Cover story – Jessica Nkosi on being an elated mom-to-be

There’s nothing scandalous about my pregnancy therefore I don’t want any drama around it…”

“The first thing I thought was, ‘so God really listens’ because it’s always been my wish to have children before 30.

THE LONG SILENCE

Once very active on social media, Jessica Nkosi has gone on an unexpected hiatus — posting only when it’s absolutely necessary and cautiously choosing the images she puts up. In fact, if it weren’t for her Isibaya character Qondi Ngubane, a regular on the daily Mzansi Magic soapie, we’d be forgiven for assuming Jessica’s been abducted by aliens. But this couldn’t be further from the truth, says the 28-year-old, whose pregnancy glow had us feeling broody and green with envy at the cover shoot.

When asked about her break from social media, she pulls out her phone to read out several tweets from fans begging her to send a smoke signal that she’s alive and well. After laughing off the incessant requests and what sounds like a threat from one fan, she says, “I’m still living my life, just not on social media.” Social media’s invasive culture has completely done away with the concept of privacy. Even so, Jessica’s clear about enjoying her first pregnancy away from prying eyes. She’s already had her fair share of tabloid articles that tried to expose her pregnancy without bothering to confirm the facts with her.

The actress explains why she chose to share the happy news only now. “Firstly, I’m not going out of my way to hide my pregnancy. I posted an image from the Veuve Clicquot event in early May where I was wearing a big, poofy dress. It was pretty obvious I was covering something but on that day, I figured, let me give them what they want,” she explains. “By the way, I’m not done with the big dresses. No one’s going to trace or guess the size of my bump. Therefore, brace yourselves,” she quips.

Jessica discovered she was pregnant in January — her birthday month — while the baby was literally a minute dot in her womb. She’d been feeling funny for a couple of days and later that week, a visit to the gynae confirmed her suspicion. “The first thing I thought was, ‘So God really listens,’ because it’s always been my wish to have children before 30,” she says. She unpacks one of the main reasons why she chose not to break the news too soon. “People can get really impatient when they learn of a pregnancy during its formative stages. They see no shame in leaving comments like, ‘Hawu, usakhulelwe namanje (Gosh, are you still pregnant?)’ on your social media platforms, leaving you to feel like you’ve been pregnant for three years. Truth is, nine months is a long time and people will make their