A new rival is in town! Meet the Hlophe family on The River S5

Has Lindiwe and The Dikana family met their match? It seems so.

They are wealthy, excellent, and just as dangerous – meet the Hlophe family.

They are headed by the traditional patriarch, Bukhosi (played by Bheki Mkhwane), who is as quick with his brain as he is with his gun. With a military past that comes in handy for his work as a heist king, he’s brash, outspoken, and charming. He’s made of steel – so he’s not the one to cross.

Bukhosi brings with him his younger second wife, Nomafu (played by Brenda Mhlongo). Beneath her shiny and well-groomed exterior is a tough woman who has clawed her way out of poverty. She’s a terrible stepmother but she knows how to clean money – and she’s set to become Lindiwe Dikana’s biggest rival yet.

Who plays the Hlope sons on The River?

Then there are the Hlophe sons – Mlilo (played by Vuyo Biyela) and Nkanyiso (played by Unathi Mkhize). The product of Bukhosi’s first marriage, even though they have a strained relationship with their father, Bukhosi wants his sons to take over the family business.

Mlilo is nothing like his father – yet he’s everything like him. Nkanyiso, on the other hand, is the more ambitious second-born son who wants to wear the crown. Will the boys put their rivalry aside long enough for their family to continue thriving?

And finally, there’s the apple of everyone’s eye: the young daughter, Khwezi (played by Tina Dlathu, real-life sister to Sindi Dlathu, who plays Lindiwe). Smart, beautiful, virtuous yet naïve, she joins the family business after they buy into Khanyisa Diamonds. But what happens when she finds herself in the middle of a situation that will rock both the Hlophe and Dikana families to the core?

Stream brand-new episodes of The River S5 on Showmax.