Veteran Zimbabwean media personality Tich Mataz, real name Tichafa Augustine Matambanadzo has officially joined Channel Africa, marking a significant new chapter in a broadcasting career that spans decades and multiple platforms across the African continent and beyond.
Mataz will host African Diaries, a late-night programme airing from 10pm to midnight, where he is expected to bring his signature interview style, continental perspective and deep cultural insight to a diverse international audience tuning in to South African Broadcasting Corporation’s global service.
Widely regarded as one of Zimbabwe’s most recognisable media voices that lived in South Africa for decades, Mataz built his reputation through a career that has moved fluidly between radio, television, music production and entrepreneurship.
His broadcasting career began in 1988 at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s station Radio 3 (now known as Power FM). In 1991, he made his first stint abroad for Bop Broadcasting of Bophuthatswana, a station with a similar profile to ZBC Radio 3.
In 1994, he joined 5FM. He was however deported on March 24, 1998, after Home Affairs officials discovered that he had fraudulently acquired a South African identity document and had no valid working permit.
He then presented the famous Coca-Cola On The Beat Music show which was aired on Zimbabwe Television (ZTV) in the 1990s. Tich Mataz was suspended from Power FM in 2009. He however rejoined Power FM in 2011. In April 2014, it was allegedly reported that he had joined X-Stream Visual Radio (XVR), a South African radio station which was launched in 2014.
His career was however affected by his numerous fraud allegations. In March 2009, he was arrested for allegedly swindling the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) during his involvement in the Basic Commodities Supply Side Intervention (BACCOSI) program. In November 2014, it was reported that he was rehired by Star FM after he was suspended in 2013.
“I was a millionaire at 25 years old, I was silly I had 25 Brand New Cars and Ten Houses,” he shared in a previosu interview with with Boyz Dze Tonaz TV’s YouTube channel.
“I was the first guy to have a kicking nightclub, Rosebank, when South Africa was crossing over from being an apartheid state to an independent state… I used to do some serious private parties with the likes of Miss South Africa, a beautiful woman. I was the first guy to buy an off-roader in South Africa. BMW took notice and they then brought in their first 4×4, an X5 and I was the first guy to drive it in Johannesburg. I was the first non-performing athlete to be a brand ambassador for Reebok South Africa.”
Over the years, Mataz has interviewed a wide range of influential personalities, positioning himself as a connector of African voices and global conversations. His work has often focused on telling African stories from an African perspective – a quality that aligns closely with Channel Africa’s mandate as an international broadcaster aimed at audiences across the continent and in the diaspora.
Beyond broadcasting, Mataz has also been active in the creative and business sectors. He has been involved in music production and artist development, contributing to the growth of the entertainment industry in Zimbabwe and the region.
With his return to a major broadcasting platform, Mataz adds another milestone to a career defined by adaptability, cross-border influence and a longstanding commitment to storytelling.
The post After fraud and deportation scandals: Veteran broadcaster Tich Mataz (57) returns to the spotlight! appeared first on The Zimbabwe Mail.