Connie Chiume’s son, Nongelo Chiume, has been accused of swindling a filmmaker, Siyabonga Ndlozi, out of R900,000 intended for a student film festival project named in honor of the late actress Connie Chiume. The controversy centers around the Connie Chiume Student Film Festival, which Siyabonga had been running since 2022 in Umkhanyakude, KwaZulu-Natal.
Background to the dispute
In May 2024, Siyabonga met Connie Chiume and proposed renaming his Umkhanyakude Student Film Festival to honor her legacy. Connie supported this idea.
Siyabonga submitted a funding proposal to the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) requesting R900,000 for the festival scheduled for November 2024.
Connie Chiume passed away in August 2024.
Siyabonga later discovered that the NFVF had approved and disbursed the funds, but to Nongelo Chiume, Connie’s son, not to him.
Nongelo offered Siyabonga a reduced role as a contractor with a fee of R42,000, excluding him from founding or managing the festival.
The festival venue was moved from the rural Umkhanyakude to urban locations in Durban (BAT Centre and K-CAP), and Siyabonga rejected the offer and severed ties.
Nongelo Chiume’s position
Nongelo claims the festival idea originated with his late mother, who had experience running film festivals overseas and had asked Siyabonga to upload the NFVF application on her behalf.
He insists Siyabonga only helped with the application process and is not the project founder.
Nongelo confirmed receipt of the R900,000 funding and said the festival will proceed under the Connie Chiume Foundation.
He could not provide proof of his mother’s overseas festival experience or a screening schedule.
The NFVF confirmed that Nongelo is the official applicant and the funding was granted to the Connie Foundation, communicating only with him as the project lead.
Siyabonga ‘s claims
Siyabonga states he originated the festival concept and was sidelined after Connie’s death.
He rejected the reduced contractor fee and the relocation of the festival.
He alleges Nongelo pocketed the funding and excluded him from the project.
Current Status of the festival
The festival is moving forward independently under the Connie Chiume Foundation with plans for the 2025 event from 14 to 16 June in KwaZulu-Natal.
The dispute raises broader questions about creative ownership, legacy stewardship, and ethical collaboration in South Africa’s cultural sector.
