Bonang Matheba is a South African television presenter, radio personality, entrepreneur, and author best known for co-hosting the SABC 1 live music show LIVE, now known as Live Amp, from 2007 to 2012.
She later founded the luxury sparkling wine brand House of BNG and earned global recognition as one of Africa’s leading media personalities and businesswomen.
Who is Bonang Matheba?
Bonang Dorothy Matheba, known across Africa as “Queen B”, is one of South Africa’s most prominent media personalities.
She made her name as the face of SABC 1’s music show LIVE, where her presenting style and signature voice built her a national following during her five years on the show.
Beyond presenting, Matheba has worked as a radio host, actress, author, documentary co-producer, and business founder.
In 2019, she launched House of BNG, a Méthode Cap Classique sparkling wine brand that grew quickly to become the top-selling MCC at Woolworths within its first year. Her career spans more than two decades.
She has hosted the South African Music Awards, the Metro FM Music Awards, the MTV Africa Music Awards, the Miss South Africa pageant multiple times, the BET Awards red carpet, and the Global Citizen: Mandela 100 concert alongside Trevor Noah and Naomi Campbell in December 2018.
In 2024, she presented the Earthshot Prize Awards in Cape Town, the first time the awards took place on the African continent.
Early Life of Bonang Matheba
Bonang Matheba was born in Mahikeng, North West Province, South Africa. Her mother, Charlotte Mokoena, held the role of Executive Vice-President for Human Resource and Corporate Affairs at Sasol.
Her father, Gampi Matheba, worked as a senior lecturer at North-West University. Her parents later separated, and her mother remarried, giving birth to a son named Thabo, Bonang’s half-brother.
After her parents’ separation, the family moved to Leondale, in the east of Johannesburg.
Matheba also has a sister, Reabetswe, who reached the top three of Miss International South Africa 2018.
Growing up in Johannesburg gave Bonang early access to the entertainment scene that would become her career.
She showed early on-screen confidence that eventually led her to television work at just 15 years old.
Bonang Matheba Age / Birthday
Bonang Matheba is 39 years old as of 2026, born on 25 June 1987. Her zodiac sign is Cancer, a sign often linked with emotional intelligence and strong personal ambition. She has been active in South African entertainment since 2002.
Bonang Matheba Ethnicity and Nationality
Matheba is South African by nationality. She is of Black South African ethnicity, specifically of the Bantu-speaking Setswana group.
Her family’s roots in North West Province connect her to the Tswana cultural heritage, which she has spoken about proudly throughout her public career.
Bonang Matheba Height and Weight
Bonang Matheba stands at 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) tall. Her weight is reported at approximately 148 lbs (67 kg).
She is known for her distinctive personal style and has appeared on the covers of Forbes Woman Africa, GQ SA, Glamour SA, and numerous other publications throughout her career.
Bonang Matheba Education
Matheba attended Fourways High School, a co-educational government school in Fourways, Johannesburg.
She left tertiary education to pursue her television career after auditioning for the SABC 1 show LIVE in 2007.
The University of Johannesburg is listed in her alumni records, though she has confirmed in interviews that she did not complete a degree, having prioritised her media career.
Her decision to leave her studies proved well-timed: she won a spot on LIVE and built one of South Africa’s most recognisable media brands from there.
Bonang Matheba Career
Bonang Matheba’s career began in 2002 and has moved across television presenting, radio hosting, acting, production, publishing, and business.
Each phase has built on the last, making her one of the most commercially active entertainers in Africa over the past two decades.
Television Debut and Live Amp (2002–2014)
In 2002, Matheba made her television debut at age 15 on the SABC 2 children’s show Manhattan Fantasy Challenge.
She appeared in several other SABC 2 children’s programmes in the years that followed.
In 2007, she auditioned for the inaugural season of the SABC 1 music show LIVE and won a co-hosting spot alongside Tbo Touch.
Her presenting work on the show earned her the nickname “Queen B” and gave her a platform with young South African audiences every Friday night. Her final episode aired on 31 August 2012.
