Bonang Matheba Biography: Age, Relationship, Height, Education, Personal Life, Net Worth, Baby, Career, Awards and Nominations 2024

Bonang Dorothy Matheba, born on June 25, 1987, is a renowned television presenter, radio personality, actress, and social media influencer from South Africa.

Her exceptional presenting abilities and distinctive voice have made her widely recognized.

Matheba gained prominence in the industry through her role as the host of the SABC 1 music show LIVE (now Live Amp).

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Additionally, she holds the distinction of being the first Black South African to grace the covers of numerous magazines.

In 2011, she made history as the first South African celebrity to introduce an online reality show named B*Dazzled.

Two years later, in 2013, she achieved another milestone by becoming the inaugural international ambassador for Revlon, a renowned cosmetic brand, outside the United States.

In 2014, she took on the role of hosting the pre-show for the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards, marking her as the first South African to do so.

The following year, in 2015, she broke new ground by being the first African to feature in an E! News Special Africa on E!.

With a massive following of over 5 million on Instagram and Twitter, she continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

In 2016, she graced the cover of Forbes Woman Africa, sharing the spotlight with three other women recognized as the Faces of Entrepreneurship.

The year 2017 saw her book release, From A to B, and the premiere of her reality show, Being Bonang.

Fast forward to 2018, she was highlighted in the power issue of GQ SA for the September edition, solidifying her status as a prominent figure in the industry.

Early Life

Bonang was born in the Mahikeng borough of North West on 25 June 1987. Her parents are Charlotte Mokoena, the Executive Vice-president for Human Resource and Corporate Affairs of Sasol, and Gampi Matheba, a senior lecturer at North-West University.

Bonang belongs to the Bantu-speaking ethnic group Tswana. Later, the family moved to Leondale in the East of Johannesburg, where Bonang attended Fourways High School, a government co-ed school in Fourways, Johannesburg.

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Career

In 2002, Matheba began her television career on the SABC 2 children’s program, Manhattan Fantasy Challenge, at the age of 15.

She also made appearances on various other SABC 2 children’s shows. Following her departure from university in 2007, Matheba auditioned for the first season of the SABC 1 music program LIVE (now Live Amp).

She went on to win the show and co-host alongside Tbo Touch, earning the nickname “Queen B” due to her successful presenting skills.

Matheba’s final episode aired on 31 August 2012 when she announced her departure from the show.

Since then, she has hosted a variety of programs including Clash of the Choirs SA, Afternoon Express, Top Billing, and KFC Taste Kitchen.

Matheba has also been a host for numerous award shows and prestigious events, such as the MTV Africa Music Awards 2016, Miss South Africa 2018, and the pre-shows for the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards and BET Awards 2016.

On 2 December 2018, Matheba co-hosted the Global Citizen: Mandela 100 concert alongside comedian Trevor Noah, supermodel Naomi Campbell, and other notable public figures.

In 2008, Matheba took on her first dramatic role on the SABC 1 series, InterSEXions, portraying Nurse Seipati. In 2019, she starred in and co-produced the documentary film Public Figure, which premiered at the Manchester Film Festival on March 9.

Matheba established her production company, Bonang Matheba Entertainment, in 2017.

The production house is responsible for the reality show Being Bonang, which airs on 1Magic and offers a glimpse into Matheba’s daily life.

In May 2022, Matheba co-hosted the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards.

Radio

In 2009, Matheba received a phone call from YFM radio station informing her that she would be joining their new lineup of presenters.

She was given her own weekend afternoon show called “The B* Hive,” which quickly became popular among young listeners. However, she decided to leave the radio show in 2014.

In 2015, Matheba was announced as a new radio DJ for Metro FM radio station. She took over the position from Siphokazi January, who had become a veteran at Metro FM.

Matheba’s show, “The Front Row,” gained a large and enthusiastic audience until a dispute with the radio station’s manager occurred.

This dispute arose after an on-air reshuffle that resulted in Bonang hosting the show alongside her rumored industry rival Lerato Kganyago, without Matheba being informed.

Feeling outraged by the lack of communication, Bonang resigned from the radio station the following day.

Fashion

In 2008, Matheba collaborated with retailer Legit to launch her first clothing line, “Just B”.

She later partnered with a London-based designer to create a collection of handbags called “Baby Star”.

In 2014, the high-end South African retail brand Woolworths announced a collaboration with Bonang.

They released a lingerie line called “Distraction By Bonang,” which is still ongoing with the introduction of new collections.

In 2018, Matheba teamed up with Superbalist to release a collection of T-shirts called “BONANG by Bonang Matheba”.

These T-shirts featured famous quotes from Bonang, such as “Mo’ghel,” “Give The People What They Want,” and “#IAmBonang”.

On March 18, 2019, Matheba entered into an exclusive partnership with Woolworths to launch a luxurious Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) range called “The House of BNG.”

This collaboration made her the first black woman to join the Méthode Cap Classique Association.

In addition to “The House of BNG,” Matheba has been involved in various other projects. In 2013, she became the ambassador for Revlon, a cosmetic brand in South Africa.

This achievement marked her as the first international ambassador for Revlon outside of the United States.

Furthermore, Matheba was appointed as an ambassador for the vodka brand Cîroc in Africa in October 2016.

She shared this role with fashion designer David Tlale, hip hop artist Da L.E.S, and club DJ DJ Dimplez.

After her visit to Brazil in 2017, Matheba was named the African Brand Ambassador for Ipanema sandals, succeeding Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen.

During her trip, she had meetings with the Brazilian sandal-makers and even filmed an advertisement in Rio de Janeiro.

In 2018, Matheba signed an endorsement deal with Cell C, a cellular network company.

This partnership not only involved endorsing the brand but also included the launch of her own mobile app and an emoji pack called “BMoji.”

Matheba has also been endorsed by other brands such as Peugeot, BIC Razors, Brutal Fruit, Diva Divine Hair, Lifestyle Pads, and Courvoisier.

Most recently, in 2020, Matheba was announced as the ambassador for Samsung South Africa’s S20 range and the Z Flip.

She was also featured on the cover of Glamour Magazine in September 2020 alongside model Rich Mnisi.

Matheba’s autobiographical book “From A to B” was published on 7 June 2017 by Black Bird Books’ Thabiso Mahlape.

The book faced criticism from the South African public due to numerous spelling, grammatical, and factual mistakes, resulting in negative publicity on social media.

As a response to the outcry, Exclusive Books removed the book from their shelves. A second edition was later released, addressing and correcting many of the errors found in the initial publication.

Personal Life

Matheba was in a relationship with the local hip-hop artist, Slikour, until 2009. There were rumors that Slikour ended things with Matheba through a Facebook message.

In 2012, Matheba was involved with record producer and disc jockey Euphonik, who faced assault charges for allegedly physically assaulting her.

Matheba initially pressed charges but later dropped them after reconciling with Euphonik. Despite this, there were accusations that Matheba had fabricated the incident.

Matheba denied these allegations, expressing the pain she felt when the breakup story was leaked. She mentioned this experience in her book, “From A To B,” but later removed the reference in the second version of the book.

Between late 2015 and 2017, Matheba was in a relationship with rapper AKA. Their affair, which began while AKA was still with DJ Zinhle, who was pregnant at the time, was exposed by Zinhle after their breakup in August 2015.

Matheba has chosen to keep her personal life and relationships private since then.

Filmography

Accolades

Net Worth

Bonang Matheba net worth is undisclosed, but various sources online estimated it to be $7M.