The rise of Evodia Mogase: entrepreneur, mother, and reality star living life on her terms
Evodia Mogase went from teaching and running a catering business to becoming one of the original stars of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg. She later shared the screen with daughter Mercy before returning to reality TV in 2025. Her return came as she entered what she called a “new fabulous era” focused on authenticity, influence and confidence.
Source: Instagram
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Evodia Mogase is an entrepreneur who moved from teaching into catering and other business ventures before becoming a television personality.
- She is a mother of two, Mercy and Princess, and shared the screen with Mercy on The Real Housewives of Johannesburg and Madam & Mercy.
- Her reality TV career began with The Real Housewives of Johannesburg before she and Mercy received their own 13-part show, Madam & Mercy.
- Mogase returned to reality TV years later, joining The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Africa and reconnecting with viewers in a new chapter of her career.
Evodia Mogase's profile summary
Full name | Evodia Mogase |
Nickname | Madame |
Evodia Mogase birthday | November 17th |
Nationality | South African |
Relationship status | Divorced |
Children | Mercy Mogase and Princess Mogase |
Occupation | TV personality, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and producer |
Social media | |
Famous for | The Real Housewives of Johannesburg |
Evodia Mogase biography
Evodia Mogase, popularly known as Madam, was born on 17 November in Diepkloof, Soweto, South Africa. Her birth year has not been reliably confirmed in public sources. She is known for her work as an entrepreneur and television personality. TVSA describes her as a straight-talking woman from Soweto who moved from teaching into catering and later became a Herbalife independent distributor.
She started as a teacher before moving into business. She later became a familiar face on South African reality television. Her public image is closely linked to glamour, luxury and confidence, but her story also includes periods of financial hardship and rebuilding.
Source: Instagram
Evodia Mogase's early life and education
Mogase grew up in Soweto. She later studied at the University of Limpopo before beginning her working life as a biology teacher in Limpopo. Public biographies differ on the exact qualification she earned, so her specific degree should be treated with caution.
Teaching, however, was not where she saw her future. Mogase has explained that she wanted a greater challenge and eventually left the profession. She then began exploring business opportunities.
Her transition was not an immediate success. She has spoken about working hard and rebuilding her life after her marriage ended. Her story later became an important part of the image she presented on television.
Evodia Mogase's career and rise to fame
Mogase built her career across business, environmental management and television. Her path eventually took her from a catering business to reality TV and made her one of the recognisable faces associated with the South African Housewives franchise.
From teaching to entrepreneurship
After leaving teaching, Mogase entered the catering industry. Her catering work eventually included a five-year contract with Eskom, according to earlier reports. She also worked in vegetation management at the electricity utility after pursuing further training in environmental management.
The South African entrepreneur's business interests later expanded. Older profiles also identify her as a Herbalife independent member and distributor. TVSA continues to describe her as a Herbalife independent distributor, although detailed information about her current business activities is limited.
Source: Getty Images
Mogase has also been described as a motivational speaker. Her public message has often centred on hard work, independence and building a life without relying on a wealthy partner.
Her personal experience gives that message added context. After her divorce, she said she left the marriage with little and spent two years living in a caravan. She later rebuilt her finances and lifestyle through work and business.
Evodia Mogase joins The Real Housewives of Johannesburg
Mogase entered reality television in 2018 as part of the first season of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg. Her daughter Mercy appeared alongside her. The show gave viewers an inside look at the lives of Johannesburg women and their families, businesses and lifestyles.
Mogase quickly became known as Madam. Her confident personality, designer fashion and memorable catchphrases helped her stand out. She also became associated with the nickname "Queen of Versace" because of her love for the luxury fashion brand.
Her time on The Real Housewives of Johannesburg lasted one season. She did not return for the second season. Instead, she moved on to another television project with Mercy.
Madam & Mercy
Mogase and her daughter later starred in Madam & Mercy. The 13-part docu-reality series premiered in 2020 and followed their family life, relationship and business interests.
Source: Getty Images
The show offered viewers a different side of Mogase. It explored her life away from the Housewives format and included her younger daughter, Princess. The series also showed the family's interest in luxury travel, designer fashion, homes and cars.
Mogase was also listed as an executive producer alongside Mercy. That gave her another role behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera.
Evodia Mogase returns to reality TV
After years away from the Housewives franchise, Mogase returned to television in The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Africa. The series premiered on Showmax on 28 November 2025 and later aired on Mzansi Magic. It brought Housewives from South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria together for a trip to Brazil.
Mogase returned alongside fellow The Real Housewives of Johannesburg alumna Christall Kay. The cast also included Annie Mthembu, Angel Ndlela, Jojo Robinson, Dr Catherine Masitsa, Zena Nyambu, Princess Jecoco and Mariam Timmer.