After leaving LIVE, Matheba co-hosted Clash of the Choirs SA, Afternoon Express (2014–2016), and Top Billing (2015–2017) on SABC 3.
In 2013, she co-hosted the SABC 1 drama series InterSEXions, where she played Nurse Seipati.
That same year, Revlon named her its first international ambassador outside the United States, making her the first South African and African to hold that role for the brand.
In 2014, she hosted the pre-show for the MTV Europe Music Awards, the first South African to do so.
She also co-hosted the BET Awards red carpet in 2016 and hosted the MTV Africa Music Awards that same year.
June 2016 saw her co-host the red carpet at the South African Music Awards in Durban alongside Pearl Modiadie and Lunga Shabalala.
Radio, Reality TV, and Production (2009–2019)
In 2009, YFM radio station added Matheba to its presenter line-up. She hosted a weekend afternoon show called The B* Hive, which ran until 2014.
In 2015, she joined Metro FM as a presenter, hosting The Front Row until a dispute over an on-air reshuffle led to her resignation.
In 2011, Matheba became the first South African celebrity to launch an online reality show, called B*Dazzled.
The show gave audiences a look at her daily life and work. In 2015, she became the first African to receive an E! News Special Africa on E! Entertainment.
Through her production company Bonang Matheba Entertainment, she co-produced and starred in the reality series Being Bonang from 2017 to 2019, which aired on 1Magic.
She also co-produced the documentary film Public Figure in 2019 with director Brian Corso of Red Button Films.
The film premiered at the Manchester International Film Festival in March 2019 and screened at the Socially Relevant Film Festival in New York, where it won an award for Best Inspiration and Influence.
In June 2019, Public Figure premiered in South Africa at the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival.
In 2017, she published her autobiography From A to B, which details her career journey from Mahikeng to international media stages.
That same year she hosted the KFC Taste Kitchen. In 2018, GQ SA featured her in the September Power Issue.
Global Platforms and Recent Work (2020–Present)
On 2 December 2018, Matheba co-hosted the Global Citizen: Mandela 100 concert alongside Trevor Noah, Naomi Campbell, and other public figures.
In 2020, Forbes named her one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Africa. A Very Bonang Year, a two-part SABC 1 special on her life, drew 2 million viewers when it aired that year.
In 2023, she joined the cast of the Netflix reality series Young, Famous and African for its second season. Her reality show B*Dazzled by Bonang returned on S3 in July 2024.
In 2024, Matheba hosted the Miss South Africa pageant again and also presented the global Earthshot Prize Awards in Cape Town.
That event marked the first time the Earthshot Prize took place on African soil. She also hosted the Miss Universe 2024 proceedings.
In January 2026, Reputation Poll International named her one of the 100 Most Reputable Africans.
In August 2026, she received the Trailblazer Award at the fifth annual Basadi in Music Awards, held at the Joburg Theatre.
Bonang Matheba Awards and Recognition
- Forbes 50 Most Powerful Women in Africa (2020)
- Global Social Awards, Award for Best Inspiration and Influence, Prague (2019)
- E! Entertainment People’s Choice Awards, Africa Influencer of the Year (2019)
- Cover of Forbes Woman Africa (2016, 2020)
- GQ SA Power Issue (September 2018)
- Sunday Times Gen Next Award, Coolest Online Influencer (2020)
- 100 Most Reputable Africans, Reputation Poll International (2026)
- Basadi in Music Awards, Trailblazer Award (2026)
Bonang Matheba Brand Endorsements
Matheba has held several high-profile brand partnerships across her career. In 2013, Revlon named her its first international ambassador based outside the United States.
She has also partnered with Woolworths, including the Distraction by Bonang lingerie line launched in 2014, and worked with Legit, Ciroc, Peugeot, Ipanema, BIC, and Diva Divine Hair at various points.
In 2014, she was part of a Forbes Woman Africa cover dedicated to Faces of Entrepreneurship.
