A SUSPICIOUS HILDA’S STORY

How long has the tug-of-war been going on between Hilda and Matrone?

Weiland says: “Matrone never got over the fact that Hilda won Oubaas’ hand in marriage.”

Hilda and Oubaas married in 2006. Basically, Matrone has been shamelessly pursuing Oubaas since before the nuptials.

As for why Hilda still pays Matrone’s efforts to woo Oubaas so much attention despite being the one who walked down the aisle, she says: “I think she knows how gullible men are in general and Oubaas in particular.”

Matrone even tried to cook her way into Oubaas’ heart – without much success.

“The path to Oubaas’ heart is via his stomach. Matrone knows this and uses it. Although Oubaas doesn’t encourage her attention, he falls for her feminine wiles,” Weiland says.

Funnily enough, while these two women are in a constant state of conflict, were Oubaas not in the picture they might have been friends. After all, they have one other common interest – cooking.

Of course, that is also a sore point for Hilda. Weiland explains: “Matrone’s melktert is clearly superior to Hilda’s and Hilda has never reached the status of Veteraan Vonkelvrou.”

Lastly, Weiland explains the fracas over the necklace.

“The horror of both of them discovering they’re wearing exactly the same necklace could only be construed by them as a mean plot to outdo the other,” she shares.

Alas, this time around it was nothing more than a mix-up at the boutique. But will the two prim and proper ladies figure it out before their fury gets the better of them?

A MUDDLE THAT MATRONE DIDN’T FORESEE

You can either lay into Matrone for her shameless pursuit of Oubaas – a married man at that – or applaud her for being tenacious in her quest to get the man of her dreams.

Van der Ryst says: “Matrone has carried a torch for Oubaas since her arrival in Hillside many years ago.”

On whether she wouldn’t rather have Hilda has a friend than a foe, she laughs: “The twain (Matrone and Hilda) never shall meet, as the saying goes. Not even if they are threatened with torture can they ever be friends.”

The veteran actress says her character feels she would be a better fit for Oubaas and, as such, continuously challenges Hilda.

“Matrone feels her boerekos is better than Hilda’s outlandish concoctions.

“She also feels she has more substance to offer Oubaas – if you know what I mean! Hilda is, after all, only a little skeleton with match-stick legs,” she confesses.

Is there a solution to this love triangle?

“Only if a bus runs over one of them,” she hints (note to scriptwriters here!).

Let’s talk about that necklace incident, which has triggered a chain of unpleasant exchanges between the two frenemies.

“Matrone decides the upcoming Bruynwaves cocktail party is the ideal opportunity to impress Oubaas. She visits the boutique to find the right accessories to complement her knock-out outfit and decides on one of the designer necklaces, which could draw attention to her assets,” she winks.

Van der Ryst continues: “The price is somewhat stiff for her budget, so she asks Felicity if she could pay it off. In the meantime, Hilda also feels the occasion warrants something more than her usual serpie (scarf) and falls in love with the same necklace.

“Annelie, who is unaware of the fact that it should be kept for Matrone, sells it to Hilda. Dismayed to discover her mistake, Annelie secretly asks Aggie to design an identical necklace.”

And while Matrone might be completely innocent this time around, in an upcoming storyline around the Rugby World Cup, she has a scheme up her sleeve… and Hilda isn’t going to be impressed when she gets wind of it.

l 7de Laan airs on SABC2 at 6.30pm on weekdays.