I’ve lost a loving husband in my Thema
Talented actor pursued his dream till the end
Born: March 16 1967
Died: May 14
Funeral: Tomorrow in Ebony Park, Midrand, Johannesburg, starting at 7.30am Burial: Waterfall Cemetery in Midrand
My husband Thema Mokoena was everything to me and to his children. He loved his children to bits and I will miss him for his good heart.
I will also miss his sense of humour and demeanour. He was down to earth and did not allow his fame to go to his head.
He treated everybody with respect and he didn’t want to be regarded as a celebrity, but a role model to the youngsters – especially budding actors.
He loved acting and it was his life. My husband wanted to end up opening his own acting academy.
A revered soapie star, Thema will be buried in Midrand, Johannesburg, tomorrow.
He died on Friday last week at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria after a long battle with a heart condition. He was 52.
Thema, who has been in the acting industry for more than 20 years, played the role of Ramolao on the popular SABC1 youth soapie, Skeem Saam, at the time of his death.
He was born in Tembisa, on the East Rand, in 1967. He started his schooling at Gahlanso Primary and matriculated at Ikusasa High, also in Tembisa.
He studied acting at the Federated Union of Black Artists (Fuba) Arts Centre in Johannesburg after matric.
Music icon Hugh Masekela advised him to pursue acting as a career after his brief stint as a backing vocalist of the late trumpeter.
While still trying to make a break into acting, Thema worked at the OR Tambo International Airport in the aviation centre for many years.
Despite spending years working at the airport, Thema’s love for acting never diminished and this saw him quit his job to search for acting gigs.
His determination for acting saw him secure roles in Khululeka, Generations, Isibaya, Scandal! Isithunzi and Isikizi.
My husband loved acting. Acting was his life and we, as a family, we supported him through and through.
I met Thema as a 15-year-old in 1989 and he was 21.
We met at a shop near his home in Tembisa and it was love at first side.
We got married in 1995 when I was 21 and were blessed with two beautiful children – Thando, who is now 25. and Palesa, 17.
Thema Mokoena, my dear husband, I will always love you. I feel like a part of me is gone. The children will never stop loving you.
Rest in peace, my dear, until we meet again. Robala ka kgotso Selala!– Additional reporting by Emmanuel Tjiya