Anele Mdoda (born 19 May 1984) is a South African Television presenter, radio personality, and businesswoman. She is best known for partnering with radio presenter Grant Nash.
Mdoda worked for a year with Nash at Highveld FM before leaving for the national radio station 5FM in March 2008. She appeared as a celebrity contestant on the SABC2 reality dance competition Strictly Come Dancing in 2008.
| Anele Mdoda | |
|---|---|
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| Personal Details | |
| Name: | Anele Mdoda |
| Born: | 19 May 1984 (age 41 years old) |
| Place of birth: | Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| Nationality: | South African |
| Parents: | Patilizwe “Pat” Mdoda (father) Yolisa Mdoda (mother) |
| Education: | Politics and international relations |
| Alma mater: | University of Pretoria |
| Occupation: | Television presenter, radio personality, producer, businesswoman, author |
| Years active: | 2004-date |
| Spouse: | Bonelela Buzza James (m. 2025) |
| Children: | Alakhe Mdoda |
| Relative: | Thembisa Mdoda (sister) |
Early Life
Anele Mdoda was born on 19 May 1984 in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, to Patilizwe and Yolisa Mdoda. She has an elder sister, Thembisa Mdoda.
Education
Mdoda attended Brooklyn Primary School and completed at Sutherland High School. After he matriculation, she registered for a law degree at Wits University, but dropped out. She later enrolled to study politics and international relations at the University of Pretoria.
Career
Mdoda worked as a DJ at the campus radio station, where she met Nash Grant in 2004. In her third year, she moved to Johannesburg’s Highveld 94.7 FM in 2007.
In March 2008, Mdoda and Nash joined national broadcaster 5FM. Radio legend Alex Jay rated her as “the hottest thing on local radio” in a September 2008 interview.
The media personality entered the SABC2 reality dance competition Strictly Come Dancing as a celebrity contestant in 2008, with her coach and partner, Brandon Eilers Le Riche.
Mdoda was a co-host, alongside Rob van Vuuren, of the SABC2 reality competition SA’s Got Talent from 2009 to 2010. She was one of the judges of the Miss South Africa pageant in 2012.
Media Magazine named her Rising Star of the Year in 2012. She also won the Top South African Radio DJ award at the 27th Annual Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.
Anele was one of the three judges for the Mzansi Magic reality competition, Clash of the Choirs South Africa, in 2013. She was also the host of the M-Net docu-reality series Dream School SA, the same year.
In 2014, she returned as a judge for Miss South Africa and joined the SABC3 talk show Tongue in Cheek as a co-presenter. She started hosting the SABC3 daytime talk show Real Talk in 2016.
Anele bagged the Best Talk Show at the 2017 Golden Horn Awards. She was announced as Domestos’ official Sanitation Brand Ambassador in May 2019. She took home the Best Breakfast Show Host at the South African Radio Awards in 2021.
GQ South Africa Men of the Year recognized Anele Mdoda (Broadcasting) as Industry Icon of the Year (2024).
Personal Life
Anele Mdoda got married to Bonelela Buzza James in a traditional ceremony on 20 April 2025. Her husband is a Xhosa prince and renowned attorney from the AbaThembu tribe.
In June 2015, Mdoda announced she was expecting her first child at the YOU spectacular awards red carpet. She welcomed her child, Alakhe, in August 2015.
Mdoda lost her mother, Yolisa Mdoda, to pancreatic cancer. Her father, Patilizwe “Pat” Mdoda, married young Noxolo Zinyana in 2023.
TV Roles
- (TV)5 as Host
- Clash of the Choirs South Africa as Judge
- Dream School SA as Host
- I Am as Herself
- Is That a Fact? as Herself
- Minnie Dlamini: Becoming Mrs. Jones as MC
- Miss South Africa as Judge/host
- Our Perfect Wedding as Guest Presenter
- Real Talk as Host
- SAFTAs as Presenter
- SA’s Got Talent as Host
- Strictly Come Dancing as a Celebrity Dancer
- The Bantu Hour as Special Guest
- The Comedy Central Roast as Roaster
- The Road to Miss South Africa as a Judge
- The Voice South Africa as Host
- Tongue in Cheek as Herself
- Zaziwa as Herself
References
- Siya Tsewu. “Navigating relationships when your spouse is younger than your children – ‘Don’t impose, rather negotiate’“. Drum.
- Mbalenhle Zuma. “Anele Mdoda ties the knot in vibrant traditional ceremony“. Sunday World.
- Drum Digital. “Anele Mdoda is pregnant“. Drum.
- Mbalenhle Zuma. “Thembisa and Anele Mdoda’s father weds“. Sunday World.
- Phakamani Mvelashe. “Thembisa Mdoda on losing her mother to cancer: ‘Cherish your mothers’“. Drum.
- https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=9419
