WATCH: Leleti Khumalo's unexpected encounter with Ramaphosa
Veteran actress Leleti Khumalo recently had an unexpected encounter with President Cyril Ramaphosa as she travelled to and from the prestigious Golden Nymph Awards in Monaco.
Khumalo, best known for her iconic role in Sarafina!, had been in Monaco for the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, where the short film Don't Give Up, in which she stars, won the award for Best Creation in the Fiction category.
The film, produced by veteran filmmaker Anant Singh, tells the harrowing story of a homeless mother trying to survive on the streets of Johannesburg with her two sons.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Khumalo gushed about crossing paths with President Ramaphosa both before her departure and again upon her return to South Africa.
'I had the pleasure of bumping into our President upon our departure to Monaco. We were travelling to different countries, but were scheduled to be on the same flight. We had a great conversation, and he also wished me great luck for the awards and my nomination.'
She added: 'To my surprise, we bumped into him again on our return to South Africa – on the same flight again – but this time I had the award with me. It was truly an honour to show him the award and how well South Africa had been represented at Monaco.'
ALSO READ: South Africa's award-winning trio bags another accolade at Monte-Carlo Television Festival
Ramaphosa congratulates Leleti and the team
President Ramaphosa also took to social media to congratulate Khumalo and her team, saying he was delighted to have met the actress.
'Leleti did have something to declare: she'd returned from the Monte-Carlo Television Festival in Monaco, where she and acclaimed film producer Anant Singh had won the prestigious Golden Nymph Award for their work on the short film Don't Give Up, which portrays life on the streets of Johannesburg for a begging mother of two.
'I congratulate Leleti Khumalo and Anant Singh for flying our flag and for spotlighting one of our nation's socioeconomic challenges.'
On my travels to and from the G7 Leaders' Summit in Canada, I had the good and proud fortune of bumping into our veteran star performer Leleti Khumalo at OR Tambo International Airport.
Leleti did have something to declare: she'd returned from the Monte Carlo Television Festival… pic.twitter.com/iI18v0DCsS — Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) June 19, 2025
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