Ramatsui “Rami” Chuene is a South African actress, author, singer, presenter and radio personality who has been active in the entertainment industry since 1995.
She was born on 3 July 1975 in Seshego-B, Polokwane in Limpopo, where she grew up with five siblings. From a young age she was inspired by seeing her own language spoken confidently on television, which sparked her passion for acting.
She attended St Mark’s Comprehensive School for her basic education and later enrolled to study fashion design at the University of the Witwatersrand and music at Fuba and Technikon Pretoria, but she left tertiary education early when acting opportunities began to grow.
Rami made her television debut in the SABC music drama Backstage, and she soon became a household name across South Africa.
She is best known for her roles as Thato Nyathi on e.tv’s Scandal!, as Khomotjo Mojalefa on SABC2’s Muvhango, and as Gracious Mabuza on Mzansi Magic’s The Queen, where her exit in February 2020 became a major talking point.
Her other notable productions include Isono: The Sin as Jumima, Giyani Land of Blood, How to Ruin Christmas, Hijack Stories and Life, Above All. Beyond acting, she has built a diverse career as a radio presenter on Thobela FM and CliffCentral, a voice artist, a musical director, and a stage performer.
Outside of television, Rami is also an author and singer. She released a memoir and short story collection titled We Kissed The Sun And Embraced The Moon, and has spoken openly about life lessons, motherhood and self-love.
She also released music from her album From Fear to Love. Her talent has been recognised with a SAFTA award for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Comedy and multiple nominations over the years.
In her personal life, Rami was married to businessman and actor Tsepo Desando. The marriage ended in divorce in 2013.
Together they have three daughters, Kefiloe, Nthateng and Botshelo Chuene. Now 50 years old, Rami continues to live in Johannesburg, remains very active on social media as @ramichuene, and is celebrated as one of South Africa’s most respected, outspoken and versatile entertainers.
Mzansi Sh*cked After Old Rami Chuene Tweet Promoting Daughter’s OnlyFans Resurfaces
An old post by veteran actress Rami Chuene has resurfaced on social media and left Mzansi divided all over again.
In October 2019, Rami’s second daughter, Nthateng Chuene, announced on X (Twitter) that she had started an OnlyFans account. Nthateng, who had graduated from Rhodes University in 2018, said she wanted to use the money from the platform to fund her studies at culinary school.
What shocked people at the time was not just Nthateng’s announcement, but her mother’s response.
Rami, who has over 1 million followers, retweeted her daughter’s post and wrote: “This child of mine has this thing going. Please subscribe. Yes I’m retweeting under duress.”
The post divided the timeline in 2019. Some praised Rami as a supportive parent who was giving her adult daughter freedom, while others questioned her parenting for promoting a platform known for adult content.
Now, six years later in 2025, screenshots of that 2019 tweet have made a comeback.
Social media users who are seeing it for the first time say they are “startled” and in “shock” that a mother would openly promote her child’s OnlyFans. The post is trending again with comments like “supportive parent of the year” to harsh criticism.
Others are defending Rami, reminding critics that Nthateng was 23 years old at the time, a Rhodes graduate, and an adult making her own choice to fund her education.
Nthateng later deleted the original tweet, but the retweet has lived on in screenshots.
Rami, who is mother to three daughters – Kefiloe, Nthateng and Botshelo – has never shied away from being outspoken about her parenting. She has often said she believes in letting her adult children make their own decisions.
As of now, Rami has not responded to the latest resurfacing of the post.
Do you think she was being a supportive mom or did she cross the line?
