Nonkanyiso Conco is a South African businesswoman, reality TV star, philanthropist, and radio presenter. Though she has made a name for herself through various endeavors, she is easily recognized as the former fiancee of former president Jacob Zuma. Conco rose to immense popularity after her relationship with the KwaZulu-Natal-born respected politician came to the limelight. Her popularity soared afterward, when she made it to the show The Real Housewives of Durban (RHOD) and since then, she has been in the public eye.
Conco hails from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province. She was born in the coastal city on the 18th day of December 1994 to Mr. Fartescu Conco and his wife. She was raised in her hometown, had her high school education at Haythorne High School in Woodlands, Pietermaritzburg, and also did a business course at Varsity College in the same town. Mr. Fartescu Conco and his wife lived in separate cities, right from the time Conco was still not known publicly. Even after their daughter rose to stardom, the two continued to live far away from each other. Her mother, whose identity is yet to be revealed reportedly lives in Eastern Cape.
It is alleged that Nonkanyiso had a strained relationship with her father. Unfortunately, the reality TV star lost her father in early 2021. Mr. Fartescu was laid to rest in the month of July 2021 and his funeral was attended by some notable people in the country.
Conco’s ‘rocky’ relationship with her father became public knowledge after he called her out for her affair with the former head of state and also alleged that Jacob Zuma paid her daughter’s lobola to her maternal family instead of her paternal family.
He added that all he wanted was for the man who made Nonkanyiso pregnant to meet him so that they will handle the matter wisely. However, neither the KwaZulu-Natal businesswoman nor the former president came out to clear the air on what really transpired.
She is said to have also worked as a reporter and photographer at Independent Newspapers from the year 2013 to 2014. Since 2010, Zuma’s baby mama has been working as a presenter and producer at Vuma FM and she has also worked at uMgungundlovu FM as a presenter. Reports also have it that she worked as a director at a massage center at Victoria Embankment in Durban.
As mentioned earlier, the mother of Jacob Zuma’s youngest son is a reality TV star. According to the businesswoman, her main aim of entering the Real Housewives of Durban show is for people to know more about her for real and not how she was being portrayed by the media or in public spaces. The larger-than life personality debuted on the show in the month of February last year 2021.
On the show, the mother of one still wore her ring and spoke about the former president, though she didn’t mention him by name. When asked during a truth or dare game if she would have dated Zuma’s son Dududzane, assuming she did not get entangled with his father, Conco boldly answered that she wouldn’t want to have anything to do with Duduzane Zuma because he is not his type.
While the show lasted, the mother of one also obeyed the Zuma family’s instructions to keep their family name away from the reality show. The RHOD was originally meant to center on Zuma’s family (including Conco’s relationship with the family members) and clear the air about certain things about the family but all that changed after the former president’s relationship with Nonkanyiso soured. She was then mandated to stay away from bringing up the family’s name on the show.
Former president Jacob Zuma’s relationship with Conco is one of the best secrets he has ever kept. According to reports, the young lady has been visiting his home at Nkandla since she was at least 19 years old. Then, she used to address him as “father”. No one knows how they got connected in the first place and how they were able to remain so close until the time they started having feelings for each other.
It is said that a close friend of the businesswoman revealed that she started her romantic affair with Zuma in 2013. Nonkanyiso’s relationship with the former South African president became public knowledge in the year 2018 after it emerged that she and Zuma are engaged. Conco is said to have also confirmed the engagement herself later on Twitter but declined to talk about their courtship.
Conco apparently saw Jacob Zuma as a father figure while growing up. As their relationship continued, one thing led to another between them and in 2018, news broke out that she was carrying his child – a report Zuma neither confirmed nor refuted. Their son, Skahe, was born on April 12, 2018, at Busamed Hillcrest Hospital through Cesarean section. The businesswoman also calls her son Msholozi, one of Zuma’s clan names. Skahe shares the same birthday with his father. Skahe is Zuma’s youngest child.
Zuma and Nonkanyiso’s big age gap remains one of the highlights of their relationship. While most people had a big problem with it, the two seemed unbothered by it – after all age is nothing but a number. Though none of them said anything about it, it was clear that it was not a big deal for them.
The KwaZulu-Natal-born businesswoman got engaged in 2018 and there were reports that the businesswoman would become Zuma’s seventh wife. The Nkandla-born politician is also married to Bongi Ngema, Gertrude Sizakele Khumalo and Tobeka Madiba. He divorced Nkosazana Dlamini and is separated from Nompumelelo Ntuli, who allegedly tried to poison him. His Mozambican wife, Kate Mantsho, died in 2000, she committed suicide. News about Zuma paying lobola for his fiancee was also met with great shock in his hometown, even though most people saw nothing wrong with his decision.
Nonkanyiso is said to have checked into the hospital she put to bed as “Mrs. Zuma”. This was after her lobola was reportedly paid. Two years after she gave birth to Skahe, while everyone was still hopeful their marriage will work, rumors began to fly around that the duo has separated. The two reportedly broke up in June 2020. It is also said that Zuma had visited Conco in December 2019, shortly after which she moved out of the home the former president was renting for her at Zimbali’s plush Hilltop Private Estate in Durban.
She previously lived in a cramped flat in Durban’s Esplanade area. Her father confirmed their split and revealed that the businesswoman had moved in with her mother at Eastern Cape. On 7, June 2021, Nonkanyiso hinted about her relationship status for the first time in a long while. She began raising eyebrows after she took to Twitter and posted that she refuses to be wealthy and single. She later replied “Well nazo! [there you have it]” after one of her fans commented that she was too beautiful to be single. No one knows exactly the reason they called off their engagement. Neither Zuma nor Conco has publicly come out to set records straight on the matter.