Skeem Saam actress Vele Manenje’s weight loss stirs Ozempic allegations

by Nomonde Simelane

After proudly representing the plus-size community in South Africa’s entertainment industry, celebrated actress Vele Manenje has stunned the public since she popped up looking significantly slimmer, stirring Ozempic allegations.

With her popularity growing exponentially over the past few years, many are of the impression that Vele Manenje is a newbie in the entertainment industry. But that could not be further from the truth, as her career dates back to the mid 2000s when she bagged her first major role as Sonto in a sitcom called Single Galz. Prior to that, she had established herself as a great children’s TV show presenter, and featured in a few shows such as Rivoningo, Siyakholwa and Takalani Sesame.

Fast forward to 2016, Vele lands a major role as Shandu in the fan-favourite telenovela Ring of Lies, and instantly gains viewers’ favour with her compelling and authentic portrayal. She joined an elite group of plus-size women in media who were celebrated by the masses for proudly representing the plus-size community through embodying powerful characters.

Citing various health and physical challenges caused by her weight, the former Ring of Lies actress embarked on a weight loss journey and embraced a much healthier lifestyle. Recently, she took to her Instagram to share recent snaps of herself with her followers, and has gotten the people talking.

Although some have commended her for taking the necessary steps towards becoming the healthiest version of herself, others believe she used the controversial Ozempic drug to lose the weight. These users express concern over the normalisation of the use of Ozempic, which has been reported to have various side-effects.

Also see: ‘You don’t know what I’m going through’ – Cassper Nyovest hits back at body shamers