Being Number One

For her first GQ cover story, BONANG MATHEBA sits down with Features Editor Bernd Fischer to discuss the role of power in the year of the woman, as she divulges her hopes for the future and reveals what you’ll never hear her talk about

- Bernd Fischer

INTERVIEWS AREN’T FUN THINGS,’ Matheba tells me, laughing, as we sit down for lunch at The Terrace. When my appointment with Matheba was scheduled, it came as no surprise that she – or rather, her team – suggest that we connect at Jo’burg’s ultra-exclusive Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa, the residence where the super rich and famous, like Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey, take refuge. In her dark Céline sunglasses, Burberry check shirt, blue jeans and red lacquered Louboutins, Matheba looks right at home. ‘They have an amazing Caesar salad here,’ she tells me, confirming my observation.

Matheba has distinguished herself as one of the most influential and recognisable women in African media, gaining her start through radio and television presenting over a decade ago. Today, brand Bonang includes a production company, numerous product and service ambassadorships, fashion collaborations, an app, and more recently, a reality show called Being Bonang.

Over time as Matheba’s career prospered and her star power increased, so did the heightened interest in her private life. In our constantly connected digital age where sharing on social media has become a business – one that Matheba has mastered – it’s also allowed the professional and personal choices of those at the helm to be publicly scrutinised and criticised.

In June, a Twitter troll attempted to slut-shame Matheba. The 31-year-old responded, tweeting: ‘My vagina. My rules,’ which prompted her 3 million plus followers on the platform to tweet out their support with #iamBonang, where they touted her success.