Gomora actress ‘MaSonto’ Connie Chiume opens up about how she switched careers from nursing to teaching

Gomora actress MaSonto tops the trend on social media after her interview on the Podcast and Chill with MacG. The award-winning actress opened up about her early life before fame and her actual origin. Chiume shared that she is not a South African but was raised and bred in Welkom, South Africa. Her father was Wright Tadeyo Chiume from Usisya Nkhata Bay Malawi, whilst her mother was a South African who hailed from KwaZulu-Natal. She spent most of her childhood in Welkom, where her mother, Mandlovu, worked as a domestic worker. Connie watched her mother struggle to make ends meet, and she promised herself that she would work hard to change her story.

The actress did her matric in the Eastern Cape, passing with good grades, which permitted her to enrol for tertiary education.

Actress Connie Chiume opens up about how she switched careers from nursing to teaching

With no intention of returning to poverty, Connie Chiume enrolled on nursing training at Thembisa hospital in 1972. The nursing course took three years for one to graduate, and the hospital has strict rules of kicking out students who would fall pregnant before they graduate. Unfortunately, Chiume fell pregnant in her 2nd year resulting in her being expelled from the institute.

After my matric l moved to Thembisa Hospital to study nursing. I was supposed to undergo a three-year training. Trust me those days things were difficult. They were strict laws which states that if you fall pregnant during your training u should never come back. I then fall pregnant with my first child and l can safely say l was kicked out of the nurse training course.

The actress was hurt that her dreams of becoming a nurse were shattered, but she did not give up; instead, she opted for a plan B. Chiume switched from nursing to teaching; she attended Wilberforce Community College, where she studied for her degree in education.

After graduating, she started working as a full-time English teacher. After a few years of working as an English tutor, Chiume auditioned for her first acting gig, trading her academic qualifications for a career in the acting industry.

After l was kicked out of nursing, l joined Wilberforce college in Evaton. That’s where l learned my teaching skills. However, the job gave us small salaries, leaving me interested in trying new things and venturing into acting.

On Connie Chiume receiving two-lifetime achievement awards

Since Connie Chiume hit her entertainment industry jackpot, she has nurtured her talent into becoming an international sensation. She has been featured in several television shows, and her outstanding talent can never go unnoticed. Connie Chiume recently received a top Hollywood Lifetime Achievement Award, complimented with another Life Time Achievement Award from the South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA). 2022 is a good year for the actress as she has managed to secure two-lifetime awards, overwhelmed by it. Talking to MacG, the woman of the moment, Chiume said:

I don’t know how it happened. There are a lot of actresses in this industry, and l can’t believe l won the awards. It can only be GOD, and I am grateful.

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