Relebogile Mabotja Returns to TV as Host and Associate Producer of Showmax’s Bold New Divorce Talk Show, Untied
After two decades of shaping South Africa’s media and entertainment landscape, Relebogile Mabotja is stepping back in front of the camera for one of her most powerful roles yet. On Tuesday, 24 June 2025, she returns to screens as the host and associate producer of Untied, a bold new Showmax Original that dives headfirst into the layered and often silent world of divorce through the voices of some of South Africa’s most recognisable women.
Produced by GOAT; the same production team behind Unfollowed and The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip – South Africa, two of the platform’s most-watched titles. Untied doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable, instead it opens up the floor to truth-telling, vulnerability and healing.
Relebogile Mabotja | SUPPLIED
Mabotja, a multi-award-winning broadcaster and media powerhouse, has built a career amplifying voices that matter. From hosting Unpacked with Relebogile Mabotja on S3 to helming 702 Afternoons with Relebogile Mabotja, she has become a household name by doing what she does best: creating meaningful, nuanced conversations in an industry often obsessed with spectacle. Untied continues that legacy, with Mabotja not only steering the ship on camera, but contributing to the show behind the scenes as Associate Producer.
“I initially pitched for Untied through my company and didn’t get it,” Relebogile recalls with a smile. “Months later, I was asked to come on board as host. It just made sense to join the producing team too. The universe aligned.”
The first episode features businesswoman Norma Gigaba, whose high-profile marriage and public fallout shocked the country. The emotional resonance deepens as each episode spotlights stories from public figures including reality stars Beverly Steyn and Nonku Williams, celebrated actresses Dawn Thandeka King, Mona Monyane and Palesa Madisakwane, iconic media personality Zandi Nhlapo, and model and social entrepreneur, Sonia Booth.
Each woman lays bare her truth; tales of infidelity, abuse, depression, family conflict, grief, survival and ultimately, rebirth. For Mabotja, some moments were too painful to even process in real-time. “There’s a moment that absolutely broke me. It was a story of losing a child. As a mother, I couldn’t hold back the tears.”
Relebogile Mabotja | SUPPLIED
With Untied, Mabotja steps confidently into a space that balances compassion with clarity. This is not gossip TV. It’s healing through storytelling, an intentional act of creating room for women to share without shame or censorship. “We’ve been raised to see a woman’s value in whether she can attract and keep a man. Untied challenges that idea.”
It’s a theme Relebogile Mabotja knows intimately. A trailblazer in a male-dominated industry, she has produced some of South Africa’s biggest television moments: Miss South Africa, The SAFTAs, Tyla’s Showmax Homecoming Concert, and more recently the upcoming Shaka Ilembe Season 2 Gold Carpet Experience. She is also a respected voice in advocacy, having led conversations centring mental health, gender equity and women’s empowerment.
With accolades including a SAFTA, a Mail & Guardian Top 200 honour, the Africa Woman Leaders Award and several Woman in Media titles under her belt, Mabotja has carved a career defined not by celebrity, but by purpose.
“I hope viewers walk away more empathetic,” she says. “Not just to the women on this show, but to their partners, their friends, their sisters, and most importantly, to themselves.”
Untied premieres on Showmax on Tuesday, 24 June 2025. Keep posted to Relebogile Mabotja online for more.