When you hear the name Bonang Matheba, you think luxury, glamour, champagne, red carpets, and a career that defined South African pop culture. But behind the glitz lies a woman who is redefining what it means to reign — quietly, purposefully, and powerfully. Bonang Matheba is one of South Africa’s most visible cultural exports — a TV and radio star turned founder, producer and wine entrepreneur — but in conversation she is as practical as she is glamorous. Below: a feature-length Q&A that keeps the facts sharp, the tone intimate and the stakes high. This is both a portrait and a playbook: how a presenter from Mahikeng became an entrepreneur who insists on being intimately involved in product, design and purpose.
Q. People expect one thing from your public image — and rarely expect the other. Tell us.
“I am not the socialite they think I am. I prefer to hang out with family and close friends and really enjoy being at home relaxing.”
That sentence flips the headline on its head. The woman who fills stadiums, walks red carpets and headlines brand launches is happiest in domestic stillness. For Bonang, the spectacle is a tool — not a life. The contrast humanises her and gives the image real texture: the Queen B who chooses the couch over the party.
Q. “Queen B” — what does that crown actually mean on a day-to-day level?
“Queen B means feeling empowered to be who I want. To believe in oneself and to strive for the goals you set for yourself.”
That answer reframes celebrity as daily agency. For Bonang, the title is shorthand for disciplined decision-making: choosing projects, people and moments that compound into a legacy.
From radio mic to boardroom: the moment she chose ownership
Q. When did you know you had to own businesses — not just appear in them?
“From a young age I’ve always known I wanted to run my own business.”
That early certainty became a career directive. Bonang’s path — from YFM and SABC TV to founding Bonang Matheba Entertainment and the House of BNG — wasn’t accidental exposure. It was intentional leverage of platform into ownership. The House of BNG launched in 2019 as a Méthode Cap Classique label and marked a serious pivot: she became a producer of product, not only content.
Tiny rituals, big returns
Q. What habit keeps you sane when everything else is chaos?
“Music — I play it everywhere, anytime.”
Simple, human, repeatable. That daily ritual is the private thread that keeps the public life from unravelling.
Q. Which broadcasting skill proved most useful for entrepreneurship?
“Being punctual — it’s a very important trait to have.”
Punctuality is a discipline that translates directly into leadership: meetings that start on time, production schedules that hit deadlines, and a reputation that investors and partners can rely on.
Product, purpose, provenance — the House of BNG story
Bonang’s wine label is more than a vanity product. It’s a deliberate cultural statement: a “love letter to Africa” built on South African grapes, local design and African production. Bonang insists she’s been part of every decision — from sugar levels to label monograms. The Queen Bee motif, the handbag-inspired four-pack and the recyclable packaging are decisions she personally shaped. The House of BNG’s MCC launch positioned Bonang as one of the first black women to meaningfully claim a seat at South Africa’s Cap Classique table.
Q. MCC vs Champagne — why Cap Classique?
“Bubbly can only legally be called Champagne if it’s made in the Champagne region of France… South Africa has some of the best Cap Classique in the world and we make ours using the exact same method.”
Her answer is a short history and a position statement: geography does not dictate quality. South African Cap Classique can stand toe-to-toe with global bubbly, and House of BNG intends to prove it — continent-first, then global.
Q. How hands-on are you with winemaking and packaging? Name one decision you insisted on.
“I’ve made and been a part of every single decision… Our four-pack’s handbag design was something I came up with. The Queen Bee honeycomb monogram… is an ode to Queen Bee. My name is literally on everything.”
This isn’t celebrity-sourced product placement. It’s product authorship — and that authorship matters for authenticity and consistency in luxury branding.
Q. Sustainability — what concrete steps are you taking?
“Our packaging is all 100% recyclable. Our four packs are recyclable. The earth has been so generous… we know it’s our duty to give back.”
Sustainability is an operational choice for House of BNG, not a marketing footnote — an increasingly necessary credential for premium FMCG.
Legacy, leadership and cultural impact
Q. What’s your north-star metric for House of BNG — awareness, margin, distribution or cultural impact?
“To become culturally impactful is not something you decide, it’s something the culture decides. But what is important to me is to show other black women that having a career in wine is possible… I want to create something my children can inherit.”
Bonang places cultural impact and legacy above short-term commercialism. Her aim is structural: inclusion and representation in an industry that has historically excluded Black women at the ownership level. Bonang Matheba
Q. Who would you want as a dream global distribution partner?
“Halewood South Africa — they have been an incredible partner to walk this journey with.”
On partnerships, Bonang looks for alignment, credibility and operational muscle. She’s building distribution with intent.
Tough lessons, ruthless protections
Q. What advice for entrepreneurs burned by contracts or management?
“Have a good lawyer and accountant. But first and foremost surround yourself with mentors and people you can trust.”
It’s practical, urgent counsel: protect the business from day one. The recommendation reads like a checklist — legal, financial and relational safeguards — a lesson earned in the market, not a theory taught in classrooms.
Q. If you could change one headline — what would it be?
“I never remember the bad ones. That’s a skill I’ve taught myself. I never internalised negativity… I never remember things that have hurt me.”
That refusal to be defined by negativity is a leadership trait: emotional economy as a tool for endurance.
What’s coming next
Q. If you could drop one big announcement now — what would it be?
“We are soon going to launch our new Mimosa.”
The BNG Mimosa is positioned as a mainstream, celebratory extension — the bridge from luxury MCC to everyday sparkling lifestyle. A retail rollout is slated for late 2025–2026, expanding House of BNG’s footprint in cans and premixes.
Q. Who leads the brand in 10 years?
“Me. I am not going anywhere. I am building a legacy.”
This is not boss-speak — it’s a founder’s territorial declaration. She’s building for longevity, not for liquidation.
Final reflections: power, identity and African luxury
Bonang’s answers chart a practical philosophy: visibility is a vehicle; product is the legacy; culture is the judge. She insists on authenticity in marketing, sovereignty in production, and longevity in leadership. Her faith, punctuality, tiny rituals and refusal to be consumed by headlines are part of the ledger that balances glamour with governance.
She isn’t merely “Queen B.” She’s a sustained practice in owning space — in media, in product, and in culture. For South Africans watching, her story is a map: talent plus discipline plus product authorship equals generational assets.
