Youngins Season 1 episodes 16-18: Betrayed

Episodes 16-18 centre on Amo, Buhle, Mahlatse and Tumelo’s attempts to expose Principal Mthembu as a groomer. They find themselves swimming upstream after Khaya tattles to Principal that Amo is spreading stories about him and Zintle, and Amo tries to involve Pearl, only to have the teacher accuse her and her friends of lying, leading to an awkward meeting for all five students in the principal’s office.  

What happened in Youngins episodes 13-15? 

Khaya (Toka Matabane) returned from suspension with his abusive father to find Olifantsfontein High in shock following Zintle’s (Lihle Ngubo) death from her botched abortion. Amo (Ayakha Ntunja) confided in Mahlatse (Thabiso Ramotshela) that her father murdered her mother in front of her. Principal Mthembu (Loyiso Macdonald), who got Zintle pregnant, told head girl Buhle (Kealeboga Masango) and head boy Sefako (Tabile Tau) to arrange a memorial service for Zintle’s parents at the school. At Zintle’s memorial, Buhle saw Principal Mthembu slip his hand onto grade nine pupil Lerato’s (Dakalo Molope) thigh and told Amo, Tumelo (Lebohang Lephatsoana), Mahlatse and Khaya that she’d seen her dad Pastor Musa (Vutani Mgugunyeka) groom and seduce church girls the same way. But Khaya continued to defend Principal Mthembu despite all the evidence against him.  

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What happened in Youngins episode 16? 

While Buhle and Amo plot to get Lerato to help them to expose the principal, Mahlatse and Tumelo show signs of cold feet and when Buhle tries to discuss grooming with Lerato, Lerato defends “Principal Bae”, even after Buhle reveals that she saw the Principal touching Lerato’s thigh during Zintle’s memorial service. Meanwhile, Khaya puts out feelers to students like Sefako to see how they feel about the principal, without considering that Principal Mthembu never preys on the boys and even allows the male students to sexually harass the female students right in front of him.  

Through all this turmoil, life at school continues. Class clown Tshepo (Tshepo Matlala) goes off script in Pearl’s (Keneilwe Matidze) class while reading a prison romance out loud with Palesa (Amogelang Telekelo). And later Mahlatse gets a bit too into study time when he studies the same text with Amo.  

During Khaya’s latest visit to the principal’s office, Principal Mthembu connects with Khaya by telling him how abusive his own father was, and the floodgates open as Khaya reveals how his father abuses him emotionally. Their meeting is disrupted by a phone call from Principal Mthembu’s girlfriend, so when the five students get together again, Khaya quibbles over the definition of pedophilia. Later, though, Lerato approaches Buhle and tells her that the way the principal hugs her makes her feel weird and when she reveals that the principal has asked to meet her after school, Buhle suggests that Lerato records their meeting. But the principal might get one step ahead when Khaya tattles to him that there’s a rumour in the school that he was the father of Zintle’s baby. 

What happened in Youngins episode 17? 

Sefako helps Tumelo with his studies by giving him his previous Grade 10 exam papers and tells him that he’d better get good marks – a Mabena boyfriend is not allowed to let the side down. Mahlatse praises Amo and suggests that they celebrate their progress by going to the mall together. Finances might be a bit of a problem, though, since Mazambane (Kadiya Banyini) is taking issue with the quality of Mahlatse’s marijuana and paying him in coins and contempt!  

When Principal Mthembu demands names, Khaya drops Amo in the fire first. And later when he meets with the group, Khaya squirms as they mention apartheid-era traitors. While Khaya’s flop era continues, Lerato turns on Buhle and Amo and tells them that they have it twisted. In her recording, Principal Mthembu gaslights and girlbosses Lerato as he remarks that if Lerato felt singled out he understands because it’s easy to confuse things … as if he wasn’t fondling her thigh during Zintle’s memorial. Meanwhile, Principal Mthembu thanks Khaya for bringing the information to him and gifts him a new pair of football boots identical to the ones that the Sundowns players wear, and tells Khaya that he sometimes feels more like a son to him than a learner. It’s a reminder that groomers don’t just groom their victims, but everyone around them. Principal Mthembu lets slip to Khaya that he’s dating Pearl, and Khaya is so relieved that the principal isn’t dating a student that he doesn’t seem to recognise that as the problematic issue it is.  

