Bonang Dorothy Matheba, born on June 25, 1987, is a South African television presenter, radio personality, author, and entrepreneur. She is known for her flamboyant presenting skills and her signature voice.
Referred to by many as South Africa's "original it-girl," Bonang became a household name after joining the SABC 1 music show LIVE, now known as Live Amp in 2007.
Her presenting duties were a huge success and that's where her sobriquet "Queen B" was created.
Every time we think Bonang has reached the highest level of success, she proves that with hard-work, determination and commitment the sky is the limit.
Building Wealth & Financial Success | Exploring Bonang Matheba's Net Worth and Business Ventures
Early Life and Education
Bonang Dorothy Matheba was born on 25 June 1987 in Mahikeng in the North West. Her mother worked in Human Resources at a large agribusiness company, and her father was a senior lecturer at the University of North West.
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Her family later moved to Leondale, in the East of Johannesburg. Following her parents' divorce, the family relocated to Leondale (East of Johanneburg), where she attended Fourways High School.
She attended Fourways High School in Johannesburg and later studied at the University of Johannesburg. There, she took a bachelor’s degree in marketing, which she left after landing her first job.
Early Career
Bonang made her TV debut at 15 years old, scoring a gig on the SABC 2 youth programme, Manhattan's Fantasy Challenge. In 2002, Matheba made her television debut on the SABC 2 kids show, Manhattan Fantasy Challenge while she was 15.
She also appeared in several other SABC 2 kids shows. In 2007, Matheba auditioned for the inaugural season of the SABC 1 music show LIVE (now Live Amp) after leaving varsity.
Television Career
Since then, she has worked as a host on several shows such as Clash of the Choirs SA, Afternoon Express, and Top Billing.
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Much to her parents disappointment she dropped out of university to pursue a career in TV, but it wasn't long before big things started to happen for the aspiring TV presenter.
After LIVE, Bonang hosted many other popular shows. Bonang has also hosted many important award shows and events.
Some of the most notable include 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 December 2, 2018, Bonang co-hosted the Global Citizen: Mandela 100 concert.
Radio Career
In 2009 Bonang got her first taste of radio when she landed a weekend spot on YFM, which was cleverly called "The B* Hive."
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In 2009, Matheba received a call from radio station YFM in which she was told that she'll be added to the new line-up of presenters. She received her own weekend afternoon show called, "The B* Hive", which was an instant success mainly focusing on young listeners.
In 2015, Bonang became a new radio DJ for Metro FM. She took over the show "The Front Row." Her show had many happy listeners.
Three years later, in a series of tweets, Bonang announced her resignation from Metro FM, saying: "All good things do come to an end."
However, she had a disagreement with the radio station's manager. This happened after the show's schedule was changed, and Bonang was asked to host with Lerato Kganyago without being told beforehand.
Business Ventures and Endorsements
In 2008 Bonang launched her first clothing range with Legit, called Just B and followed that up in 2009 with her own range of trendy handbags called Baby Star.
In 2014, high-end South African retail brand Woolworths, revealed a collaboration with Bonang. Bonang signed a lucrative deal with international cosmetic giant Revlon as beauty ambassador in 2013, before collaborating with Woolworths on a luxury lingerie line "Distraction by Bonang" the following year. A deal still on-going, today!
On March 18, 2019, Bonang partnered with Woolworths to launch her own line of luxury sparkling wine called "The House of BNG." This special wine is known as Méthode Cap Classique (MCC).
In October 2016, Bonang became an ambassador for the vodka brand Cîroc in Africa. After a trip to Brazil in 2017, Bonang was named the new African Brand Ambassador for Ipanema sandals. She took over this role from the Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen.
In 2018, Bonang signed a deal with the cellular network Cell C. In 2018 fans of the star were thrilled with the return of Being Bonang, after the star publicly stated that the show would not return for a second season.
In 2020, Bonang was announced as Samsung South Africa's ambassador for their S20 phone range and the Z Flip.In 2018, Matheba alongside Superbalist, dropped a collection of T-shirts named "BONANG by Bonang Matheba".
Awards and Recognition
In 2012, she was named a Glamour Woman Of The Year by international women’s magazine Glamour after winning an online poll and beating some of SA’s A-list celebs.
In 2015, she walked away with the Favourite South African Radio DJ at the Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards in Los Angeles and nominated at the MTV Africa Music Awards for African Personality Of The Year.
In 2014, she hosted the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards pre-show, which made her become the first South African to host the pre-ceremony. In 2015, she became the first African to be given an E! News Africa special dedicated to her life and career.
In 2016, she appeared on the cover of Forbes Woman Africa. She was featured as one of the "Faces of Entrepreneurship" for her business success.
Autobiography and Controversy
On 7 June 2017, Matheba released her autobiographical book From A to B written through Black Bird Books' Thabiso Mahlape. On June 7, 2017, Bonang released her autobiography, From A to B. The book was published by Black Bird Books.
The book received negative publicity from the South African public, with many lambasting the book on social media regarding its litany of spelling, grammatical and factual errors. More so, the book made headlines when spelling, factual and grammatical errors were brought to light.
The outcry led to the book being pulled from store shelves by book retailing giant Exclusive Books. Because of this, the book was removed from store shelves by the large book retailer Exclusive Books.
That same year, Bonang premiered her hit reality show Being Bonang on Vuzu AMP. - The show was renewed for a second season in 2018.
Personal Life
In 2012, Matheba dated record producer and disc jockey Euphonik. Euphonik was charged with assault after it surfaced that he physically assaulted her. She then dropped the charges after the couple reconciled.
As she dropped the charges, people had accusations that Matheba lied about the incident. Matheba refuted these claims, stating: "I never anticipated how badly I would be treated when the story of my break-up was leaked.
From late 2015 to 2017, Matheba dated rapper AKA. Bonang’s relationship with the late SA rapper AKA was particularly of interest as the two started dating under shady circumstances.
Filmography
In 2019, Bonang starred in and helped produce a documentary film called Public Figure.
Bonang Matheba's Net Worth
Bonang Matheba Net Worth is $1.5 Million To $10 Million (Approximate).
Summary of Bonang Matheba's Achievements
| Year | Achievement |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Became co-host of LIVE Amp |
| 2011 | Launched online reality show B*Dazzled |
| 2013 | Became Revlon Brand Ambassador |
| 2014 | Hosted MTV Europe Music Awards pre-show |
| 2017 | Released autobiography From A to B and premiered reality show Being Bonang |
| 2019 | Launched House of BNG sparkling wine |
