Skeem Saam’s Toby (Seekay Buthelezi) sentenced to 15 years in jail for rape

The popular South African drama series, Skeem Saam storyline divides Mzansi. This after Skeem Saam’s Toby (Seekay Buthelezi) sentenced to 15 years in jail for rape!

The educational SABC1 soapie is running a storyline about rape and consent, starring Lethabo Mekoa (Ntswaki Rathoka) and Sicelo “Seekay” Buthelezi (Tobias “Toby” Maswahla).

Toby has been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for raping his girlfriend, Ntswaki.

Seekay spoke to the publication about the storyline.

“To be honest, playing Toby felt like a big responsibility to carry, considering the fact that as an actor, you’ll be seen as that person in the public eye. To carry that pressure was a lot, but I also understood that I was doing the Lord’s work.

“These stories need to come out. So, if it’s me, I need to carry the story with honesty and no judgement. Pressure was there, and I guess it played well if the viewers are fighting about it,” he said.

The actor said he has learned a lot about consent during filming.

“There are things I’ve learnt. I might not have the right words to articulate them right now but judging from what I’ve seen on screen and read from the script, you get to understand that consent is more than people saying ‘no’.

“I’m glad it helped open eyes for a lot of people. I would say be weary and careful of how you enter certain situations. It can either go right or wrong. Be careful as an individual. I don’t want to judge those who rooted for Ntswaki or those who rooted for Toby. The message people should get from the storyline is that, as an individual, make a good decision,” he said.

Vele Manenje, who plays Toby’s mum, Evelyn, said she didn’t only learn about consent but also about a mother’s love.

“I also wasn’t well-informed about consent. I had to research what we’re trying to tell South Africans, especially the young ones. Skeem Saam wanted young ones to learn, but we realised the older generation also needed to know about consent.

“Also, it has taught me about a couple of things such as a mother’s resilience, love, sacrifices, patience and the pain our parents go through, and we don’t even know how they make sure we’re fine. The biggest takeaway is a mother’s love,” she said.

Vele, however, said she’s proud of the work they have done.

“Today, at this present moment, it feels good because the message is delivered. However, throughout the storyline, it was a difficult and challenging journey. The most important thing was to express myself or put myself in every mum’s shoes. It wasn’t easy, but I had places I referenced from. And also, drawing from the honest place since I’m also a mum,” she said.