Clash of the queens!

Lindiwe Dlamini-Dikana meets her match - meet Nomafu Hlophe and her family, who want the Dikana throne.

- IPELENG RAKGANTSHO

In the five years that telenovela The River has been on air, ruthless mine owner Lindiwe Dlamini-Dikana (Sindi Dlathu) has remained undefeated. She constantly gets away with murder without so much as an arrest! And if you dare cross her, you'll wind up six feet under. For that reason alone, people around her are terrified to stand up to her, but all that comes to an end this fortnight when she meets the equally vicious Hlophes, who buy a stake in Lindiwe's Khanyisa Diamonds mine.

Lindiwe gets off on the wrong foot with matriarch Nomafu Hlophe (Brenda Mhlongo, ex-KaMadonsela in soapie Imbewu, see more p28). "Nomafu refuses to take Lindiwe's orders, or anyone else's for that matter. She is just as fierce and headstrong as Lindiwe," explains Brenda, whose character is hellbent on outshining Lindiwe.

As season 5 of The River unfolds, Nomafu plots Lindiwe's downfall at Khanyisa Diamonds. Just a warning to Nomafu though: If she thinks that she'll get away with stealing Lindiwe's mine, she has another thing coming, because Lindiwe will fight back. May the best queen reign supreme!

GOLDDIGGER vs DIAMOND QUEEN

Like Lindiwe, Nomafu is a woman with few redeeming qualities. They are both selfish, power-hungry, and they're willing to do whatever it takes to get to the top- even kill.