Playing a side chick on Skeem Saam has seen actress Makgofe Moagi's character top the trends list on Twitter, however while she anticipated hate, she has mostly sparked debates around being an extra portion.
Makgofe explained to TshisaLIVE that her job is to bring her character, Charity, to life no matter how villainous she may be. That is why she wasn't bothered by her home-wrecker storyline.
"I have been called names I would rather not repeat, but I don't necessarily get only hate, I also get debates. If I am recognised at a place then people ask things like how it feels to wreck a home but others celebrate Charity. I found out at some event in Limpopo that they made Charity the 'face of side chicks.'"
The actress' current storyline sees Charity fall in love with an older, married man John Maputla (played by Africa Tsoai).
From the moment she stepped into the homes of South Africans, Makgofe's storyline has addressed many societal issues including domestic abuse and human rights.
"I have also realised the need for society to have these debates about infidelity. Because almost immediately the blame mostly fell on Charity and that shouldn't be the case. It is John who is breaking his marriage vows after all," she said.
Makgofe explained that she would never condone home-wreckers but that every woman's story is different. She said she took pride in telling the story of an ambitious woman who was raised by another single woman.
She said she admired Charity's strength and hoped that the script writers never make her "weak".
"Charity always bounces back. She is a single mother, who is ambitious and strong. But it is important for other women to see her strength because she is Koko Mantsha's child and Mantsha (her onscreen mother, played by veteran actress Lydia Mokgokoloshi) is a strong woman. I would hate it if the writers made her appear weak because she is anything but."
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