Skeem Saam: Pretty Faces Trouble!

Skeem Saam: While the Maputla’s ululate in celebration of their new makoti, Pretty was forced to make a difficult decision to drop the sexual harassment charges against Nimza. Under pressure from the rumours surrounding her, she makes the difficult choice to have the case dropped. It is at this moment that, we learn of the unfairness of the justice system on victims and generally our resolve as a society to shame victims.Pretty would not have decided what she did if no one had put it in her mind that she had done something wrong by reporting Nimza’s harassment.

The decision making was indicative of the pressure women and all victims of violence have to face. There is always the question of whether or the victim is making the right decision by reporting and even more grossly unfair the question always seems to rest on whether or not the perpetrator will survive the allegations.Pretty was enamoured from the beginning by the accusatory tone most of her community, her peers, and her family broached the subject with. The scrutiny into her life and less of the focus on the violence visited onto her and less on the life and actions of Nimza, played a big role in the decision Pretty made.As the story unfolds, I hope we get more than just what the writers have offered us. Beneath the surface, what does Nimrod think of his actions? Does he consider himself to be a victim and of so, is it just jealousy and hate? Will the reckless purchase of his new car reveal to the viewers other sides we are not privy to? What if something like this had happened to Nimza’s sister? Would he then consider that there are a lot of sides to the story? Would he pursue justice?