Thwarted, Amo suggests to Buhle that they talk to Pearl but Buhle points out that they’re back to square one, with all the information and no receipts. But Amo ignores Buhle’s advice and tells Pearl that she believes that Principal Mthembu is having sex with the learners. 

What happened in Youngins episode 18? 

Sefako asks Khaya about his new soccer boots, but Khaya lies and tells him that Freddy bought them for him, proving that Khaya is aware that the principal was wrong to give him the boots, which have trapped him with a guilty secret. Meanwhile Sefako tries to tutor Tumelo but grows concerned about his young lover just copying his work. When Sefako insists that he always tries his best because both his parents are teachers, Tumelo asks whether, in that case, Sefako’s brother Tshepo was dropped on his head as a baby. And Sefako reveals that Tshepo is actually his cousin, but admits that he does wonder why Tshepo is addicted to getting in trouble.  

Pearl urgently asks Amo whether she’s told anyone else about her accusations and asks Amo to give her the full story. And later Pearl asks Tumelo, Mahlatse and Amo to stay behind after a test. When a bag check reveals that Tumelo was cheating off Sefako’s past exam and his notes, Pearl asks whether Amo has made Tumelo cheat! And she orders the three to join her in the principal’s office. Meanwhile, Khaya finds out that Amo went to Pearl with her story, and he’s lecturing Buhle as if she’s a naughty child until Sefako intervenes and they’re also called to the principal’s office.

In Principal Mthembu’s office, the principal is ready with ammunition loaded. He tells all five friends that he’s appalled that they’d even consider him capable of seducing a student, and reminds them that the accusation could ruin his relationship and his reputation. He walks right into Amo’s personal space and in front of the others, he reveals that her father killed her mother, and hints that Amo sees monsters everywhere because of her trauma, undermining her credibility on psychological grounds. He exposes the fact that Buhle was found with a sex toy. And he confronts Tumelo about cheating on his test. Principal Mthembu then reveals that Lerato told him that they’d agreed to record her meeting with him, and asks them why he shouldn’t expel them all – fishing to see whether they’ve actually uncovered anything damaging. As intended, the children are too wrong-footed to speak, and their evidence is too ephemeral to be convincing.  

After exposing them all, he interviews them one by one in his office, and as Amo’s friends turn on her as Principal Mthembu intended, he brings in a special guest for Amo’s meeting – her Aunt Thuli (Londiwe Nene). Before Amo can even present her evidence, Principal Mthembu torpedoes her by telling Aunt Thuli that he caught Amo drinking at a club during her first week at school. Amo knows that her claim that the principal hit on her will now be seen as a desperate lie, and she’s forced to apologise to the man she believe groomed and raped Zintle and was responsible for her death.  

And as Amo loses all her friends aside from Mahlatse, Tumelo finds himself in the dog box with Sefako, who’s telling everyone that Tumelo stole the test from his locker. 

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What is Youngins about? 

Tshedza Pictures’ (Adulting, Outlaws) Youngins follows five students at government boarding school Olifantsfontein High – new girl Amo Mosweu (Ayakha Ntunja), head girl Buhle Kunene (Kealeboga Masango), Buhle’s soccer star boyfriend Khaya Jali (Toka Matabane), Tumelo Dibakwane (Lebohang Lephatsoana), who’s the only openly gay boy in school, and his Grade 10 friend and roommate Mahlatse Jiyane (Thabiso Ramotshela), who’s the school’s drug dealer. When Amo uncovers Principal Mthembu’s (Loyiso Macdonald) predatory behaviour around female students, she and her four new friends become targets.  

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