Bonang Matheba

Early life

Bonang was born in the North West Province of South Africa. Her mother Charlotte was the Corporate Head of Human Resources at a major agribusiness company, and her father Gampi was a lecturer at the University of North West. She has an older sister named Nthabiseng. Her parents divorced and her mother later married Joe Mokoena and had a son, Thabo Mokoena, Bonang's half brother. The family relocated to Leondale, Johannesburg, where Bonang attended Fourways High School, a prestigious government co-ed school.

Career

At age 15, Bonang got her first break into television on SABC 2's kids' game series, Manhattan's Fantasy Challenge. After her stint on the kids' series, Bonang put her focus back in her studies. After high school she enrolled in a Marketing course at the University of Johannesburg.

In 2007, she cut her studies short after she had auditioned as the host on South Africa's most watched music series, LIVE. When she got the job, her parents weren't thrilled about it. They were concerned that a television career was not a real career and that it would not take her anywhere in life. Bonang has said in many interviews that she had to work very hard to convince her parents that dropping out of university was a good idea. A few months after joining LIVE, Bonang became an over night sensation and the most sought after celebrity in South Africa. She gave herself the title "Host with the most".

Bonang hosted many major music and television awards like the South African Music, Channel O Music Awards, The South African Film and Television Awards and many other beauty pageants including Miss South Africa. She would later make a name for herself as a Master of Ceremonies on live entertainment events as well as in government and corporate functions. After sending her demo tape to popular youth radio station, YFM several times and being rejected over a period of two years, Bonang received the call that she would be part of the new presenter line-up. Her weekend afternoon show on YFM titled The B* Hive was an instant hit with its young listeners.

Bonang partnered up with a London-based designer to create a line of handbags called Baby Star.

In 2012, after five years on LIVE, Bonang announced that she would be leaving the music series to join the popular lifestyle and travel series Top Billing. On her Top Billing debut, the producers of the series reported an increase in audience ratings.

In 2013, Bonang was named as the new host for international franchise Clash of The Choirs where she held the fort for two seasons until she was replaced by up and coming host Lawrence Maleka. She also appeared for the first time on television as an actor on the hit drama series, InterSEXions. She played Nurse Seipati. After the episode had aired, Bonang was quoted saying that she knows her limits, that she respects actors and their craft and that she would not be pursuing a career in acting. In the same year Bonang was named as the first spokesperson outside of the USA for the international beauty products giant, Revlon. Although not confirmed, her pay check from Revlon was rumoured to be seven figures.

In 2014, high end South African retail brand, Woolworths (South Africa), named Bonang as the face of the lingerie line, Distraction. In the same year, Bonang was announced as the new host of Metro FM's mid-morning slot replacing Siphokazi January who had taken over from Metro FM veteran, Azania Mosaka. Bonang named her show The Front Row. After a fallout with the radio station, Bonang was taken off air just two months into the job. It was rumoured that the broadcaster fired her because she had breached her contract by taking a job at a rival broadcaster. There was a lot of confusion as to who had breached the contract. Bonang's spokespeople had one story while Metro FM stuck to theirs. A month and a half later, both parties had ironed out their differences and Bonang was back on air on 11 August 2014. In October 2014 Bonang was unveiled as the spokesperson for Ciroc Vodka in Africa along with South African fashion designer, David Tlale, hip hop recording artist, Da L.E.S and club disc jockey, DJ Dimplez.

In 2016 after a trip to Brazil, Bonang was named the new African spokesperson for Ipanema sandals, taking over from Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen. In 2017 Bonang released a book "From A to B" written by Black Bird Books' Thabiso Mahlape. The book is currently number 1 as expected. She also has a new reality show playing on VuzuAMP channel 103, called Being Bonang. She gives us a glimpse of her day-to-day life.

Endorsements

Some of Bonang's past and present brand endorsements:

Peugeot, Legit Edcon, BIC razors, Brutal Fruit, Diva Divine Hair, Revlon, Ciroc , Ipanema, Woolworths, Cell C, Courvoisier

Awards

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