Sakina Kamwendo is, by any measure, one of the most respected and recognisable voices in South African broadcasting.
Across more than two and a half decades in radio and television from a community station in Eldorado Park to the nation’s most-watched morning television programme she has built a career defined by intellectual rigour, unapologetic journalistic courage, genuine warmth toward her audience, and an unshakeable commitment to holding power to account.
As the co-host of Morning Live on SABC 2 and the host of Update at Noon on SAfm, she anchors South Africa’s most important broadcast journalism moments daily asking the questions that millions of citizens want answered, and doing so with the kind of informed, composed authority that only decades of experience can produce.
She is a multiple award winner, a mother, a survivor of personal loss, and a public figure who has navigated the complexities of South Africa’s public broadcaster with both integrity and resilience. Her name is, quite simply, synonymous with quality South African journalism.
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Sakina Kamwendo: History · Bio · Photo
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| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Full Name: | Sakina Kamwendo |
| Born: | September 26, 1978 |
| Age: | 47 years old |
| Birthplace: | South Africa |
| Nationality: | South African |
| Occupation: | Radio Presenter, TV Anchor, Journalist, Public Speaker |
| Height: | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Children: | Four (one daughter passed away) |
| Relationship: | Married |
| Net Worth: | $300,000 – $500,000 USD |
Early Life
Sakina Kamwendo was born on September 26, 1978, in South Africa. The exact city of her birth has not been confirmed publicly various sources place her birth in different South African provinces, but what is clearly established is that she grew up in South Africa and spent her formative years there. She has a Libra birth sign.
Questions about Sakina’s ethnic and national heritage have been a subject of considerable public curiosity and some conflicting reporting. The most consistently cited account suggests that she has pan-African roots, with a Malawian father and a Tanzanian mother. Her father’s work as a diplomat is said to have taken the family through several African countries, including Zimbabwe and Zambia, and possibly Malawi though Sakina spent the majority of her childhood and all of her education in South Africa.
Her surname Kamwendo is indeed a common Malawian surname, lending credence to her reported Malawian paternal heritage. However, Sakina herself has not publicly confirmed the full details of her parentage or national heritage, and she considers herself thoroughly South African in identity, upbringing, and professional life.
She is multilingual, a skill that reflects both her diverse heritage and her deliberately broad communication approach as a broadcaster. She speaks English, Zulu, Swahili, and Chichewa, among other African languages, giving her an ability to connect with a remarkably wide audience across the South African and broader African broadcasting landscape.
From an early age, Sakina was drawn to communication, public affairs, and journalism. She grew up in an era of South Africa’s democratic transition the period of Nelson Mandela’s release, the end of apartheid, and the dawn of rainbow nation democracy and these transformative events clearly shaped in her a deep conviction about the importance of journalism as a civic instrument, and about broadcasting as a vehicle for both holding power accountable and connecting communities. These convictions have remained the animating force of her entire professional life.
Education
Sakina Kamwendo attended Stanwest Secondary School for her high school education, where she completed her secondary school leaving certificate and first developed her passion for journalism through extracurricular engagement.
After matriculating, she secured a place at the prestigious University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg one of South Africa’s most highly ranked research universities and a longstanding incubator of the country’s journalistic, legal, and intellectual talent.
At Wits, Sakina pursued studies in Journalism (some reports indicate a broader Humanities or Communication qualification), completing her undergraduate degree there.
During her time at the university, she was actively engaged in extracurricular journalism activities including participation in a journalism club involved in magazine publications, which gave her early practical exposure to the craft of writing, editing, and media production that would anchor her broadcasting career. She graduated from Wits with the academic foundation and the practical motivation that would propel her straight into broadcasting.
Career
Radio Eldos and the Maths Centre (The Early Years)
Sakina Kamwendo’s broadcasting career did not begin with a glamorous job offer or a lucky break at a major station. It began, as the most authentic broadcasting stories often do, in community radio. Her first position as a radio presenter was at Radio Eldos, a community station based in Eldorado Park, a township south of Johannesburg.
The station served a working-class, predominantly Coloured community, and working there gave Sakina her foundational experience of community broadcasting the art of speaking directly to an audience whose daily lives you understand and respect.
Crucially, during this early phase, Sakina was not yet a full-time broadcaster. She held a parallel full-time day job at the Maths Centre in Johannesburg an educational organisation providing mathematics support to learners.
