‘I almost took my life’: ‘Gomora’s’ Connie Chiume at Siya Zubane’s memorial

By Larry John Brown

Published: May 13, 2022 | 9:15 AM GMT

Popular actress Connie Chiume – who plays the character of MamSonto in Gomora revealed that she almost took her own life 20 years ago at Siyabonga Zubane’s memorial service on Thursday.

Zubane’s memorial service was held at the Joburg Theatre on Thursday (12 May) afternoon.

CONNIE CHIUME AT SIYABONGA ZUBANE’S MEMORIAL

Actress Connie Chiume –who plays MamSonto in Gomora shared at Siyabonga Zubane’s memorial that she attempted to take her own life years.

23-year-old actor Siyabonga Zubane – who portrayed the role of Sdumo in Gomora apparently committed suicide last week.

Chiume shared she attempted to end her life after her daughter died while she was feeding her.

The veteran added that she had suicidal thoughts that she never shared with anyone after her daughter’s passing.

She also told her co-stars at the memorial that there’s a demonic spirit that had taken over her body and wanted her to commit suicide- but she conquered the demonic thoughts by praying

“It’s so difficult to stand here and speak about young talent and young creative like Siya.”

“A child that we were still looking forward to seeing where he is going. We are hurt by his departure.”

“I understand what his parents are going through because I almost took my own life.”

We are saddened about the passing of Siyabonga Zubane. His debut TV role in 2017, was Bhungezi on Isibaya. Recently, he was Sdumo on Gomora.
We’d like to extend our condolences to Siyabonga’s family. His contribution to the TV industry will be treasured. – Shirley Adonisi, MNet pic.twitter.com/DMEelVDsbx

— Mzansi Magic (@Mzansimagic) May 7, 2022

REMEMBERING THE ‘GOMORA’ ACTOR

She said she normally works with young talent and watches them grow and Siya was one of them.

She loves these kids because they teach her a lot because she never went to school for acting.

“I’m asking myself, who do we hand the baton over to when our kids are dying like this?”

“Let’s not pretend that things are fine, there is a problem within our youth, not only in the arts and creative sector but youth, in general, is affected.”

“There is a demonic spirit going around targeting our youth.”

Gomora’s producer Lulu Hela said:

“To know Siyabonga was to love Siyabonga. It is strange to speak about him in the past tense.”

“I met him in 2019 while doing auditions for Gomora.”

“Initially, the Sdumo role was written for three episodes but it was extended because of his energy.”

“It breaks our hearts that he is now gone. Siya was talented and loved acting whole-heartedly.”

About Larry John Brown

Larry John is a talented writer and journalist based in New York, USA. He is a valued contributor to TDPel Media, where he creates engaging and informative content for readers. Larry has a keen interest in current events, business, and technology, and he enjoys exploring these topics in-depth to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of the issues. His writing style is characterized by its clarity, precision, and attention to detail, which make his articles a pleasure to read. Larry’s passion for storytelling has earned him a reputation as a skilled writer and a respected authority in his field.