Pamela Mtanga up for Best TV Presenter at NFTA

Presenter Pamela Mtanga is having a busy season on South African television. According to IOL, she is hosting both VIP Lounge and Elevator Love on Mzansi Magic, and she has already earned an awards nomination.

Two shows, two sides of her personality

VIP Lounge looks at the people and places shaping South African popular culture, while Elevator Love is a dating show. Mtanga says the pairing lets viewers see different sides of her.

On VIP Lounge she plays a curious, conversational interviewer who digs into the stories behind South Africans making their mark in various industries. She says audiences usually see only the finished product and rarely hear about the journey behind it.

Elevator Love gives her a lighter, more spontaneous role. Contestants meet for the first time on the show, so she says she treats them with kindness, since dating can be awkward even without cameras. She also enjoys the unpredictability, where a playful moment can suddenly turn emotional. “I’ve learnt to embrace that,” she said.

Nomination arrives early

Roughly a month after VIP Lounge premiered, Mtanga was nominated for Best TV Presenter at the NFTA, the National Film and Television Awards. She says it came as a surprise, because she was busy trying to deliver good work on a new production and had not been thinking about how viewers were responding.

The recognition carries extra weight for her. She grew up watching lifestyle programmes such as Selimathunzi and Top Billing, and she describes her current role as a full-circle moment. She hopes a young viewer at home might now take inspiration from her, as she once did from the presenters she watched.

Lessons from live events and digital media

Mtanga has worked in broadcasting, digital media and live entertainment. She says digital media helped her find her voice, while live work taught her to think quickly and adapt. Television has pushed her towards storytelling and listening. Her live experience includes hosting the 2025 editions of the Miss South Africa pageant and the South African Music Awards, which she describes as very different from TV because there is no chance to stop and start again.

She also spoke about the challenges of the industry. One of her main lessons has been to trust her own path instead of feeling she must have everything figured out. She would like female presenters to be trusted with big productions and important conversations, and she believes women still building their careers deserve to be celebrated too.

Mtanga says she keeps parts of her life private and stays grounded by spending time with loved ones. She does not see this as the peak of her career and hopes to tell more meaningful stories. Her hope is to be remembered as someone passionate about her work who made people feel seen and heard.

Where to watch

For viewers who want to catch her, IOL gave the Elevator Love details as DStv’s Mzansi Magic, Sundays at 6pm, with 18 October mentioned as the date. VIP Lounge also airs on Mzansi Magic.

This story is based on reporting by IOL.