# Connie Chiume

Connie Temweka Gabisile Chiume (5 June 1952 – 6 August 2024) was a South African actress and filmmaker. She was known for her film roles in Black Panther, Black Is King and Blessers. On television, she appeared in S'gudi S'nyasi, Yizo Yizo 2, Zone 14, Rhythm City and Gomora.

## Early life

Chiume was born on 5 June 1952 in the mining town of Welkom, South Africa. Her father Wright Tadeyo Chiume (d. 1983) was from Nkhata Bay, Malawi and her mother MaNdlovu (d. 2020) hailed from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Her cousin, Ephraim Mganda Chiume is a Malawian politician.
Chiume spent her early childhood in Welkom. She completed her matric in the Eastern Cape and started training to become a nurse. However, she went on to graduate with a degree in teaching in 1976. In 1977, she left South Africa and became part of a touring musical group, visiting Greece and Israel with them.

## Career

Chiume began her acting career with roles in productions of Porgy and Bess, Ipi Ntombi, and Little Shop of Horrors. She returned to South Africa as apartheid was ending. She was cast as Thembi in the 1989 series Inkom' Edla Yodwa and then the 1990 film Warriors from Hell. In 2000, she won the award for Best Actress in a Drama Series at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA).
In 2006, she starred in the stage productions of You Strike The Woman and You Strike The Rock. From 2007 to 2015, Chiume gained prominence through her role as Stella Moloi in the SABC1 drama series Zone 14, which earned her another SAFTA. She also received the Award for the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama during the 3rd SAFTA. In 2015, she appeared in the soap opera Rhythm City as Mamokete Khuse.
In 2018, Chiume played Zawavari, the elder of a mining tribe in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther. She starred in this role again in the film's 2022 sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
In 2020, Chiume landed the role of Mam'Sonto Molefe in the drama series Gomora and appeared in Beyoncé's film Black Is King. In October 2020, she received a Feather Award nomination. In 2022, she received the lifetime achievement award at the South African Film and Television Awards.

## Personal life and death

Chiume was married from 1985 to 2004. She was a mother of four, with two sons and two daughters.
Chiume died at the Garden City Hospital in Johannesburg on 5 August 2024, at the age of 72.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1990 | Warriors from Hell | Marita | |
| 1994 | The Air Up There | Mrs Urudu | |
| 1999 | Chikin Biznis ... The Whole Story! | Thoko | |
| 2000 | I Dreamed of Africa | Wanjiku | |
| 2004 | In My Country | Virginia Tabata | |
| 2013 | Fanie Fourie's Lobola | Zinzi | |
| 2015 | Lerato | Pastor | Short film |
| 2018 | Black Panther | Zawavari | |
| 2019 | Losing Lerato | Gogo on Bus | |
| 2019 | Blessers | Ma-Lerato | |
| 2020 | What Did You Dream? | Koko | Short film |
| 2020 | Black Is King | Sarabi | |
| 2020 | Seriously Single | Dineo's Mom | |
| 2022 | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Zawavari | |
| 2024 | Heart of the Hunter | | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1989 | Inkom' Edla Yodwa | Thembi | Television film |
| 1994 | The Line | Rosie | Television film |
| 1997 | A Woman of Color | Government Official | Television film |
| 1998 | Tierärztin Christine III: Abenteuer in Südafrika | — Mohlolohadi as thakane | Television film; directed |
| 2003 | Soul City | | |
| 2004 | Mazinyo Dot Q | Ma Mavuso | |
| 2007–2015 | Zone 14 | Stella Moloi | |
| 2015 | Rhythm City | Mamokete Khuse | |
| 2017 | Thula's Vine | Nothando | |
| 2020 | Queen Sono | Nana Rakau | |
| 2020 | Gomora | Mam'Sonto Molefe | |
| 2020 | Choices | | |
| 2024 | Soon Comes Night Blood Legacy | Mohlolohadi as thakane as Madlamini Ndlovu | Television film |

## Achievements
### South Africa Film and Television Awards

| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2024 | Herself | Best Actress in a Telenovela | Pending | |