Nomhle Nkonyeni (9 April 1942 – 10 July 2019) was a South African actress who has appeared in television series such as ''Mzansi'', ''Tsha Tsha'' and the 2007 mini-series ''Society'', as well as feature films such as '' Of Good Report'' (2013).

Career

Starting in the 1961 during apartheid, Nkonyeni and others who wanted to change their lives using the stage met with

Athol Fugard Athol Fugard, Hon. , (born 11 June 1932), is a South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director widely regarded as South Africa's greatest playwright. He is best known for his political and penetrating plays opposing the system of apart ...

and formed the Serpent Players."'Art is Life and Life is Art'. An interview with John Kani and Winston Ntshona of the Serpent Players from South Africa", in ''Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies'' nternet 6(2), 1976, pp. 5–26. Available from
eScholarship
University of California. Accessed 26 July 2017. In 1981, she played the lead role in ''Die Swerfjare van Poppie Nongena'' (The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena), at the

CAPAB The Cape Performing Arts Board (CAPAB) was a South African theatre organisation based in Cape Town, serving the former Cape Province. It was one of the four state-funded performing arts councils in the four former provinces of South Africa insti ...

(Cape Performing Arts Board) theatre in Cape Town. She said, “I was the first black person to perform on that stage and when that door opened, I never shut it.” Nkonyeni received a Diploma in Conflict Management from Lewisham College in London, England, in 1999. In 2002, she also received her Master's degree in Theatre for Development from

King Alfred's College , mottoeng = Wisdom and Knowledge , established = 1840 - Winchester Diocesan Training School1847 - Winchester Training College1928 - King Alfred's College2005 - University of Winchester , type = Public research university ...

(now University of Winchester). Nkonyeni was in the international films '' Red Dust'' (2004) with Hilary Swank, '' Catch A Fire'' (2006) with Tim Robbins, and as Forest Whitaker's mother in '' Zulu'' (aka ''City of Violence'', 2013). Her last film, '' Knuckle City'' (2019), is South Africa’s official submission for the Academy Awards. She was also in many

soap operas A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

and dramas on television. In 2017, she joined ''

Scandal! ''Scandal!'' (formerly ''The Voice'') is a South African soap opera produced by Ochre Moving Pictures and broadcast on e.tv. It is one of the most watched soapies in South Africa, contending with SABC 1's longest-running soapie '' Generations: ...

'' in the role of Lulama Langa, mother to Siseko Langa, played by Hlomla Dandala. She was scheduled to film more of "her much-loved and feisty character" when she suddenly died.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

In 2016 she was awarded the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) Lifetime Achievement Award. And in 2018, she also received the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Eastern Cape cultural awards. She received the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver in 2019 for her contribution in arts and culture. New Brighton, Eastern Cape renamed Aggrey Road after her. The Arthur Wellington Church was on that road and she spent much of her childhood there.

Personal life and death

Nkonyeni had 2 children; Tebogo Nkonyeni (son; born 27 March 1966) and Thabang Nkonyeni (daughter; 22 April 1968 - 11 August 2009). Her daughter was murdered on August 11, 2009. Nkonyeni died in hospital on 10 July 2019 after a short illness aged 77. President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a Special Provincial Funeral Category Two for her because of her outstanding work in the arts and culture in South Africa. Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane said, “She has played quite a huge significant role in social cohesion. We really appreciate it and are hugely indebted to people of her calibre and the role that she has played under very difficult conditions, sometimes using art to communicate a message and also to fight the injustice of the then government of the day."

References

External links

*
Nomhle Nkonyeni on TVSA
* *Nomhle Nkonyen
Memorial Service 17 July 2019
an
Special Provincial Funeral Service 19 July 2019
from SABC Digital News {{DEFAULTSORT:Nkonyeni, Nomhle 1942 births 2019 deaths People from New Brighton, Eastern Cape South African film actresses South African television actresses