(CNN) At the age of 21, Bonang Matheba drew up a list of all the things she wanted to achieve in the entertainment industry.

Over the years she has ticked numerous achievements off her list including hosting two South African lifestyle television shows and DJing for a commercial radio show.

Now, as she nears her 30th birthday, Matheba has made her mark as the first African ambassador for Brazilian shoe brand Ipanema.

As African brand ambassador, the South African media personality will be following in the footsteps of Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen.

"Ipanema wanted to find a girl who's a fashion icon but a girl you can relate to, someone that feels like your next door neighbor," says Matheba.

"Bonang's just the right person to put our shoes on," adds Donny Christoforakis, managing director at footwear distributors Intershu. "She's self-made, vibrant, fun," he says.

Breaking through

This is not Matheba's first big break, it's one in a series of many. In 2013, Matheba made history as the first South African to be chosen as a brand ambassador for Revlon.

Matheba attends New York Fashion Week in September, 2016.

"A little black girl from Mafikeng could never imagine it being possible," she says, referring to the city in which she was born in the North West Province of South Africa.

This year the model hosted the MTV Africa Music Awards after South African comedian and host of The Daily Show Trevor Noah pulled out at the last minute.

"After the awards, people were saying I'm one of the best TV hosts on the African continent," Matheba says.

"That was the moment I realized I'm good. I'm very good and I'm about to get even better, God willing."

Queen of Africa?

Matheba also took to the stage as host of the All Africa Music Awards in Lagos, earlier this month.

"This year has really positioned me as the Queen of Africa," Matheba says.

Photos: Made you look: Black dandyism Photos: Made you look: Black dandyism Afrikan Boy (2012) by Hassan Hajjaj – A new exhibition is looking at the suave, camp and gloriously stylish world of the black male dandy. These dandies dress to flip conventional notions of class, taste, gender and sexuality. Hide Caption 1 of 11 Photos: Made you look: Black dandyism Young Man In Plaid, NYC (1991) by Jeffrey Henson-Scales – Black men have become influential trendsetters in fashion, music and culture, say the exhibit curators. But, says the curators, with visibility becomes vulnerability. Hide Caption 2 of 11 Photos: Made you look: Black dandyism The Black House (1973-1976) by Colin Jones – Black male dandyism against this background is compelling, argues exhibition curator Ekow Eshun. "It's quite striking that these men are making a conscious choice to be visible in this way.

Hide Caption 3 of 11 Photos: Made you look: Black dandyism The Black House (1973-1976) by Colin Jones – He sees dandyism as a means of fighting stereotypes of black masculinity. "It's opening up a debate about how black men can represent themselves." Hide Caption 4 of 11 Photos: Made you look: Black dandyism Dapper Senegalese victorians circa 1904 – Eshun acknowledges that dandyism itself is superficial, but insists that the concept, when applied in racial terms, isn't just about style and clothing but transcends into politics. Many of the men are not dressed extravagantly, but it's about "shaping your identity on your own terms."

Hide Caption 5 of 11 Photos: Made you look: Black dandyism Self Portrait from '70's Lifestyle' (1973 --1977) by Samuel Fosso – Born in Cameroon, Samuel Fosso grew up in Nigeria, but fled from the Biafran war to Bangui, Central African Republic and set up his own studio at the early age of 13. At night, after he'd closed for business, Fosso would pose in tight shirts, short pants, and platform heels -- items of clothing banned under CAR's dictatorship. Hide Caption 6 of 11 Photos: Made you look: Black dandyism On The Motorbike In My Studio (1973) by Malick Sidibé – The late Malick Sidibé captured the vibrancy and confidence of Mali's youths after the country's independence in 1960. Hide Caption 7 of 11 Photos: Made you look: Black dandyism Wayne Swart, from the OATH lookbook (2015) by Kristin-Lee Moolman – South African photographer Kristin-Lee Moolmann captures the androgynous style of townships in Soweto in the 80s and 90s. With tight flairs and chokers, these men unapologetically blur the lines between masculine and feminine. Hide Caption 8 of 11 Photos: Made you look: Black dandyism Untitled, Kingston, from the Black Balloon Archive (2007) by Liz Johnson-Artur – Russian-Ghanaian photographer Liz Johnson Atur documents black subcultures globally, from the British grime scene to Jamaica's reggae dancehalls, as well as the sartorial elegance of Congo's sapeurs. Hide Caption 9 of 11 Photos: Made you look: Black dandyism Joe Casely-Hayford (2012) by Hassan Hajjaj – "The black dandy is someone who has a big character, who is quite flamboyant. It takes a very special person to dress up like that," says Hassan Hajjaj who was born in Morocco but moved to the United Kingdom when he was 13. Hide Caption 10 of 11 Photos: Made you look: Black dandyism Joe Casely-Hayford (2012) by Hassan Hajjaj – Fashion designer Joe Casely-Hayford wears a suit made of canopy fabric, commonly used for little shops in Moroccan medinas. "Joe is a famous British fashion designer so it fitted very well in the context of the exhibition," says Hajjaj. Although they appear as studio portraits, most of Hassan Hajjaj's images are taken on the streets. Hide Caption 11 of 11

Scaling the ladder to stardom in South Africa, and branching out into Africa, has not been a straightforward climb, particularly with social media trolls she explains.

But Matheba believes in rising above the negativity. "I think anybody that knows me knows my rules -- silence has a lot of power," she says.

"I get so much more love that I'd rather focus on, than all the negative stuff. So 90% of my time and concentration really goes into focusing on the people that support and love me. I don't deal with trolls."

'The blessings can't stop with me'

"I'm at a stage in my life where the blessings can't stop with me. The blessings have to be paid forward," she says.

This was the stimulus for the Bonang Bursary whereby, each year, Matheba funds 10 young school-leavers through their tertiary education.

"Miss Matheba, what brings you here today?" ".... I'm here to slay!" ☺️😂👑🐝🌞🌺 #CirocLifeSA #appleaffair #MustBeThatAfricanButter A photo posted by Bonang Matheba (@bonang_m) on Oct 1, 2016 at 4:24am PDT

"Education has a generational domino effect where if you empower one young woman in a family, she has the power to empower the rest of her family."

Right now she wants to continue her reach across the continent and beyond.

"At the beginning of the year I realized I've done everything that's possible in South Africa, I needed to find Africa, I needed to find the world, and I'm doing that one step at a time."