Unapologetically Anele

If the phrase ‘bloom wherever you’re planted’ were a person, it would be TV and radio personality, Anele Mdoda. The queen of radio has captured the hearts of generations of South Africans with her infectious personality.

- Thobeka Phanyeko

Fresh off a two-hour flight from the Mother City to Joburg, I’m pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a bubbly Anele in the lobby of the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sandton. On my way to the venue, I’d imagined her showing up with an entourage, all glammed up, but she’s in her gym gear, sans makeup: solo. I extend my hand to introduce myself; she goes in for a hug. There are no airs and graces with Anele, which makes me feel at ease as we make our way to a more intimate space. We arrive at a cosy room, overlooking the Gautrain station. Cognisant I’ll be flying back to Cape Town in a few hours, we get straight to it.

The A in team

Anele’s husky voice is a regular feature in the lives of 94.7 listeners who wake up to her fun conversations, laughs and playful banter. “I have the best radio team in the world, and I say this because I listen to a lot of radio,” she says. Anele’s quick wit and humour add a refreshing dynamic to the Breakfast Club, also hosted by Thembekile Mrototo, Frankie du Toit, Alex Caige and Cindy Poluta. With their vibrant personalities combined, they’re known for causing pandemonium, as motorists tuned into the frequency can be seen jamming to their favourite tunes, nodding and laughing hysterically. “One thing I love about radio is that it doesn’t have superstars, but it can make you a superstar. So you have to be ordinary; once you stop being every day, you’ve lost your audience.” Perhaps it’s her easy-going nature that often encourages fans to approach her on the streets as if she’s an old friend. “That always happens to me. I suppose it’s because my demeanour is friendly. I don’t think a fan would approach Naomi Campbell like that, but they would approach Ellen like that because that’s what we give off.”

The makings of a Queen