Mogase said she wanted to reconnect with viewers and travel to Brazil. She also described the experience of returning to the cameras as wonderful. She said the show allowed viewers to see more than her glamour and included her resilience and laughter.
Her return also revived her history with Christall Kay. The two had been rivals during the first season of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg. Their relationship changed during the new series. In February 2026, Kay described reconnecting with Mogase as comforting and said they developed a new bond.
Mogase herself said she had entered a new era. The South African personality described it as a period of owning her truth, authenticity, influence and confidence rather than focusing only on luxury and drama.
What is Evodia Mogase doing now?
Mogase remains associated with reality television following her appearance on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Africa. IMDb lists her in the 2025-2026 series, with 10 episodes credited to her.
She also maintains a public presence on Instagram under the handle @madamevodia. Her account has long been part of her public brand, where she has shared her lifestyle, family moments and motivational posts.
Her recent return to television shows that her reality-TV career remains an important part of her public profile. It also adds a new chapter to a career that began long before she became a household name on the Housewives franchise.
How many children does Evodia Mogase have?
She has two daughters. Mercy Mogase is her eldest daughter. She appeared alongside her mother on the first season of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg and later starred with her in Madam & Mercy. Mercy has also built her own profile in the health and wellness space.
Princess Mogase is her younger daughter. She also appeared in Madam & Mercy as a child. The family show gave viewers a closer look at the relationship between Mogase and her daughters.
Is Mercy Madam's daughter?
Yes, Mercy is Evodia's oldest daughter. Mogase and Mercy have shared several major career moments. They appeared together on The Real Housewives of Johannesburg before becoming the central figures in Madam & Mercy.
Their relationship has also been part of Mogase's appeal as a reality star. The mother and daughter have shown both their close bond and the tensions that can come with working together. The 2020 series was designed to give viewers a more personal look at their lives.
What is known about Evodia Mogase's husband?
Mogase was previously married to a businessman. She said the marriage ended after infidelity and that she left the relationship in 2009. The couple had built a panel-beating business together in Limpopo, but Mogase said she left without taking a share of the business.
Her former husband later died in 2017, according to biographical reports.
What happened in Evodia Mogase's divorce?
The divorce became an important part of her personal story because of what followed. Mogase said the split left her with very little. She spent about two years living in a caravan while rebuilding her life and business. She shared on Instagram:
After 15 yrs I divorced and left everything behind. I slept in the back of the bakkie for 8 months on site and bought a caravan, and stayed on it for 2 yrs on-site it was 2008 and the nicest thing was that my business was still there because I laid a solid foundation. To start from cutlery to everything was not easy. I decided to stay at work 24/7 and put all my effort to growing my company.
In 2018, she said she had found love again. At the time, she described her partner as loyal, ambitious and hardworking. There is limited reliable recent information about her current relationship status as she keeps much of it private.
Has Evodia Mogase had plastic surgery?
Evodia Mogase has openly acknowledged undergoing cosmetic surgery. She addressed the subject during a 2018 interview after being asked whether she had undergone procedures to change her appearance.
Rather than denying it, Mogase confirmed that she had undergone one procedure. She also made it clear that she did not see anything wrong with making personal choices about her appearance.
I just did a b**b job. I mean, there is nothing wrong with going under the knife. We work hard, and we reward ourselves in different ways.
Evodia Mogase's story goes beyond her designer clothes and reality TV fame. She has built her public life around resilience, business and family. Her return to television shows that she still has more chapters to write. For Mogase, success appears to be less about staying the same and more about continuing to evolve.
Briefly.co.za also shared details about Noella Bergener's husband. Her secret wedding and messy split with "Sweet James". Noella Bergener rose to public attention after appearing on the reality series The Real Housewives of Orange County.
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Source: Briefly News
Jedidah Tabalia Jedi is a journalist with over 5 years working experience in the media industry. She has a BSc. in Human Resource Management from Moi University (graduated in 2014) and a working in progress MBA in Strategic Management. Having joined Genesis in 2017, Jedi is a passionate Facts and Life Hacks, Fitness, and Health content creator who sees beauty in everything. She loves traveling and checking out new restaurants. Her email address is jedidahtabalia@gmail.com
Sharon Boit (Lifestyle writer) Sharon J. Boit is a writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience in digital publishing. She writes across lifestyle, entertainment, sports, education, and finance, with work featured on MSN News, Ihamba Adventures, Industry Biz, and Briefly.co.za. She previously worked as a project manager and researcher at the Center for Urban Research and Innovations, University of Nairobi. She holds a BA in Urban and Regional Planning and is pursuing an MA in Environmental Law. You can reach Sharon J. Boit by email at boit@gmail.com.