This dual existence daytime educator, part-time community radio host reflects the determination and work ethic that have characterised her career throughout. She was not waiting for broadcasting to support her financially; she was proving herself one broadcast at a time while earning a living independently.
Talk Radio 702 The Big Break
Her career inflection point came when Talk Radio 702, one of South Africa’s most influential talk radio stations and a crucial launchpad for broadcasting talent gave her the opportunity to screen calls for the overnight show.
This was an entry-level role, but Sakina maximised it with characteristic thoroughness. She quickly demonstrated that she was not merely an organiser of callers but a broadcasting talent in her own right, and she progressed through the station’s hierarchy: first to producing weekend shows, then to producing the early breakfast show, all while still maintaining her full-time job at the Maths Centre.
The decisive moment came when she was offered the position of Traffic Reporter on the David O’Sullivan Show at 702 one of the station’s flagship programmes. This offer was significant enough that Sakina made the decision to resign from the Maths Centre and commit to broadcasting full time. It was the moment her career shifted from part-time passion to full-time vocation and from that point on, there was no looking back.
Metro FM Metro FM Talk with Sakina (MTN Radio Awards 2013 & 2014)
After establishing herself at Talk Radio 702, Sakina moved to Metro FM, one of South Africa’s most popular national radio stations, broadcasting primarily to Black South Africans and reaching millions of daily listeners. At Metro FM, she hosted Metro FM Talk with Sakina, a current affairs talk show that became one of the most critically acclaimed programmes of its kind in South Africa.
The show was voted the Best News and Actuality Show at the MTN Radio Awards in both 2013 and 2014, consecutive wins that cemented Sakina’s reputation as one of the finest current affairs radio hosts in the country.
The MTN Radio Awards are South Africa’s premier radio industry honours, and winning Best News and Actuality Show back-to-back placed her squarely among the elite tier of South African radio journalism. Her work at Metro FM demonstrated her capacity to engage mass audiences on serious, substantive topics while maintaining the accessibility and warmth that defined her connection with listeners.
SAfm AMLive (Flagship Morning Show)
Sakina’s next major chapter came at SAfm, the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s flagship English-language national radio station, regarded as the country’s most intellectually serious and policy-oriented public radio service.
She became the host of AMLive, SAfm’s flagship morning show, which broadcast from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM on weekdays the premium radio slot that reaches decision-makers, professionals, public servants, and engaged citizens across the country. AMLive was the definitive national morning conversation, covering breaking news, political affairs, economic analysis, and social issues, and Sakina anchored it with a combination of preparation, authority, and genuine curiosity that made her an indispensable part of the South African morning.
Her tenure on AMLive made her one of the most recognisable voices on South African airwaves. She conducted interviews with presidents, ministers, opposition leaders, business titans, civil society figures, and international voices always with rigorous preparation and the kind of persistent follow-up questioning that earned her a reputation as one of the country’s most formidable interviewers.
Her approach was direct without being aggressive, thorough without being pedantic, and empathetic without being soft a combination that is genuinely rare in political broadcasting anywhere in the world.
Update at Noon SAfm (Current Role)
Following her time as AMLive host, Sakina transitioned to presenting Update at Noon (also known as Update at Noon by Sakina) on SAfm, a weekday news and current affairs show broadcasting from 12:00 noon to 1:00 PM.
The show covers the day’s most pressing news, political developments, economic updates, and social issues, maintaining the same editorial quality and journalistic rigour that defined her AMLive era. The midday timeslot has proven just as relevant for serious news audiences as the breakfast slot, and Sakina has continued to command strong listener loyalty.
Morning Live SABC 2 and SABC News Channel (Television)
Extending her reach from radio into television, Sakina joined Morning Live, SABC’s premier breakfast television programme broadcast on SABC 2 and the SABC News Channel, as co-host alongside Leanne Manas. Morning Live is one of South Africa’s most-watched morning television productions, covering news, interviews, entertainment, and lifestyle content from the early hours of the morning.
As of the SABC’s 2025–2026 programming restructure, Sakina and Leanne Manas were confirmed to continue leading Morning Live which now airs from 05:30 AM under the broadcaster’s revamped schedule “setting the tone for the day with authority, experience, and a sharp editorial edge,” as the SABC described it. The pairing of Kamwendo and Manas has become one of the most trusted partnerships in South African morning television, beloved by viewers for their chemistry, warmth, and complementary journalistic styles.
