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Cape Town - We take a look at local pop culture powerhouse Bonang Matheba's rise to superstardom - from dropping out of university to a net worth estimated at R7.2 million.
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.
LETS LOOK BACK AT WHERE IT ALL BEGAN...
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.
The 31-year-old had previously spoken about her admiration for her father, and how she would have gone into education if she was not working in entertainment.
"It's in my DNA. I have great respect for teachers," she told Azania Mosaka on Real Talk in June.
Following her parents' divorce, the family relocated to Leondale (East of Johanneburg), where she attended Fourways High School.
FIRST BIG BREAK
Bonang made her TV debut at 15 years old, scoring a gig on the SABC 2 youth programme, Manhattan's Fantasy Challenge.
But the TV bug didn't bite just yet, as she enrolled at the University of Johanneburg after completing high school.
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.
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.
WATCH BONANG INTERVIEW CHRIS FEINMANN AND DJ LEVI ON LIVE HERE:
2008 - 2010
Bonang first dabbled in fashion, when she collaborated with Legit on a celebrity clothing range called "Just B."
The successful partnership led to the fashionista teaming up with a London based designer for a line a handbags called, "Baby Star" the following year.
In 2009 Bonang got her first taste of radio when she landed a weekend spot on YFM, which was cleverly called "The B* Hive."
2011 was a really big year for the then 24-year-old.
Bonang was the very first South African celebrity to launch her very-own online reality show B*Dazzled on YouTube. (Watch an episode of B*Dazzled here)
That same year Bonang became the very-first black South African to feature on the cover of FHM South Africa.
HERE IS A PHOTO OF BONANG AT THE LAUNCH OF HER FHM COVER (2011):
After 5 years on LIVE, Bonang moved on to bigger and better things, as she joined luxury lifestyle and travel show Top Billing on SABC3 in 2012.
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!
ALSO READ: PICS: Bonang's latest lingerie collection is here and it's as sexy as ever
The same year as her Woolworths collaboration, Bonang joined radio station Metro FM. She hosted the super successful mid-morning show called: The Front Row.
Three years later, in a series of tweets, Bonang announced her resignation from Metro FM, saying: "All good things do come to an end."
Queen B continued to do the most in 2014, becoming the first South African to host the MTV European Music Award pre-show and once again, landing on the cover of Glamour South Africa as the magazine's first black South African cover star.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE COVER HERE:
In 2017 Bonang released her autobiography titled From A to B. More so, the book made headlines when spelling, factual and grammatical errors were brought to light.
The book was subsequently pulled from Exclusive Books and replaced with a second edition.
That same year, Bonang premiered her hit reality show Being Bonang on Vuzu AMP. - The show was renewed for a second season in 2018.
For most of 2017, Bonang continued to make waves and cement herself as a force to be reckoned with in the world of local entertainment.
That same year Bonang partnered with Cell C to launch her own mobile app, and emoji pack. The app gives fans an "exclusive" look into the celeb's fabulous life, including content that is not available on social media.
ALSO READ: We downloaded Bonang's new app and here's what we thought
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.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM SEASON 2 HERE:
The style icon, released a range of limited edition T-shirts with Spree in July.
And as the icon she is, the T-shirts are embellished with phrases made popular by Queen B, including "Mo'Ghel" and "Give The People What They Want."
Adding another "magazine first," to her already long list of accolades, in August, Bonang was the first women to grace the stand-alone cover of GQ South Africa.
We know that we might have left out one or two achievements, but their simply wasn't enough space to list them all!
(Photos: Gallo Images, Blaq Smith )
