Lindiwe vs Tumi: The River’s most bitter rivalry

Things don’t get bumpier than Itumeleng’s relationship with her biological mother Lindiwe after The River’s villain buries her daughter alive.

Just because former mine owner Lindiwe (Sindi Dlathu) is at her lowest and begging for her next meal doesn’t mean that her daughter Itumeleng (Larona Moagi), whom Lindiwe threw away as a newborn, is feeling sorry on telenovela The River. You can binge both dramatic seasons on Showmax.

In fact, Tumi is glad that Lindiwe is finally getting all that has been coming to her after Lindiwe murdered Tumi’s adoptive father Thato (Don Mlangeni) in episode 1, then bribed her way out of the murder charges. “Itumeleng can’t stand that she is related to Lindiwe. She despises the woman,” says Larona. But there’s more to the story than meets the eye…

Family ties

Until recently, Itumeleng thought that she was a blood Mokoena. They are the family who raised her and called her “daughter” all her life. But during an argument and with tensions running high, her adoptive mother Malefu (Moshidi Motshegwa) revealed that Tumi isn’t one of them. Malefu and Thato found a newborn at the riverbank, wrapped in a blanket with a pendant around her neck years earlier, brought her home and loved her as a daughter.

“Tumi didn’t see it coming,” says Larona. With the teen on a mission to expose Lindiwe for murdering Thato, she sneaks into Lindiwe’s house to search for incriminating evidence to the crime, only to find a necklace that matches the one she has worn all her life. “Tumi’s world comes to a standstill in that moment. Lindiwe is an evil monster! Tumi cannot believe that she is related to Lindiwe and she wants nothing to do with Lindiwe,” adds Larona.

Fall from grace

Before Tumi discovers the truth about her identity, she was married to Lindiwe’s nephew Zolani (Lawrence Maleka). And she looked up to Lindiwe as a kind of mentor. That changes when Zolani breaks down and reveals that he was Lindiwe’s accomplice in Thato’s murder. “There is no going back for Tumi after she learns that her husband is a killer. Zolani promised to never lie to Tumi, but their entire romance has been built on a lie,” says Larona.

The admiration that Tumi has for Lindiwe dies that very second. “Tumi still can’t stand the Dlaminis,” adds the actress. But Lindiwe always has the last laugh and drags Tumi from her car. According to Lindiwe, Tumi had nothing when she arrived at the mansion, so why should she leave with anything?

A dead end

And someone like Lindiwe doesn’t get even – she beats you. What says “I hate you, die die die!” more than a mother burying her daughter in an attempt to silence her? Lindiwe digs a hole and dumps Tumi in there, leaving her to suffocate to death before Lindiwe appears in court – see Lindiwe’s testimony here.

“Lindiwe is fighting to protect herself. Nothing else,” explains Sindi. “The trial is heated and Lindiwe can’t believe her eyes when she sees Tumi, who, unbeknownst to Lindiwe, was rescued from her grave while Lindiwe had her back turned.”

Don’t think for a second that this war is over – the drama has only just begun!