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Queen B saves face with OTT book launch

Johannesburg - Twitter went into meltdown on Thursday over print errors in From A to B, a memoir by celebrity broadcaster, businesswoman and now author Bonang Matheba. The queen of perfection had, to the horror of her fans, presented a less than perfect product. And they took it personally.

As for Bonang, she took it on the chin, appearing at her book launch that night in an elegant bare-shouldered pink suit in the hub of Sandton City’s sanctum of bling, Diamond Walk. It is here that the highest-end fashion houses have their stores, and brands such as Gucci and Prada provided a stylish backdrop for the launch.

The area was dressed up to look lovely – if you like pink. And, man, does Bonang like pink. Pink décor and roses lined the wedding-styled aisle leading to a small stage, where Bonang spoke to the audience, who were largely made up of her die-hard fans, friends and family.

Although the rose petals on the floor looked pretty, they proved to be treacherous terrain for those in stilettos – or even flats – as many an awkward slip was witnessed.

......my book launch is tonight... Time to sparkle & shine. ?????? #FromAtoBLaunch #Book

A post shared by Bonang Matheba (@bonang_m) on

The general feel of the night was reminiscent of Oprah Winfrey, complete with motivational clichés that garnered cheers, photo snaps, waves and claps from the crowd. This went on for a while as Bonang was being interviewed on stage. At one point, the messaging felt like a ploy to avoid the pink elephant in the room – that Twitter meltdown.

It seemed as if the evening would end without the floor being opened for questions from the public, but, in the end, Bonang allowed four of them.

Whether these four people were planted is uncertain, but none of them asked the burning question: What was behind the book’s flawed editing process?

Basetsana Kumalo ended the underwhelming Q&A session with a touching statement about Queen B rewriting the narrative of black excellence.

Finally, Bonang thanked her guests and those who helped create the book.

To Thabiso Mahlape, her publisher, she said: “We’ll be the sacrificial lambs so that our daughters will be able to do this better.”

She added that they would use the rubbish people spoke to fuel their future efforts – to yet more applause.


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