MALE BRAVADO AND mermaid intrusiveness give episode 17 of Martyn le Roux’s serialised podcast, Die Soutwaterheks a bit of a kick back into the world of ordinary things, and out of the bamboozled circle of friends in the bar. You can find this foray into privacy, abuse and the rotten twists of low self-esteem, here. While the episode is about the idea of making peace with loss and disappointment, it’s also about what makes testosterone flow.

And it’s all about Belinda’s bloke, Richard (DJ Muller). Or is that ex-bloke? He’s the type of man who slaps first, accuses next and asks questions at his whim, much later, if he remembers to. We met him, a few episodes ago. A bit of a stereotype in terms of toxic masculinity, he reduces Frans to a boy in a schoolyard prancing and teasing for a punch up.

The episode reveals an uncomfortable lack of empathy when it comes to privacy and Salacia’s ability to read thoughts willy-nilly and without the consent of the thinker. And while Belinda, the thinker in question, is the cipher for her own tale of emotional woe, she becomes the one to be saved with the magic of one and the male anger of the other of her friends, which makes the plot a little juvenile.

After all, how many young women with abusive boyfriends can boast a mermaid among her collection of allies? It’s a rhetorical question put to Belinda, but one that compromises the serious tone of the tale a notch or two.

Die Soutwaterheks has 25 chapters: Watch this space for consecutive reviews! Recorded and released independently online, in both MP3 and MP4 formats, in Afrikaans with bits of English, this tale, told in individual episodes is accessible through various links.

Die Soutwaterheks: Episode 17 Soutwater is dikker as bloed (Saltwater is thicker than blood) is written by Martyn Le Roux. Directed by Martyn Le Roux, and featuring technical input and sound research by Arné von Molledorf and Martyn Le Roux, and music by Yolanda Strauss and David Muller, it is performed by Jurgen Bosman, Deon Botha, Francois Coertze, Elzahn Dorfling, Annette Havenga, DJ Muller, Pieter Theron and Riaan Visman. It is available here.