Eye brows were raised when it was announced that Connie Ferguson’s ex-husband Neo Matsunyane would be cast as one of the members of the highly anticipated season 2 of Kings Of Joburg. The series is the birth child of the late Shona Ferguson who played Simon Masire in season 1.
The new season debuted on Netflix on January 27 and fans cannot stop talking about it. On the day it was released, Connie was a guest on 702 with Bongani Bingwa who raised this as a point of ‘controversy’ for a lot of viewers, and asked the actress what she thought of it.
“A point of controversy, I mean, not for you, but for certain viewers that might raise an eyebrow or two … you’ve cast Neo Matsunyane in the second season,” he asked.
Connie responded by saying she is not part of the people who make decisions on who gets cast or not. She then said her ex husband is a brilliant actor who is suited for the role he plays on the Netflix series so she does not see where the controversy might be.
“First of all, I’m not the casting director. Some decisions are made independently. With that said, Neo is a brilliant actor, he’s a brilliant performer and he suited the role perfectly, so why not cast Neo and why is there a point of controversy?”
When it was just days before the premier, Connie dedicated this new season to her late husband. n
“In memory of the most amazing human being I have known, the King of Joburg Shona Ferguson, aka Mr Sho, aka Uncle Sho. This is for you, my love. Hope you’re proud.”
She also appreciated her family for walking with her. In an appreciation post on Instagram, Connie thanked them for all they have done for her.
“Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs, the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile, who love you no matter what.” ~ unknown
“My FAMILY, thank you for walking with me through the good and the bad times, for holding me up and never letting me fall, for making sure in between the tears, there’s a bright smile on my face. Most importantly, thank you for praying for me and with me. I love you guys so much! And I thank God for the blessing of you,” she captioned the post.
Connie also recently spoke about Shona Ferguson and how shocked she was to find out about his passing. She was a guest on Newsroom Africa where she spoke on Shona’s passing.
“We both got sick at the same time, and I was also very sick. He was strong for me and seeing how he was strong for me, I thought my husband was strong. I was a week in and he started getting worse. He struggled more with his breathing than anything else. We did little things together we would take worse but I would get further than he would, but we tried to do everything right according to what we knew. I don’t know what happened with Sho because he was a healthy guy. I think he was diagnosed on the 26th of June. On the 30th of July, he was admitted to the hospital because he was struggling to breathe,” she recounted.
“He had Covid-pneumonia, when his symptoms improved they discharged him by the following Friday after the 3rd. I think I’m still traumatized from that night after he was discharged from the hospital. Because he was strong he put on a front that he was strong enough to come home. That was the longest night of my life. Because I had to monitor his oxygen. That night he just got progressively worse. That night I was looking at my husband fading away from me,” she said.
