Mlilo Hlophe Bids Farewell to #TheRiver1Magic

Nelly Ndlovu
Mlilo Hlophe

Actor Vuyo Biyela, who plays fan-favorite character Mlilo Hlophe in The River has reportedly left the telenovela.
Rumours of the actor Vuyo Biyela’s leaving The River began when a fan @Jabu_Mcdonald tweeted: “Vuyo Biyela’s character’s storyline on #TheRiver1Magic Mlilo Hlophe will be coming to an end on today’s epic episode.

Biyela who received a Royalty Soapie Award for his role told Drum in July 2022 that it’s only by the grace of God that he is on such a big show eight months after getting into the industry.

“People were saying hurtful things on social media, but I had to soldier on. I come from a theatre background, so the style of acting is different, and I had to tone it down for TV. I get where the viewers were coming from, they had their faves they wanted to see more of,” he says.

“Also, we came in as the new family in a show that is already five seasons in. Viewers have an understanding of how each character behaves and so the shock factor also played a part. But some of the comments were not just about not liking the characters. Some were becoming tribalistic and feeding into stereotypes about Zulu people being violent, loud, and barbaric. The truth is, the establishment is never easy.

In other news – #TheRiver1Magic: Villain Madlabantu has arrived

In The River, Vuyo Biyela’s character Mlilo Hlophe gets shot by Lindiwe (Sindi Dlathu) and the Hlophe family messed with the wrong Villain. The Hlope family targeted her and have been planning to get rid of her so they can take over her mine in Refilwe.

They hired hitmen, who got killed, and personally went after Lindiwe, who will reportedly kill the fan-favourite Hlophe. Learn more

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