How to make a comeback: Lessons from The River’s Lindiwe

Lindiwe Dlamini-Dikana has taught us a lot about getting back to the top. The mother and businesswoman had an epic fall from grace after her ex-husband kicked her out of their home. This happened after he discovered that she had murdered Thato Mokoena and also attempted to kill Tumi, who’s her biological daughter. Despicable, right?

Zweli also told her that he wants a divorce and that she had lost her rights to the mine. She walked out of that house with nothing but the clothes on her back, and a few other items which were in a black rubbish bag. 

Lindiwe was left with no choice but to start a new life for herself. She and Zolani moved to Refilwe.

It's Lindiwe like you've never seen her before! Will she be able to adjust to her new life? #TheRiver1Magic

— 1max (@1max_TV) May 22, 2019

From there onwards, we started seeing just how far she would go to get back to her former glory. While this is just a TV show, we couldn’t help but get a few lessons from Lindiwe on how to make a comeback.

Don’t let your circumstances define you

Her first few nights in Refilwe might have been difficult, but Lindiwe never let it get to her head. She made it clear quite early that she would not stay in Refilwe forever. Although she lost a lot after her lies were exposed, including business partners, she never lost hope and was determined to focus on getting back what she had lost. The journey wasn’t easy for her because no one trusted her, not even Joyful, the minister she made a lot of dodgy deals with.

Joyful may have refused to given Lindiwe a mere R50 000, but she vows she'll make trillions more by the time she rises again.#TheRiver1Magic

— 1max (@1max_TV) May 27, 2019

Even though Joyful didn’t help Lindiwe in her time of need, she still held her head up high and never let living in Refilwe deter her from her mission.

Give your life to Jesus

So, after Lindiwe moved in with Flora, she had no choice but to pray and sing gospel songs most of the time. We all know how religious Flora is and anyone who lives with her will abide by her rules. Not that she was forced to, but Lindiwe decided to surrender her life to Jesus. She had come to the end of herself and figured that that would be the best move for her. At first, we were convinced that she had changed but as time went by, we realised that it was all an act. All the praying, singing and discussing the bible with Flora was just part of Lindiwe’s epic plan to get people to believe that she had changed. And well, it worked. In the process, she also managed to get her children back on her side. This really helped her because that’s how she was able to move back home.  

Eliminate the enemy

We never liked the idea of Lindiwe moving back into her house, especially because her ex-husband had found love and was planning a future with his new woman. Imagine living in the same house as your ex? Not a good idea, right? From the moment Lindiwe got there, it was her intention to get rid of Gail. For weeks, she tried hard to turn Zweli and Gail against each other and even went as far as hiring a prostitute to sleep with Zweli.

When this didn’t work, she cooked up another plan which involved Angolans and diamonds. What was meant to the happiest day of Zweli and Gail’s lives ended in bloodshed. Rebels went the house and they were out for blood. Lindiwe was asked to protect Gail and while they were together in the bedroom, she confessed to being responsible for what had happened and shot Gail.

Gail doesn't know the first thing about handling a gun. It's all on Lindiwe to make sure they are both safe.#TheRiver1Magic pic.twitter.com/SeNfH1uaWZ

— 1max (@1max_TV) August 16, 2019

Reclaim what’s yours

When you’ve finally gotten rid of the enemy, the next thing on the list should be getting the love of your life back. This is exactly what Lindiwe did, although it wasn’t an easy task. After Gail was killed, Zweli was shot and ended up in a wheelchair. This resulted in him relying on Lindiwe for most things, including getting dressed. The two eventually grew closer with time and Zweli realised that he still wants her in his life. He has asked for her hand in marriage (again) and it looks like Lindiwe finally has everything she wanted.

A thousand times over.
A thousand times yes.#TheRiver1Magic

— 1max (@1max_TV) September 6, 2019

It seems like Lindiwe has won – for now. We can’t wait to see what else she has up her sleeve.

You can keep up with Lindiwe and her family right here on Showmax. New episodes air 15 minutes after the DStv broadcast.