Bonang Matheba

Bonang Matheba
Bonang Matheba (left) and Jennifer Su in 2013
Born	Bonang Matheba (1987-06-25) June 25, 1987 (age 29) Mahikeng, South Africa
Nationality	South African
Other names	Queen B*
Occupation	Television and radio personality, businesswoman
Years active	2002–present
Website	http://bonangmatheba.com

Bonang Matheba (born June 25, 1987) is a South African business woman, television & radio personality. She is well known for being the host of the popular SABC 1 music show Live. She also hosts SABC3's premium lifestyle and travel magazine series, Top Billing and its sister show, Afternoon Express. Bonang is currently the host on "The Front Row" a radio show on SABC's Metro FM.

Bonang was born in Mafikeng found in the North West Province of South Africa to her mom, Corporate Head of Human Resources at a major agribusiness company and her dad, a lecturer at the University of North West. Charlotte and Gampi later divorced and she married Joe Mokoena and had a son, Thabo Mokoena, Bonang's half brother. The family including Bonang's older sister, Nthabiseng, made Johannesburg their home and they lived in the suburb of Leondale, Bonang attended Fourways High School, a prestigious government co-ed school.

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.