Anele Mdoda’s husband Bonelela Mgudlwa speaks out after PPE tender saga

Bonelela “Buzza” Mgudlwa and his wife Anele Mdoda at the 19th Annual South African Film And Television Awards at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand o 19 March 2026. Picture: Gallo Images/Oupa Bopape Bonelela Mgudlwa, the husband of media personality Anele Mdoda, has spoken out after being implicated in a personal protective equipment (PPE) tender case linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) recently secured a legal victory following the Special Tribunal’s ruling which found that two contracts worth more than R14 million were irregular and invalid.

Investigations, according to the SIU, uncovered “systemic violations of procurement laws” in the awarding of the contracts. The tenders – awarded to Tark Group by the Mpumalanga Department of Health – related to the supply of surgical masks (R1 080 000) and protective medical jumpsuits (R13 297 500). The company is co-owned by Mgudlwa and Katleho O’Hara Mokonyane, the daughter of ANC heavyweight Nomvula Mokonyane.

Now, the tribunal has held the co-owners personally liable and ordered them to repay the funds received. “Firstly, I categorically state that Anele has no connection whatsoever to the events under scrutiny,” he said in a statement issued on Saturday, 4 April 2026. Mgudlwa emphasised that the business dealings in question took place in 2020, well before his relationship with Mdoda began in mid-2024.