Gaz'lam

- Season 3

(2005)

GP comes back from the world of the ancestor spirits to narrate the story of Sifiso and Khethiwe, two young lovers from rural Kwa-Zulu Natal, who have grown estranged from one another after moving to Johannesburg. GP relates to us the past, present, and future of things to come.

Khethiwe learns she is expecting a child with Vic, but begins to question whether they are meant to be together. Sifiso seems to be the big man about town as he prepares for Maduhva's big album launch, but everything doesn't seem to be quite under control. Thuli tries to get back into the dating scene, but discovers being a single mother is harder than she thought.

Sifiso begins to be haunted by strange dreams as he prepares for his big night. Tensions build between Sifiso and his partners and Sifiso quickly learns what goes up must come down. Portia convinces a reluctant Thuli to come to the launch where she bumps into someone from her past. Khethiwe learns she's further along in her pregnancy than expected, which leads her to a rather startling conclusion about who the father of her child really is.

Following his antics at the launch, Sifiso finds himself short of money, short of opportunities, and short of friends. Dumped by Deep and Maduvha, he contemplates taking legal action. When Vic is offered a job overseas, Khethiwe is placed in a difficult position over the future of her unborn child. When Portia and Able spend more time looking after Msizi, it raises the issue of having children of their own.

When Thuli grows frustrated with an unmotivated Sifiso living on her couch, she helps get him a job working at Coltranes. Sifiso quickly learns that starting over from the bottom is harder than he anticipated. Thuli meets the wealthy and charming Monde, who is very keen to explore romantic possibilities with her. Khetiwe leaves Vic and moves in with Portia, prepared to raise her child on her own.

When Sifiso discovers his new found love of cocaine comes with a price, he must make a plan to come up with the money he needs to support the habit. Sparks are flying as Monde invites Thuli to a party at his house, but Thuli feels out of place in Monde's elite social circle. Khethiwe contemplates the difficulty of raising a child on her own and is forced to decide whether or not to turn to the father of the child for support.

Snake introduces Sifiso to his drug dealer to make it easier for Sifiso to score; however, the dealer introduces Sifiso to something he was never expecting. When Portia wants to become a counselor for people who are HIV+, she finds herself having to see a counselor of her own. Unable to turn to Sifiso for support and afraid of raising a child on her own, Khethiwe begins to considers abortion as a way out but she can't find the money to afford one at a clinic.

Despite warnings from Snake, Sifiso continues to smoke crack. Perpetually short of cash, he starts stealing to support his growing dependency on the drug. After a botched attempt at inducing a miscarriage, Khethiwe finally turns to Portia for help in getting an abortion. When Monde meets Coltrane, Thuli detects some jealousy, and she quickly discovers that Monde has a dark side.

Sifiso is given a second chance to clean up his act. When he learns he's been fired from Coltranes and Thuli puts pressure on him to earn his keep in her flat, Sifiso finds staying sober is harder than he anticipated. Khethiwe recovers from her abortion at Portia's but begins to distance herself emotionally from the experience. Portia is forced to confront issues she wasn't prepared for in her sessions with Melanie and discovers her health is on the decline.

Sifiso succumbs to his addiction and must come up with a way of paying for the crack while still passing his court-ordered drug test. He turns to the most unlikely of people for their unwitting help in covering his tracks. Portia reaches the end of her training program to become a counselor but her evaluation is what she was expecting. Khethiwe finally reaches out to Kim about her feelings on having had an abortion.

Sifiso ends up on the streets and is taken in by prostitutes. He develops an unusual arrangement with one of them, a transvestite, which leads to an uncomfortable proposition. When Khethiwe returns to her classes and reconnects with one of her classmates, Joy, she finds herself invited to church. Meanwhile, tensions are growing between Thuli and Monde as Monde grows increasingly threatened by Coltrane.

Sifiso's growing addiction to crack leads him to take advantage of Kim, a former addict who has kept herself clean. When one of her clients turns violent, Sifiso comes to her rescue but the help he provides may not be in her best interests. Meanwhile, Thuli finds Monde's jealousy is isolating her from her friends and realizes something his dark side is worse than she could have ever imagined.

Sifiso's addiction to crack grows worse so he and Kim hatch a plan to make some fast money, involving a con with one of Kim's clients. Everything is going to according to plan until the after-party spirals out of control. Meanwhile, Khethiwe finds emotional and spiritual refuge during a special service at Joy's church.