Lerato Mbele

Lerato Mbele is a South African journalist. Her career began as an intern at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and after a quick rise through the corporation she hosted a diplomatic programme, called The Ambassadors, on SABC Africa. She left broadcasting to pursue her postgraduate studies in the UK and on her return worked at the South African Institute of International Affairs as the head of the Africa Democracy Programme.

She was later lured back to TV to anchor News@1 and host In the Public Interest for the SABC. She now works for CNBC Africa, where she is the anchor for Business AM. Mbele is also the co-editor of Designing Democracy and has won the Pauline Janisch Award for Literature from the World Association of University Women as well as an award for literature from the department of psychology at Amherst College, Massachusetts. She holds a BA degree in political science and anthropology, a BA (Hons) in international relations and an MSc in development studies.