Forced to take over the daily running of her husband’s business, Makwarela’s world is shattered as she learns of unscrupulous, dishonest dealings by her husband and his partner. Not only that but also the family finances have dwindled and they are in debt – forcing her to fight for her family’s survival while trying to keep the business afloat in the unforgiving world of construction.

“Thola is a story inspired by a play called the Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde writing at the beginning of the 20th century. It’s a cautionary tale against us South Africans, sticking our heads in the sand and being unwilling to look past the glitter of our middle class homes, and the shimmer of the averted civil war and faux truce, and the rampant political correctness, to what is rumbling underneath our perfect lives. With this series we want to say, Mogama kgomo ya mafisa, o e gama a gadimile which could be interpreted as 'The milker of a borrowed (hire-purchase) cow should, while milking it, be on the lookout for the owner.' In other words there is danger in complacency when you fail to perceive what is really happening in your life,” commented producer, Kethiwe Ngcobo.

Thola airs from Tuesday, 8 April at 21:30 on SABC2.