Mona Monyane Opens Up About Losing Her Children, Marriage and Home: “I Had Lost Myself”

South African actress Mona Monyane has shared a deeply personal and emotional story about the most painful time in her life — a time marked by the loss of her children, her family home, and the end of her marriage.

Mona was once married to actor Khulu Skenjana. The couple tied the knot in 2016 and had their first child in 2017. Sadly, their happiness was short-lived. Just seven months after the birth of their first child, Mona fell pregnant again. Their second child was born in 2018 but tragically passed away shortly after birth.

Speaking on the Showmax talk show UnTied with host Relebogile Mabotja, Mona opened up about how this heartbreak pushed her to the edge, both emotionally and spiritually.

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“That was the most profoundly painful thing God has ever done to me, but it was necessary,” Mona shared. “I was going to die in that marriage. I had lost myself to the point where I couldn’t recognise who I was when I looked in the mirror. My dreams were gone. I didn’t want to act anymore; I thought I had no talent.”

At the time, Mona, her husband, and their baby were staying at her family home because they were struggling financially. After the loss of their second baby, the couple tried again to grow their family. Sadly, Mona suffered a miscarriage just three months later.

Despite all the pain, Mona tried to hold her marriage together. “I wanted to save my marriage. I didn’t want to raise my baby alone, and I didn’t want to have a single-parent household. And that’s what you do in marriage, you fight through the hard stuff,” she explained.

But the pain didn’t stop there. A few months later, tragedy struck again when her family home burned down. That moment was a major turning point for her.

“There were just circumstances around that fire that didn’t make sense to me… It was also how it was handled, when you don’t feel supported even in times like that,” she said. “I cannot keep making excuses for not receiving what I desire out of this marriage.”

In 2020, Mona and Khulu announced the end of their marriage after four years together.