Dambisa lights up the screen in The River

Since her debut on The River, we’ve realised how much we’ve missed Brenda Ngxoli on our TV screens. Her magnetic talent creates magic whenever the cameras start rolling, and it’s awesome.

Brenda Ngxoli’s love for her craft is probably the main reason so many viewers have enjoyed watching The River since her return to the drama series recently.

She plays the role of Dambisa Dikana, sister of Zwelethu Dikana. Her memorable debut in December last year had viewers overjoyed with the way she portrays the extremely dramatic Dambisa.

Although The River has had a consistently entertaining storyline, Brenda’s return to the show has given the plot an extra va-va-voom as Dambisa’s quest to destroy Lindiwe proved to be unsuccessful.

Dambisa, who has a serious grudge against Lindiwe, did the unspeakable when she spoke to the media about Lindiwe’s pending murder trial, and convinced them that Lindiwe was guilty.

She then added insult to injury by spray-painting the word “Murderer” across the Dikanas’ front gate for the entire public and media to see.

Angered by Dambisa’s spiteful actions, Lindiwe threatened her with a chainsaw, a scene that had many viewers howling with laughter as Dambisa changed from playing the super-bitch to squirming for mercy.

Brenda only makes an occasional appearance on The River, but such a performance deserves not only a standing ovation, but maybe even a permanent position on the telenovela. After all, she’s not just any actress: she’s an International Emmy nominee, a seven-time SAFTA nominee and the winner of two SAFTAs.

More about Brenda

Here are some interesting facts about Brenda Ngxoli you may not know.

• Brenda has a BA Theatre and Performers Diploma in Speech and Drama from the University of Cape Town.

• Although she’s primarily an actress, Brenda is a multi-faceted woman who has her fingers in many pies. She’s a talented motivational speaker and presenter, hosting workshops on serious issues such as health, and we’ve heard she’s also quite the musician.

• Brenda can be spotted in many TV ads for brands including KFC. She’s a busy voiceover artist, so if you’re listening to a radio commercial and think that familiar voice belongs to Brenda Ngxoli, you’re probably right.

• She took part in Season 5 of Strictly Come Dancing back in 2008.

• In 2013, she replaced Thuli Thabethe as the host of Mzansi Magic’s Our Perfect Wedding. Some viewers are still asking that she return as host as she did such a great job. This speaks volumes of the level of talent she possesses – and we look forward to seeing more of her on The River in the future!

Watch The River on Showmax or on DStv Now. All previous episodes are available to binge-watch on Showmax, where they air within 15 minutes of the 1Magic broadcast.