It’s the end of the road for 1 Magic’s “The River” and fans have mixed emotions.
The production by Tshedza Pictures, which has kept South Africans entertained since 2018, is coming to an end.
On Thursday, February 1, viewers saw Lindiwe Dlamini (played by Sindi Dlathu) gatecrash her funeral after faking her death to escape from prison.
Over the years, viewers have enjoyed Dlathu’s role as Dlamini. She was the villain and hid it well with her looks.
As a businesswoman, a mother and a wife, she was always dressed to kill and, in bidding farewell to Madlabantu (Dlamini’s nickname), we look at some of her hottest looks.
At the weddings
Dlamini made it a point to look her best at weddings. After divorcing Zweli Dikana, she bumped into her high school love, Bangiswe and they hit it off.
A few months later, they were married, and she had a white-traditional wedding. Because she had been married before, Dlamini wore a white gown with a cow skin bodice for that traditional ambiance.
She completed her look with a gold ischolo (Zulu traditional hat) and hats off to celebrity designer, Scalo, because that gown looked gorgeous.
Also, when her favourite nephew, Zolani, married Emma, Dlamini wore a blue chic dress with a luminous flower on the sleeve, making her look like the dramatic “mother-in-law” since she was a mother figure to Zolani.
On a mission
She hardly wore ordinary clothes when she was on a mission. For example, when Dikana married Gail, Dlamini was dressed in a white wedding dress and then had to change because it wasn’t her wedding.
She wore a red outfit, notifying danger and things got messy during the reception.
Also, when she killed the Hlophes, she was dressed to kill. That wide-collared shirt with a brooch and fringed waistcoat meant business, and she did take care of it - by wiping out the whole family in one go.
While she may have slayed as Dlamini, even off-screen, Dlathu still dressed for the occasion. For example, at the SA Style Awards 2020, she donned a blue Antherline dress made of denim.
That look made her stand out because although it was an evening gown, the denim material made her look trendy and even more stylish than the usual shimmery dresses we usually see on the red carpet.
At the South African Film and Television Awards 2023, she donned a black Scalo dress with feather embellishments.
Dlathu’s growth in the industry is one for the books. Before joining “The River”, she was known as Thandaza from “Muvhango” and mastered her craft as one of the best villains in local drama series.