Connie Ferguson’s third act

It’s a scorching afternoon in the suburb of Riviera, north of Joburg. I seek refuge under a tree and the chirping birds create nature’s most perfect symphony.

I’m lost in my thoughts while waiting for the arrival of the star of the day. My mind races back as I go through old files of Connie Ferguson, whose star has been shining unrelentingly for over three decades.

I remember her from the Setswana drama Maitemogelo while she was still Connie Masilo. She soon became a TV staple as a continuity announcer on CCTV in the mid-1990s.

That was when she was cast as Karabo Moroka on the juggernaut soapie Generations, which shot her name into the stratosphere and turned her iconic, get it? Poised, graceful, and well-groomed, Ferguson has been the all-South African girl.

Even in 2023, she has not lost any of the spunk and energy that keep her at the top of the celebrity food chain in Mzansi.

She steps out of her luxury SUV in a neat ponytail and relaxed onesie. Not easy to believe that she’s a grandmother. I waste no time and ask her about a meme trending that week. She is pictured in a contraption with her head sticking out while her whole body is covered.

One of the funny comments in response to the viral picture was that “she has remained ageless because she sleeps in a power bank”. Ferguson is unfazed and sees the humour in it.

“My people are funny, they have time,” she laughs. “It’s a steaming machine called Ozone therapy that detoxes the body. I shared the image on my social-media stories and people have had fun with it, I’ve just died laughing.”

Even three decades after the start of her career, with generations of South Africans in a different world, Connie’s star power still resonates. She ascribes to her authenticity. “I cannot sell what I can’t sustain. I’m not trying, I just am. I use my profiles to promote my shows, and to share a little bit about film, family, and lifestyle.”

Her now-famous workout routines, especially skipping, and rock-hard abs have earned her hordes of admirers. She tells me that the gym is her elixir.

“I can’t train, it’s for my mental wellness. Genetically, I’m not a big person, but I have arthritis and skipping improves my bone density. Working out helps me to feel good, recharged, and revived. I go harder in winter because I naturally get sad. I cry the most in winter; I wish I had the money to chase the summer. So instead of being on anti-depressants, I work out.”

Ferguson has had to chart a new path for herself after the death of her husband Shona almost two years ago and it’s in her work that she has found solace. “It’s something I didn’t choose, it happened to me. I’ve always had a partner in crime until July 2021 happened [the death of Shona].

And it was loss after loss. At one point I asked myself what was going on, some people say bad luck comes in threes, but it seemed like never-ending.” She resolved to keep the name of her husband alive and to have the Sho(w) go on. They were ready to film the second season of Kings of Joburg before Shona’s death and Netflix allowed them time to regroup.

“I didn’t know if I wanted to do it without my husband. Kings of Joburg was a legacy project. We shot it with our own money. So, we went back to rewrite the scripts and keep his memory alive in the series. We started shooting in July and I was cast as Veronica Masire, Simon’s [Shona] twin. It was a difficult production. On the other hand, I was finishing off The Queen after seven years.

The crew and cast looked at me for what’s next. It was a heavy feeling, like you have the whole world on your shoulders,” she says. “I am now a freelancer, I am unemployed, life will humble you, but God is good. I’m not proud, I know who I am and what I do, and when the opportunity comes, I will be ready.”

Being a mother of girls, Ferguson says personal hygiene is the number-one beauty secret she’s taught them. “Once you have that on lock, beauty comes naturally. We are different generations, Alicia is tomboyish and a doppelgänger of her dad while Lesedi is loud and a proud chameleon, I can’t teach her anything.”

She thinks back to when Lesedi was born and how Lesedi set off a series of events that led her to become a household name on CCTV and Generations.

“She was a gift. When she was born, I asked God how I was going to take care of this child, but so many doors opened for me…” Ferguson’s face lights up when she talks about her grandson Rowena (Lesedi’s son), who she says has an expressive face that has trended even in the US.

“He is now a smart, strong, and spiritual young man,” she says. A video of Rowena praying touched hearts recently. Ferguson believes he will make a brilliant actor after roles in Kings of Joburg, The Queen and Rockville.Away from the camera, Ferguson is focusing on her eponymous beauty range.

She is growing the basket of offerings and looks forward to launching new products by June. “it’s a proudly South African brand, moulded by the people, so in creating this brand, it’s a gift of what they have created.”

South Africans have embraced Ferguson and today she is called Karabo, Dimamzo, The Queen, Harriet, Mavis, Vero or Gangster, inspired by the different roles she has played. She takes it all in and calls it a blessing.