By TVPlus26 August 2022
The River Season 5: That bun in the oven is a porky pie
Nomonde Dikana (played by Linda Mtoba) on The River is known for being one of the biggest scammers in the Dikana household. From lying about an NGO, to stealing from an Arab prince, to staging her own kidnapping to conniving with Vero (Ferry Jele) when she faked being brain damaged, no one scams their own family more than Nomonde. Who else would have the guts to dupe one of the most powerful women in South African television, Lindiwe “Madlabantu” Dikana (Sindi Dlathu)?
The commissioner’s estranged princess seemed to have turned over a new leaf, and she and stepmother Lindiwe had started building what seemed to be a healthy relationship before Nomonde left for Cape Town.
So naturally we’re all blindsided when we realise moghel (that girl, thank you Bonang Matheba) is not really seven months pregnant with twins. Those fake babies will never be named after Lindiwe and Zweli (Hlomla Dandala). And look at what a journey the Dikanas have been on to accept the scam belly! All that begging Emma (Lunathi Mampofu) did for Nomonde was for nothing? It gets even juicier when we find the not-mother-of-twins is working with her fave partner in crime once again. Yes, it’s Vero!
Will Nomonde’s plan work this time or when she bites the very hand that feeds her, will that hand reach back and slap her face? Strap in for August’s rollercoaster ride, brought to you by Nomonde’s scheme to scoop those diamond millions…
As per usual, Nomonde arrives unexpectedly at the Dikana household with her pink suitcase, but her arrival is not the only thing unexpected – she announces she is seven months pregnant with twins.
Although Lindiwe had her first daughter, the late Tumi, at a very young age and will kill her enemies at the drop of a hat, we all know she is not fond of promiscuity or unprotected sex, which is why she is disappointed and cannot accept that Nomonde got knocked up by a deadbeat who she thought was “the one”.
“You should know better,” Lindiwe scolds.
“How many ‘the ones’ are there?” Zweli retorts, which has many viewers in shock because “Lala” has a soft spot for his conniving princess and always tries to see the good in her but this time he sides with Lindiwe, immune to Nomonde’s teary puppy-dog eyes.
One thing about Nomonde is that she knows for her scam to be successful, she needs to corral those that always have her back, like little brother Andile (played by Lunga Mofokeng). Andile is often not the wisest when it comes to smelling a rat so he swiftly falls for Nomonde’s tricks. The only thing he’s scratching his empty little head about is why she did not come home sooner, as he would have been there for her.
Nomonde shares sob stories about how she had become a responsible young woman in Cape Town, had a job, an amazing boyfriend, and her own apartment, but it all went south when she fell pregnant.
Viewers caught on a lot faster than Andile
Andile and Emma laugh about how Nomonde always finds herself in tricky situations although Andile encourages them both to support her, especially since both Andile and Emma often find themselves in their own tricky situations – remember Andile’s open relationship rollercoaster?
This is a win for Nomonde, as she now has two members of the Dikana household in her corner: a scammer’s dream.
Fans drag Emma
Nomonde joins the Dikana family for breakfast but feels the coldness as Zweli loses his appetite at the sight of her and stands up to leave the table. Merciless, Lindiwe tells Lala to stay as Nomonde will eat in her room. Andile encourages Nomonde to stay but the tension is too much.
For Nomonde’s plan to work she needs to make sure all her bases are covered so she is eating at every chance she gets and talking about morning sickness. Lindiwe bumps into her in the kitchen and she tries to use Lindiwe being a mother as a manipulation tactic but Lindiwe is not having it. What will she do next?
It seems like the kitchen is exactly where Nomonde will be doing all this cooking as Emma walks in on her crying. Knowing Emma had just lost her baby, Mbali, makes it easy for her to manipulate Emma, which is ironic as Emma herself has a history of scamming!
Nomonde is scammer goals!
In one last little turn of the screw, Nomonde announces that she is going back to Cape Town to her grandmother, who will help her raise her babies. Zweli crumbles. He apologises and tells her that he looks forward to being a grandfather, and just like that, the whole Dikana household is in support of Nomonde.
Are you ready for the gender reveal? Well, hard cheese. Because Nomonde is not really pregnant. She has been plotting with Vero this whole time. They have their eyes on a prize: a Cape Town home, donated to them by generous granny Lindiwe, who’s just found a new diamond at Khanyisa. But we all know that no one scams Lindiwe and her family and gets away with it. How will Nomonde be caught out? Come on, September, bring it!
Watch new episodes of The River Season 5, now streaming on Showmax.
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