Zandile Nzalo is a highly skilled South African communications coach, strategist and broadcaster who’s best known as the former wife of the late Bob Mabena. She is also the CEO of the consultancy firm, Zanenza Communication.
Zandile Nzalo has always been a strong and very determined woman from a very young age, and today, that strength and determination have paid off as she has been able to build a good name for herself in the public relations industry. Whenever public relations, event management, and hire decor are mentioned, her company’s name would certainly pop into the mind of any intending client.
Although she divorced late Bob Mabena a long time ago, she still gives him credit for his support when she was still building her brand. Zandile Nzalo is not just an outstanding entrepreneur but was also a good wife to Bob and still a doting mother to her children. Indeed, she lives a life that is absolutely worth emulating by young ladies.
Summary of Zandile Nzalo’s Biography
- Full name: Zandile Nzalo
- Gender: Female
- Place of Birth: Swaziland, Southern African
- Ethnicity: African
- Nationality: South African
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Zandile Nzalo’s Ex-Husband: Bob Mabena
- Famous for: The CEO of the consultancy firm, Zanenza Communication and former wife of late Bob Mabena
- Zandile Nzalo’s Instagram: zandisilenhlapo
- Twitter: @zaizai7
Zandile Nzalo, Bob Mabena’s Ex-wife, Was Born in Swaziland
Zandile Nzalo keeps her personal life private and away from the media, as such, her exact age is not known, but it is rumored that she is either a Quadragenarian (in her forties) or a Quinquagenarian (in her fifties). She was born in Swaziland and grew up in a village called Tshaneni in the country. The name of her parents are not known, but she attributes her zeal for success to them. According to her, while growing up, her parents always encouraged her and her siblings to work hard in school.
The names of the institutions where Zandile Nzalo had her education are not known but it is quite obvious that she is a very educated woman. Her career in the radio industry began in the 1980s and as early as the age of 18, at this time, she was already living what looked like a dream. At the age of 20, Zandile already had a car and her own apartment, living comfortably – a rare thing for a woman to accomplish at that age in the ’80s.
She Had Her Major Career Breakthrough In 1997
In 1997, Zandile Nzalo was asked to come on board as a member of the M-net team. The team at the time sought to start-off South Africa’s first music radio station, where music will be played for the entire 24 hours of the day. Although the task was a huge one, Zandile took up the challenge and by the 17th of October the same year, the radio channel had its first broadcast.
She has been in the media industry for over 20 years and in the course of these years, she has served as the media director of Lovelife and CEO for the Association for Communications & Advertising. Zandile Nzalo was also the general manager of Channel O, a job she describes as challenging but being a person who is good at taking up challenges, she took it and in her usual way of excelling, she surpassed her goals in her role as Channel O’s general manager. She has also been the acting CEO of Indalo Yethu Trust.
After years of working for others in the media industry and amassing enough experience, in 2002, Zandile Nzalo decided it was time to start up her own company, and she did. She has also been a board member of the Council of the University of Johannesburg. In 2004, she won the award for Top Emerging Female Entrepreneur at the Top Women in Business & Government Awards.
She is Popularly Known As Late Bob Mabena’s Ex-wife
Aside from being an entrepreneur and the CEO of Zanenza Communications, Zandile Nzalo is also popular as the wife of the late veteran radio presenter Bob Mabena. She was his first wife. The exact way and year the former couple met are not known, but, they were both radio presenters, so, they may have met in the course of their career.
Also, the year and day they got married is not known, what is known is that she was the first wife of late Bob Mabena, and they were married for up to 20 years. This means that they most likely got married in the 1980s. Their marriage seems to have been a happy one, because Zandile Nzalo, still acknowledges her ex-husband, who she was married to at the time she was starting up her company, for his immense support.
Sadly, in 2009, the marriage between Zandile and Bob hit the rocks and they got divorced. The exact reason for their breakup is not known, however, after their divorce, Bob Mabena got engaged to Zandisile Nhaplo, who was a presenter at SABC, and although they had a child together, they didn’t get married.
Bob Mabena finally found love again and was married to Eucharist Hadebe in 2015, but he succumbed to a cardiac arrest in August 2020. Zandile Nzalo is a very private woman, as such, nothing much is known about her relationships after her divorce from Bob Mabena. She has children, but it is not clear whether or not these children are for Bob Mabena. One of her favorite moments in motherhood was when she assisted her 17-year-old son in publishing his first sci-fi book.
Zandile Nzalo is the Founder and CEO of Zanenza Communications
What started in her backyard with just one telephone cum fax machine has grown to become one of the most popular public relations companies in South Africa. Her determination and courage to make out something for herself paid off. Today, she is the CEO and founder of Zanenza Communication, a consultancy firm that started in 2002. Located at Northlands Deco Park, New Market Road, Northriding in Johannesburg South Africa, Zandile Nzalo’s company is involved in public relations, event management, enterprise development, decor hire, and fundraising.
Awesome day with the @SAfmRadio crew today🙌 @BohlokwaMatlosa @AshrafGarda https://t.co/INIHpV9ltx
— Zandile Nzalo (@zaizai7) July 11, 2016
Through this company, she has provided employment opportunities to a lot of women. Nzalo believes that empowering women can reduce the level of prejudices they receive in society. This belief was born out of her own experience as a black woman who is a professional in her field. This doesn’t mean that Zanenza Communications does not employ men.
After Her Divorce, Zandile Expanded Her Business
Zandile Nzalo did not allow the end of her 20-year-old marriage to stop her from pursuing her dreams. After observing the market gap in the decor hire business, she decided to venture into it, and in 2013, decor hire was added to the services Zanenza Communications provided. This was a huge step for the company, but she and her team were able to pull through.
She is also a member of the African Leadership Initiative (ALI) and Aspen Global Leadership Network. In 2017, her company was nominated for the award of fastest-growing business at the WEConnect International Award, although she didn’t win.
Zandile Nzalo attributes her success to her zeal and ability to believe in herself even through tough times. With the amount of success she has made, she does not have plans of retiring any time soon as she intends to expand her decor business even more. She is a very good example and role model for young ladies. Her determination and success as a woman can serve as an encouragement for any young lady out there who wants to make something really meaningful out of her life.