Awards and Honours
- MTN Radio Award – Best News and Actuality Show (2013) for Metro FM Talk with Sakina
- MTN Radio Award – Best News and Actuality Show (2014) for Metro FM Talk with Sakina back-to-back wins that confirmed her status as South Africa’s premier current affairs radio host
- Multiple additional industry recognitions as an award-winning radio presenter and media personality, acknowledged by the SABC and broader South African broadcasting industry
- Recognised by Briefly.co.za, Pindula, and GhanaWeb equivalents in the South African media landscape as one of the country’s most influential and important broadcasting voices
Personal Life
Sakina Kamwendo has been married to her husband whose identity she has deliberately kept out of the public domain for over 20 years. The couple have four children together. Sakina is one of those rare public figures who has successfully maintained a genuine separation between her professional and personal lives, and the details of her husband and family remain largely unknown to the general public.
This preference for privacy is clearly a conscious choice Sakina has never hidden the fact that she is a wife and mother, but she has equally never used her family life as a promotional tool or a public narrative.
Death of Her Daughter
One of the most profoundly difficult periods of Sakina’s personal life came when she suffered the loss of one of her daughters. The exact circumstances and timing of the bereavement have not been publicly disclosed, in keeping with the family’s privacy.
What is publicly known is that the entire AMLive programme along with management and staff at SAfm and SABC took to social media to convey their condolences, posting: “Our deepest sympathies to AM Live anchor Sakina Kamwendo who has lost her daughter. The production team of AM Live together with management and staff at SAfm and SABC radio News convey our deepest sympathies to Sakina Kamwendo on the passing of her daughter. Our prayers are with Sakina and her family during this difficult time.”
The public response to this loss was a testament to the affection that South Africans feel for Sakina the outpouring of sympathy reflected not just professional courtesy but a genuine, personal connection between a broadcaster and her audience that is built over decades of shared mornings. Sakina returned to broadcasting after her bereavement and has continued to serve her audience with the same professionalism and dedication that defines her career.
Languages and Cultural Identity
Sakina is fluently multilingual, speaking English, Zulu, Swahili, and Chichewa, among other languages. Her linguistic versatility reflects her cosmopolitan pan-African identity the product of a South African upbringing shaped by diverse regional and continental influences.
Her ability to engage audiences in multiple languages has been both a professional asset and a personal source of pride, enabling her to connect with a far wider and more diverse listenership than monolingual broadcasters can reach.
Controversies
The On-Air Removal Incident SAfm (March 2018)
The most dramatic and widely reported controversy of Sakina Kamwendo’s career occurred in March 2018, when she was taken off air mid-show on SAfm’s The Forum@8 programme. According to reports, Sakina made allegations about her contract on air during the programme, and SAfm management took the decision to remove her from the broadcast halfway through the allotted hour, replacing her voice with music for the remainder of the show. The incident attracted immediate and intense media attention, with speculation ranging from contract disputes to editorial disagreements.
The SABC moved quickly to manage the fallout. SABC Chief Operations Officer Chris Maroleng stated on Twitter that a new contract had been signed with Kamwendo for a new time slot and expressed surprise at the turn of events.
He confirmed that the decision to remove Kamwendo was made by SAfm station management and not by executive management, and that the SABC had allowed station management to act within their delegated authority.
The broadcaster officially refuted claims that Kamwendo’s contract had been terminated, emphasising that she remained part of the SABC family. Sakina continued working at the SABC following the incident, suggesting the dispute was resolved but the on-air removal remained one of the most talked-about moments in recent South African radio history.
Political Interviews and Ongoing Debates
Throughout her career, Sakina has consistently attracted both praise and criticism for the directness and persistence of her political interviews. She is known for not allowing politicians or public officials to dodge questions, and her refusal to accept non-answers has sometimes created tension with interview subjects and their political allies.
These ongoing debates about the nature of her questioning style are, in many ways, a measure of how seriously she takes her journalistic mandate and they reflect a broadcaster who understands that discomfort in the interviewer’s chair is often a sign that accountability journalism is working.
Net Worth
Sakina Kamwendo’s estimated net worth is between $300,000 and $500,000 USD.