House of BNG, her own brand, is both a product line and a platform: it has served as the official sparkling wine for the Miss South Africa pageant and, two months after its 2019 launch, supplied wine for the presidential inauguration of Cyril Ramaphosa at Loftus Stadium.
Bonang Matheba Boyfriend
Bonang Matheba is currently in a relationship with David Phume, a South African tech entrepreneur, animator, roboticist, and businessman from Soweto.
Phume is widely recognised as South Africa’s first Black animator and the founder of multiple technology companies, including Afrobotics, Penthouse Motion Pictures, Cake Media, and Blackchain.
The couple first attracted public attention around mid-2024, when eagle-eyed social media users spotted them together at Bonang’s birthday celebrations.
In an episode of her reality show B’Dazzled by Bonang, she confirmed she had found love again after being single for six years, saying, “I was single for six years before.
Now you can’t get me any more. It’s going well. I’m very happy. We found our rhythm.”
In March 2025, Bonang and David attended former Miss SA Natasha Joubert’s wedding together in Cape Town, appearing publicly as a couple.
Brief breakup rumours circulated in June 2025 after David reportedly did not attend her birthday dinner and speculation arose about their social media activity.
Bonang quickly addressed the chatter by posting on X that her man was taking her on a birthday trip to Japan.
In August 2025, she attended David Phume’s father’s 70th birthday celebration, where photos showed her warmly interacting with his family.
As of 2026, Bonang and David Phume remain together. She has never married.
Bonang’s earlier relationships were well-publicised. She dated DJ Euphonik in the early years of her career.
From 2015 to 2017, she was in a relationship with rapper AKA (Kiernan Forbes), a connection that drew significant public attention.
She also dated Nigerian music star D’banj, with that relationship made public in 2015.
Since her relationship with AKA ended in early 2019, she kept her romantic life largely private until David Phume entered the picture in 2024.
Bonang Matheba Net Worth
Bonang Matheba’s estimated net worth is $7 million as of 2026. Her income comes from television and radio hosting contracts, her production company Bonang Matheba Entertainment, the House of BNG sparkling wine brand, book royalties, and brand endorsement deals.
Business Ventures
House of BNG launched in March 2019 in collaboration with Cape Wine Master Jeff Grier. Matheba described it as her love letter to Africa.
Both the Brut NV and Brut Rosé NV sold out online and in Woolworths stores within the first week of release, generating over a billion impressions on X (formerly Twitter).
By September 2020, House of BNG had become the top-selling MCC at Woolworths, just over a year after launch.
Matheba won a legal dispute with her former management company, Celebrity Services Africa, which had claimed partial ownership of House of BNG.
That victory, resolved by 2022, secured her full ownership of the brand. In 2024, House of BNG celebrated its fifth anniversary with the launch of a non-alcoholic nectar rosé variant.
A House of BNG Mimosa premix was in development for a 2026 release.
Matheba also became the first Black woman to join the Cap Classique Producers Association, a milestone that coincided with the presidential inauguration supply deal.
Endorsements and Production Income
Her endorsement history includes Revlon, Woolworths, Ciroc, Peugeot, Ipanema, Legit, and Diva Divine Hair.
Through Bonang Matheba Entertainment, she has earned production income from Being Bonang, the Public Figure documentary, and A Very Bonang Year.
Her book From A to B also generates ongoing royalties.
Bonang Matheba Social Media
Matheba is active on Instagram at @bonang_m and on X (formerly Twitter) at @Bonang.
She uses both platforms regularly for brand announcements, personal updates, and industry commentary. She is also listed on her official website at bonangmatheba.com.
Conclusion
Bonang Matheba has spent more than 20 years building a presence that extends from SABC 1’s studio floors to international award stages and the shelves of Woolworths stores across South Africa.
Her House of BNG wine brand and her continued hosting of global events like the Earthshot Prize and Miss Universe show how far her platform has grown beyond the country that first made her famous.