This year marks 46 years since award-winning television and film legend Connie Chiume has been in show business. Earlier this year she kick-started the year-long celebrations.

GIVING BACK

She is also about giving back to the community that contributed to making her an award-winning artist. And what better way to close her 46th anniversary than by doing what she loves? The award-winning actress has announced that she will be hosting workshops as a means of giving back to the industry as well as the many fans that have supported her during her career. The workshops will be held in the North West, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and Free State. She chose these provinces primarily because they are "neglected by the mainstream media as far as arts development is concerned," she says. The focus of the workshops will be youth-based and will assist them with as much skill and information to enable young actors to harness their skills and talents. "I just can’t wait to get out there and offer myself, my journey, and my experiences to the most neglected section of the country’s youth who aspire to be in the entertainment industry but do not see themselves achieving their dreams primarily because the industry is very far from their own reality."

ACCOLADES

She recently returned from the USA for the Black Panther’s world premiere in Los Angeles and was honoured with an international lifetime achievement award at the Hollywood African prestigious awards. For her hard work and dedication, she has also since received Forbes Africa’s Top 50 Influential Women in Africa. She also received recognition from organisations locally and internationally and has won several awards, such as the Artes Award and the Avanti Award, including the best supporting actress in a drama series for her role as Stella Moloi in the local drama Zone 14 at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA) in 2009. The acting icon was also awarded a lifetime achievement award at the SAFTAs for her long-standing contribution to television, film, and theatre in South Africa and globally.