Veli Ngubane to wed ‘Afternoon Express’ host Palesa Tembe

Afternoon Express presenter Palesa Tembe is a soon-to-be-married woman after her boyfriend, Veli Ngubane stepped up to begin lobola proceedings between their two families.

Ngubane, an advertising executive, made the announcement on his Twitter account along with a picture of Tembe in traditional attire. 

“U Makoti ungowethu [the bride is ours] #NgubaneXTembeLobola,” he tweeted. 

She posted the same image along with some images of the uncles who negotiated her lobola on her own Twitter account.

Who is Palesa Tembe?

Tembe, 32, is a South Africa Film and TV Award-nominated TV presenter, actress, MC and voiceover artist popularly known for her work on SABC’s Expresso and Afternoon Express shows. 

The Durban native got her big break back in 2018, when she was announced as one of five winners in SABC3’s Presenter Search competition. 

ALSO READ: Meet the new faces on SABC 3

She won alongside the likes of ​​Fezile Mkhize, Harmony Katulondi, Ryle De Morny and Thabiso Makhubela. 

She studied drama and psychology at Rhodes University and is the only daughter in a family with five children. 

Tembe is also related to Anele ‘Nellie’ Tembe, AKA’s fiance who died after jumping from the 10th floor of a Cape Town hotel. 

Who is Veli Ngubane?

Mandlenkosi Veli Ngubane is the founding partner and chief creative officer at an agency called Avatar.

According to a speaker bio on Brain Farm, Avatar is one of the largest black-owned and managed full-service agencies in the country. Ngubane is also a co-founder of M&N Brands, which is building an African network of agencies. At the time of writing, he was still the chairman of Red & Yellow School’s Advisory Board. 

He has one child from a previous relationship with actress and entrepreneur, Nicci Lee Watson. Ngubane and Watson were engaged in 2016. 

According to a feature on BizCommunity, Ngubane studied law, economics and politics and went on to work on brands such as BMW, Apple, Investec, Fox International Brands, Brand SA, Caltex, SAA and National Geographic.

READ NEXT: ‘I’m empty – nothing’: Nellie Tembe’s sister still grieves