Top Billing presenter Jonathan Boynton-Lee says he and Simba Mhere were like brothers.
We don’t go to work to make friends, but to make a living. However, life is not that linear but is much more nuanced than simply bagging a salary.
When media personality Jonathan Boynton-Lee joined Top Billing in 2012, he had no idea that he’d meet a best friend on the show. That best friend? The late Simba Mhere.
“Simba wasn’t just a colleague — he was family to me, a brother,” Boynton-Lee tells The Citizen ahead of Top Billing’s return to screens on Thursday.
To mark the lifestyle show’s return, Thursday will see the screening of a Reunion Special on SABC 3, followed by weekly episodes from March 2026.
“When I got that call, it honestly felt like my Top Billing dream was being revived all over again — and I’m so deeply grateful for that moment,” he says of the show’s return.
Naturally, when you speak of reunions of such shows, one thinks of their former presenters. If Simba were still alive, he’d most probably be part of the show’s return.
“I immediately thought of how excited he would be. Actually, when the news dropped, I got a message from Val (his sister) saying how happy Simba would be,” Boynton-Lee shares.
Simba died in a head-on collision in 2015 at the age of 26.
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Simba and Boynton-Lee’s bromance
Simba and Boynton-Lee’s friendship quickly became tight immediately after he joined Top Billing.
“Crazy thing is, the friendship was only about two years, but it felt like a lifetime. We became close so quickly, really felt like brothers,” the actor says.
Simba’s last Instagram post, captioned ‘brothers’, features the two laughing.
“Our connection definitely began when I won the presenter search, and he took me under his wing. He’d won the previous search. I always called him my big brother, even though he was much younger.”
When asked about the impact Simba’s passing had on him, Boynton-Lee says he still struggles to speak about it without becoming emotional.
“What brings me comfort is reflecting on the incredible bond we shared and finding ways to honour his legacy whenever I can. There’s a quote that stays with me: ‘I lost you, but I found you in everything’. And that truly captures how I still feel about him today,” Boynton-Lee says.
The two were as close as brothers and had unrestrained fun like primary school boys.
One of their most light-hearted moments caught on camera was when they made a parody video about their friendship.
“The idea actually came from a joke,” says Boynton-Lee.
“The weekend before he passed, we were away together with some friends, just relaxing by the pool —hence the beach towel I’m wearing in the video. Everyone was teasing us about our so-called ‘bromance’ in the media. The filmmaker in me was like, ‘Sh*t, let’s turn this into a romantic movie trailer. It was pure fun, and in hindsight, a beautiful final farewell.”
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Keeping Simba’s legacy alive
Boynton-Lee has found several ways of keeping Simba’s memory alive, a decade after his untimely passing.
The only person Boynton-Lee follows on Instagram is Simba, and his production company is named after him.
“It’s one of the small personal ways I continue to honour him and keep his legacy alive.”
“We had such great chemistry on screen, ’cause it was genuine, and we had so many shows we were gonna do together,” he says about their unfulfilled dreams.
The presenter says he does several things to remember Simba.
“I’ve got this thing that whenever I see a feather, it’s a message from him. I’ve got hundreds of feathers, so if anyone has any ideas of what I can do as like an art piece with them or something, please let me know.”
31 January this year marked a decade since Simba’s passing, and Boyton-Lee says they didn’t necessarily do anything to mark the anniversary.
“… Because it honestly feels like Simba’s life is celebrated constantly,” he says.
“Those milestone dates just become part of an ongoing remembrance.”
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