Her primary source of income is her salary as a senior presenter and anchor at the South African Broadcasting Corporation a figure that reflects her seniority and the premium placed on her experience and track record.
Additional income sources include public speaking engagements, media appearances, and various professional consultancy opportunities available to high-profile South African journalists.
Some earlier estimates placed her net worth in the $100,000–$300,000 range, but her continued growth as a senior SABC talent and her expanding television profile with Morning Live suggest the higher range of the 2025 estimates is more accurate.
Social Media
Sakina Kamwendo maintains a measured but active social media presence, using her platforms to engage with listeners, share updates on her shows, and occasionally comment on social and political issues:
- Twitter/X: @sakina_kamwendo
- Instagram: @sakina_kamwendo
Her social media approach is characterised by professionalism and restraint she does not air personal grievances, engage in social media feuds, or use her platforms for self-promotion beyond her broadcasting work. This measured approach is entirely consistent with her public persona as a journalist rather than a celebrity.
FAQs
Who is Sakina Kamwendo?
Sakina Kamwendo is an award-winning South African radio presenter, TV anchor, and journalist. She co-hosts Morning Live on SABC 2 and the SABC News Channel with Leanne Manas, and hosts Update at Noon on SAfm. She is one of the most respected and influential voices in South African broadcasting, with a career spanning more than 25 years.
How old is Sakina Kamwendo?
Sakina Kamwendo was born on September 26, 1978, making her 47 years old as of 2026. Her zodiac sign is Libra.
Where is Sakina Kamwendo from?
She was born and raised in South Africa. Various reports suggest she has pan-African heritage with a Malawian father who worked as a diplomat and a Tanzanian or South African mother but Sakina herself has not publicly confirmed the full details of her background. She is South African in identity and upbringing.
Where did Sakina Kamwendo study?
She attended Stanwest Secondary School and went on to study at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, where she obtained her degree. She was actively involved in the university journalism club during her studies.
Who is Sakina Kamwendo’s husband?
Sakina has been married for over 20 years, but the identity of her husband has never been publicly disclosed. She is known for keeping her family life strictly private.
How many children does Sakina Kamwendo have?
Sakina is the mother of four children. She suffered the devastating loss of one of her daughters, which was publicly acknowledged by SABC and SAfm in a heartfelt condolence message shared on social media.
What awards has Sakina Kamwendo won?
She won the MTN Radio Award for Best News and Actuality Show in 2013 and 2014, both for Metro FM Talk with Sakina. She has also received broad industry recognition as one of South Africa’s premier award-winning broadcasters.
What happened when Sakina Kamwendo was taken off air?
In March 2018, Sakina was removed from air mid-programme on SAfm’s The Forum@8 after making allegations about her contract on air. SABC’s COO stated she had signed a new contract for a new timeslot and that the removal was a station management decision. She continued working at the SABC after the incident.
What shows does Sakina Kamwendo currently present?
As of 2026, she co-hosts Morning Live with Leanne Manas on SABC 2 and the SABC News Channel (now from 05:30 AM under the SABC’s revamped schedule), and presents Update at Noon on SAfm (12:00–13:00 weekdays).
What languages does Sakina Kamwendo speak?
Sakina is multilingual, speaking English, Zulu, Swahili, and Chichewa, among other African languages a skill that reflects her pan-African heritage and broadens her reach as a broadcaster significantly.
Conclusion
Sakina Kamwendo’s biography is, in the most fundamental sense, a story about what sustained excellence in public service journalism looks like. She began with no advantages no famous family name, no inherited broadcast platform, no royal road into radio.
She started at a community station in Eldorado Park while holding down a day job at a maths centre. She screened calls overnight at 702. She reported traffic. And she did each of those things with such completeness and such conviction that the broadcasting industry had no choice but to notice and promote her until she became the voice that wakes South Africa up every morning.
In a country where public broadcasting faces constant pressure political, financial, institutional Sakina Kamwendo represents what the SABC aspires to be: authoritative, accountable, connected to ordinary South Africans, and utterly committed to the idea that journalism is not a luxury but a democratic necessity.
She has survived on-air controversies, personal tragedies, institutional turbulence, and the constant pressure of live broadcasting, and she has done all of it with grace, professionalism, and that rare quality that only the best broadcasters possess the ability to make every listener feel as though she is speaking directly and personally to them. That is a gift. That is a career. That is Sakina Kamwendo.
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