Posts falsely claim death of South African actress Connie Ferguson

This article is more than one year old.
Published on August 5, 2021 at 11:38
3 min read
By Tendai DUBE, AFP South Africa

Widely-shared Facebook posts claim that South African actress Connie Ferguson has died. This is false; the claims come after her husband, producer and actor Shona Ferguson, died last week from Covid-19 complications. Connie Ferguson is alive and attended her husband’s funeral on August 4, 2021, days after the posts were published.

Facebook posts (here and here) published on July 30, 2021, have been shared almost 3,000 times total with the claim that Connie Ferguson has died.

A screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on August 4, 2021

Both posts were published on the same day her husband Shona Ferguson died.

“It is with great sadness that we confirm the passing of Mr Shona Ferguson,” the family announced in a statement. “He passed away at noon today (Friday 30 July 2021). Mr Ferguson’s untimely passing was due to Covid-19 related complications, and not a heart operation as reported in the media.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SHONA FERGUSON (@ferguson_films)

No mention was made of Connie Ferguson in the statement and in the days that followed she paid tribute to her husband on Instagram.

Claims of her death are a hoax.

Connie Ferguson was seen at her husband’s funeral on August 4, 2021, where he was buried in a private ceremony. Her attendance was also reported here and here.

Connie and Shona Ferguson started a production company called Ferguson Films in 2010 and the two are well known for various screen roles in South Africa.

Shona Ferguson produced and appeared in local television series Rockville (2013), The River (2018) and Kings of Jo'burg (2020).

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