South African media personality and businesswoman Bonang Matheba has recently added another accolade to her already impressive collection.
Bonang won the inaugural “African Influencer of the Year” award at the 45th annual E! People’s Choice Awards.
The star-studded awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 10, in Santa Monica, California. It will air on Monday in South Africa at 4am.
This comes just months after Bonang was honoured with the Inspiration & Influence award at this year’s Global Social Awards which was held in Prague.
Speaking to IOL Entertainment prior to her trip to the US, the “Being Bonang” star touched on her move to the Big Apple, which she said was the “highlight of her year”.
When quizzed about the possibility of joining the E! News, Bonang enthused: “That dream is still big. Ryan Seacrest is still the template. I’ve mimicked the way he has done things as a TV presenter and also his business acumen. It’s great that I have worked for E! Africa, which was a dream come true. E! is the next step.”
But hold on! It is a coincidence that Bonang is moving to New York in 2020, and E! News has recently revealed its move from LA to New York? Then the E! News co-host Giuliana Rancic also recently announcing her departure from the show in 2020.
The longtime host, in October, released a statement on social media saying she won’t be following the show to New York City, citing plans on growing her family.
On the other side, Bonang is still mum about her plans in the US, but could this move be Bonang’s big break where she will be replacing Rancic on E! News?
I guess time will tell...but with Bonang’s ambition, will and work ethics, nothing could stop this South African born star to dazzle the small screens in the US, after all, she said in her recent interview that she wanted to “hit the ground running in New York”.
Bonang burst into the spotlight in 2007 when she was crowned the winner the SABC 1 music show LIVE (now Live Amp) and later became the co-presenter of the show. She continued to make waves on national and international stages with her hosting skills. In 2013, Bonang was the first international ambassador for the cosmetic brand Revlon, outside the US.
She hosted the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards pre-show, making her the first South African to host the pre-ceremony. In 2015, she became the first African to be given an E! News Special Africa on E!.
Could Rancic’s departure become another opportunity for Bonang to become the first South African star grace E! News studios?