Connie Ferguson was married to Shona Ferguson for almost 20 years before Shona’s death. The union of the former couple attracted many admirers as they were a strong power couple in the South African entertainment industry, working together to make classic movies and TV shows. Before Connie married Shona, she was married to Neo Matsunyane for a few years before they divorced. Neo is the father of Lesedi.
Neo Matsunyane is a notable actor, television presenter, voice artist, and director in South Africa with a plethora of projects to his credit. He has worked in the entertainment industry for many years and is known for works like Red Scorpion (1988) and 7de Laan (2000) among several more. While many recognize him more as the former husband of Shona Ferguson, Neo has achieved a lot in his career and personal life.
The seasoned entertainer was born in Johannesburg on January 17, 1967. He acquired his high school certificate in 1983 after studying at Kebalepile High School, Mafikeng. Having known the career path he wants to follow, he pursued and got a diploma from The School of Broadcasting from where he graduated in 1991. Between 1994 and 1995, Neo trained as a film director with the SABC in collaboration with Bateleur. This further strengthened his resume in the performing arts industry and his tutor at the time was the late Mr. John Rogers.
To further get himself ready for the entertainment industry, Neo studied at Pretoria Technikon in a script analysis course and also took a Hollywood Film Institute course led by Dov Simens. Upon the completion of his educational pursuits, he took the entertainment industry by storm and started landing roles in different projects.
Neo became a household name through his role in Kelebone in 1998. He went on to grab more TV roles, appearing in productions like Class of ’92, Generations, On the Right Track, Grondbaronne, Maitemogelo, and many others but his roles were mostly cameos. On the big screen, he has graced the set of a few films, including Oh Schucks… Here Comes UNTAG! and Red Scorpion. The veteran actor has also done a few commercials for big brands like SABC, Standard Bank, SAB, Edgars, and Sasol among others. Matsunyane has also served as the host of game shows like Ho Taka and Doors, the quiz shows Bop Shop and Motsamai. As a renowned TV presenter, he equally takes credit for hosting educational shows like Science Club and Turn on to English, among others.
Neo made his directorial debut in 1994 on three episodes of the SABC 1 youth series Young Vision and has continued to direct more shows since then. He earned a Best Director nomination in 2006 for the SABC 1 drama series Mzansi. Overall, Neo is a respected person in the industry and it is clear how much people look up to him. Neo’s fluency in speaking his community’s language, Setswana, as well as English, Afrikaans, Zulu, SiSwati, Xhosa, and North and South Sotho, goes a long way in aiding his success as an entertainer.
Neo’s Works As An Actor
- Red Scorpion
- Oh Schucks…Here Comes UNTAG!
- Wheels & Deals
- Vusi the Voter
- Generations
- Matswakabele I, II and III
- Rhodes
- Going Up
- Ke Nyala Mang
- Desert Diners
- Grondbaronne
- African Skies
As A Director
- Kelebone
- Usindiso
- Mzansi
- Maitemogelo
- On the Right Track
- Young Vision
- Getting it Together
- Emzini Wezinsizwa IX
- Soul Buddyz III and IV
- Motswako The Mix
- Scandal!
- Muvhango
- Backstage
- Class of ’92, Kgweetsa
- Mmalonya I and II
- Soul City
- Take 5
Around the early ’90s, Neo Matsunyane met and started dating Connie Ferguson whose last name was Masilo at the time. The two entertainers went ahead to got married in 1993 and everything seemed alright for a while until, but at some point they decided to go their separate ways. Their marriage lasted for about 5 five years.
Connie notably moved on after a few years and married Shona Ferguson in 2001. The marriage came to a tragic end in 2021, after the death of Shona. Neo, on the other hand, has not surfaced on the romance scene since his marriage with Connie ended. He’s mostly busy being a father and grandfather, as well as building his career.
His marriage to Connie Ferguson produced a daughter named Lesedi while a previous relationship gave him another daughter named Momo. Both daughters are players in the entertainment industry, keeping the family legacy alive. Lesedi was raised by Shona Ferguson who married her mother and took her in as his daughter when she was 8.
As expected, Lesedi is also an actress and is known for her role in The Queen TV series where her mother plays many roles and her late stepfather also contributed. Her role in The Queen is her debut role and she’s already gathering fans who are looking forward to seeing more of her. In 2015, Lesedi blessed Neo with a grandchild named Ronewa.
Kgomotso “Momo” Matsunyane
A talented actress, writer, singer, and lecturer, Momo is known for her appearances in Chin Up! and Dream World. She was born on 30th July 1988, long before her father married Connie. She was named after her aunt Kgomotso Matsunyane but is professionally known as Momo. Her love for acting started from an early age and she began her career by participating in plays before she started getting onscreen roles.