted to find comfort in DJ Thomas. She further said people should avoid being pulled into making bad decisions because someone might get hurt.
STORYLINE PREPS
Speaking about the storyline, Keebine said preparing for it was not too hard, especially because she was working with a person who also had a home and family. She said she read blogs where people asked for advice regarding real-life crises, including cheating scenarios:
I read up on people who had been cheated on and people who were the ones doing the cheating and why they did it. I was trying to figure out what pushes you to that point, what the emotions are, and how it happens. Is it something that happens all at once or does it happen gradually? I then worked in line with what the writers had planned.
While her husband understands her work, she had to prepare him for the storyline and reassure him about their marriage. The elders in the family took it to heart and were disappointed in the character, but they still understood that it was just acting and she had to gently remind them that it was part of the job.
YEARS WITH SKEEM SAAM
Having been with the SABC1 show since its inception in 2011, Keebine told City Press that she was lucky to have been relevant all throughout the years, adding that the show had added stability in her life. The actress said she felt honoured not to have the stress of wondering when her next project would be.
The actress from Mogoto village in Limpopo said her character was a force to be reckoned with, adding that she would sometimes borrow from Mapitsi when making real-life decisions.
She said she had always wanted to venture into directing or have a different role but the topics on Skeem Saam were always interesting.
'Even if it is not my storyline, there is always something interesting to talk about, so you can't get bored. The flexibility of our working hours does not allow you to get bored. I am lucky to know that this is my full-time job. I can be a present mom because of the working hours; I don't take other gigs because I don't have to,' she said.
Keebine told City Press that while receiving awards was not the main goal, she would appreciate getting recognition from industry peers.
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