Happy birthday 🎂🎉 to Kgomotso Matsunyane

Kgomotso Matsunyane is a South African producer, writer, director, editor, blogger, businesswoman and television presenter best known to television audiences for hosting the late-night shows Pillow Talk (SABC3) and her own talk show on SABC2, Late Night with Kgomotso, since October 2008.

Born in Soweto, Kgomotso attended high school at Roedean School in Johannesburg, matriculating in 1989.

She graduated from Carleton College in Minnesota, USA in 1995, with a diploma in International Relations. She lived in the United States for six years before returning to South Africa.

She is an accomplished television director and producer, and is no stranger to radio as she worked as a producer at Kaya FM, from 1997-1998.

In 2003 Kgomotso co-founded (with Akin Omotoso and Robbie Thorpe) TOM Pictures, an independent film and television production company. The company’s first project was producing Craig Freimond’s film Gums and Noses, which went on to win Best South African Film at the New York Independent Film Festival in 2004.

They also produce the SABC1 drama series A Place Called Home, based on the novels “Finding Mr. Madini” and “Great African Spider Writers” by Jonathan Morgan, about a writer who inspires and finds inspiration from homeless people living in Johannesburg.

The series premiered on SABC1 in December 2006 and a second season runs through the 2008/2009 season.

Matsunyane worked as a commissioning editor for local drama series at SABC1, South Africa’s biggest broadcaster, from 2002-2004. Her projects included the highly successful drama series Gaz’lam and Tsha Tsha, as well as the country’s most-watched programme, the soapie Generations.

She was also a writer on the award winning drama series Yizo Yizo II.

She left the SABC to take up the job of editor of O, The Oprah Magazine in South Africa, in 2004. She held the post until 2006.