Connie Ferguson arguably has one of the best marriages in the South African entertainment circle with Shona Ferguson. The interesting love story the two share could fool anyone that they have been together for almost forever. However, she was once married to South African actor, Neo Matsunyane, for several years before things went sour, and they decided to part ways.
In a marriage that lasted half a decade, the couple was blessed with a daughter. Many years down the line, Neo doesn’t seem to be married, neither does he seem to be interested in having a relationship, making people wonder what actually happened between the pair.
Quick Profile of Neo Matsunyane
- Date of Birth: 17 January 1967
- Career: Filmmaker and Actor
- Wife: Connie Ferguson (ex-wife)
- Children: Momo and Lesedi Matsunyane
The Marriage Between Neo Matsunyane and Connie Ferguson Lasted Only Five Years
The love story between the duo has gone much back that so many do not remember. How Neo Matsunyane and Connie Ferguson met and the circumstances surrounding their lives as lovers has remained unknown. Both lovers of acting and directing, it remains unclear if this common passion fielded their love.
What is known, however, is that they got married in 1993. The marriage had so many potentials at first, but by 1998, only five years after they walked down the aisle, they decided to call it quits.
The divorce generated a lot of interest and criticism due to the controversies that surrounded it all. However, Neo and his ex-wife have since come around to maintain a very close relationship as friends as they co-parent their daughter. They both tag each other from time to time on social media posts.
Alleged Infidelity Led To Their Divorce
Neo Matsunyane and Connie Ferguson had what many believed was a happy and stable marriage in the years they were together. Unfortunately, things soon took a rather sad turn after it was alleged that Connie Matsunyane, as she was known at the time, was having an affair with Generations co-star Buyile Mdladla.
When the allegations were out that the two were flirting and having a relationship, Neo was said to have confronted the other man with a gun. Obviously, nothing happened to Buyile, but Neo and Connie’s marriage did not survive the alleged affair, thus leading to its demise.
The failed marriage became a topical issue among many South Africans, most especially when it was alleged that Neo pulled out a gun and aimed it at Buyile at the SABC parking area. But then, the actor denied that anything of the sort had ever happened, some people even claimed they witnessed it all. Connie did not come out to state what happened or why the divorce happened.
The name of Connie was dragged in again many years later when Buyile and his estranged wife Carol Mdladla were going through a divorce. She accused Connie of breaking her marriage of 13 years in 2010. The actress responded that she was not going to blame Carol, but if they were going to get a divorce, they should learn to do it quietly without having to point fingers because divorce had happened to “the best of us.”
The Marriage Produced A Beautiful Daughter
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKJe5QWBZW8/
- Birth name: Lesedi Matsunyane
- Date of Birth: 31 December 1992
- Career: Actress
By the time the marriage had ended, the two had spent five years and also had a daughter named Lesedi Matsunyane. What is even more interesting about her is that she was born in 1992, which was a year before her parents got married. They did not have any child after their marriage.
Currently bearing the name, Lesedi Matsunyane Ferguson, she has also decided to become an actress, something that is not surprising since all around her are people with careers as actors and producers. Lesedi revealed that she did not decide to become an actress because she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her parents, but because she was interested in it.
She seems to have had the dream of becoming a performer a very long time ago, which might be why she studied and graduated with a BA in Live Performance from AFDA Cape Town. Lesedi made her most recognized appearance as an actress in 2019 after she got a role on the set of eTV’s Rhythm City. Lesedi was offered the role of Davina Moore in the show, an African-American young woman, learning the culture of Johannesburg.
She made it clear that her career was taking off all on her own accord, even though she knew some would assume nepotism since her parents are connected in the entertainment industry. Lesedi was previously in productions such as Vuselela and Generations. She took a break after these works before returning years later to appear in Rhythm City.
When she was 22, she had a son named Ronewa, and her father, Neo Matsunyane, became a grandfather. The actor has been fully involved in the life of his daughter and has not distanced himself from her son either.
Lesedi Is Not The Only Daughter of Neo Matsunyane
- Birth name: Kgomotso Matsunyane
- Date of Birth: 30 July 1988
- Career: Actress, writer, musician, and lecturer
Lesedi might be the daughter produced from the relationship Neo Matsunyane had with Shona, but she is not the only daughter he has. His first daughter is Momo Matsunyane, whom he had from a previous relationship he had with a woman whose name was never fully revealed. However, his daughter once revealed that her mother’s name is Penny.
Born in 1988, Momo Matsunyane is more established than her other sister. She is also an actress who also doubles as a writer, lecturer, and musician. However, it is as an actress that she has risen to become a household name in the country just like her father.
Momo, who is named after her aunt, took to acting since she was a little girl when she started making appearances in school plays and any available production. She has been able to build a career around it, and she also writes and directs just like her father. Some of her most popular works include Chin Up!, Dream World, and eKasi: Our Stories, among many others.
Neo Matsunyane Has Remained Single Since Their Divorce
Since his divorce from his former wife, which is now more than two decades, Neo Matsunyane has chosen to remain unmarried, even though his former wife has since moved on to date and marry Shona Ferguson after only three years of divorce.
Unfortunately, the actor has kept his love life private, and so it is not known if he has dated anyone in the past, or if he is dating anyone at the moment. In the public light, however, it seems like he is single and has decided to concentrate on his relationship with his daughters and work. They are the things he always shares on his social media.
He Decided to Channel His Efforts To His Acting Career
The marriage of Neo Matsunyane to Connie may not be a success, but almost all other aspects of his life have been just that. He is a household name in the South African entertainment scene as an actor, voice artist, presenter, and director, among many other things.
He started his career many decades ago and has since come to appear in many productions as an actor, including Red Scorpion, Oh Schucks…Here Comes UNTAG!, Wheels & Deals, African Skies, Matswakabele I, II and III, and Ke Nyala Mang. He also appeared in Generations. He has directed many other works and got a SAFTA Golden Horn nomination as a director.
