When Nonkanyiso “LaConco” Conco first appeared in season one of “The Real Housewives of Durban,” many were keen to know more about her relationship with former president Jacob Zuma.
Although she has a son with Zuma, LaConco, as she is affectionately known by her fans, hardly spoke about him on the hit Showmax reality show. And her cast mates probed but she kept mum.
However, this week, she took to Instagram to reveal intimate details about her private life.
She shared her life story on her Instagram stories. This included stories about her childhood where she lived with her mother in a shack in Palm Ridge in Ekurhuleni to how she met Zuma and how she became an entrepreneur.
LaConco said that she spent most of her life attending the maiden reed dances, a cultural ceremony for Zulu women.
She explained that she dated Zuma for four years before he sent his family to pay lobola for her in 2016. Later that year, LaConco said that he got her an engagement ring because he wanted people to know that she was taken.
“Lendandatho yadala okukhulu okukhuluma ngoba isoka alaziwa, eyi kodwa liyasho i daymani ukukhalimula khakho kwakusho ukubkulu bomnikazi,” she wrote.
This roughly translates to her engagement ring, which started many rumours because no one knew who she was dating.
She explained that although she was engaged, she remained a virgin until her then-fiancé asked if they could build a family and before she knew it, she was expecting a child with Zuma.
She then gave birth to their son, Sakhumuzi, on April 12, 2018, which also happened to be Zuma’s birthday.
But things began to change between the couple. She explained on Instagram that she stopped calling and they began to visit each other less frequently.
LaConco said that this is when she knew that their relationship was going downhill and she realised that she would have to fend for her child.
This led to the creation of LaConco Naturals in 2020, which is a natural and luxurious skin care range.
She said she started the beauty brand with R3000 that she got from her mother.
“If you have bought my products, please know that you have assisted me in providing for my son. May God bless you, this era was a test of patience and faith,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I was bleeding but had to accept this phase, go through it, and feel it. Growth is harsh! I will relaunch it, son, there’s a greater plan for it.”
LaConco added that she had not opened up about her private life on “The Real Housewives of Durban” because she was going through a lot at the time.
Four years after separating from Zuma and having started on her weight loss journey, she said that she started dating another man, whom she dumped because he had several wives.
After leaving the reality show, LaConco has continued to focuse on improving herself and even bagged more TV roles, including “The Masked Singer SA.“
She also pushed on with her weight loss journey, spent more time with her son, went on an overseas trip for the first time and is now enjoying the life she built for herself.