Nomfundo Mcoyi-Zondo (born 27 January 1975) is a South African entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist. She is best known as the founder and Group CEO of Icebolethu Group.
Her business serves local and UK clients, offering funeral policies, tombstones, catering, and floral bouquets.
Nomfundo Mcoyi-Zondo
Nomfundo Mcoyi-Zondo is the Group CEO of Icebolethu Group and a cookbook author.
Personal Details
Name:
Nomfundo Mcoyi-Zondo
Born:
27 January 1975 (age 51 years old) Hammarsdale, KwaZulu-Natal
Nationality:
South African
Parents:
Wiseman Mcoyi (father)
Education:
Edgewood College
Occupation:
Entrepreneur, author, former teacher, philanthropist
Company:
Icebolethu Group
Spouse:
Dr Bahle Zondo (m. 2023)
Children:
3
Relative:
Bakhaliphicebo (grandfather)
Early Life
Nomfundo Mcoyi was born on 27 January 1975 in Hammarsdale, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Her father, Wiseman Mcoyi, is a former IFP leader, while her mother was a teacher.
Mcoyi was raised by her grandparents and lived in Richmond from Grade 2 to Grade 9. She inherited her business mindset from her grandfather, Bakhaliphicebo, who was the first to open a business complex in Hammarsdale.
Education
Nomfundo attended Edgewood College. She received an Honorary Doctorate in Management Sciences from the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) in 2023 in recognition of her contributions to entrepreneurship and business management.
Career
After college, Nomfundo started working as a teacher at Zwakele Primary School in Inanda in 1996.
In 2000, she also launched her catering company with her then-husband while she was a school teacher. She later opened a butchery in the CBD and a corner café in Umbilo.
In 2004, Nomfundo resigned from teaching after eight years to focus on business full-time. She left the hospitality and food industry in 2008, leaving the businesses with her then-husband to run.
She saw a gap in the funeral industry and started Icebolethu to provide a one-stop shop funeral service.
Nomfundo opened her first funeral parlour in Hammarsdale with five staff and later another branch in Richmond.
Her business is debt-free. She launched the business without any loans or financial assistance. The company generated a turnover of R2 million by 2017 and makes more than a billion annually. It also employs more than 3000 people.
While Icebolethu Group anchors its operations in funeral and burial services, its diversified portfolio spans UK international services, catering, security, tombstones, properties, memorials, and an academy.
She opened a branch in Canary Wharf in London in 2015, offering funeral cover and services redeemable in the UK or at home. She also launched Ikhayelihle tombstones and Valley of Lillies Floral Boutique.
Nomfundo has served as the KwaZulu-Natal chairperson of the South African Funeral Practitioners Association. She was a finalist in the Entrepreneur of the Year competition sponsored by Sanlam and Business/Partners.
She is also a member of the South African Funeral Practitioners Association and won the 2016 Funeral of the Year Award in the financial sector. She was also honoured as the 2017 Sanlam / Business/Partners Medium Business Entrepreneur of the Year.
As a published author, she published the cookbook Boardroom To The Kitchen with Nomfundo Mcoyi. She runs the Icebolethu Foundation to give back to the community through several projects.
Through her foundation, she has mentored the youth and sponsored the 100 Scarce Skills Career Day at the Durban Exhibition Centre. She has also built a home for the elderly and donated computers to the Nqobane Primary School.
She founded the Rhoda Girls Programme, a multi-year mentorship initiative to empower young women.
Nomfundo was honoured with three awards at the 2025 Commonwealth Business Excellence Awards in Malaysia, including Best Organisation for CSIR, Social Change Maker of the Year, and Best Organisation Led by Women.
Personal Life
Nomfundo Mcoyi is currently married to philanthropist Dr Bahle Zondo. The couple tied the knot during a star-studded destination wedding in Bali, Indonesia,which hosted 120 close friends and family.
She divorced her first husband in 2009 due to domestic abuse, later marrying police captain Khaya Bhengu in 2015. She is a Christian and attends Mount Zion Christian Centre. She has three children.
Imanuweli Mzingeli joined Eyaziwa in 2026. He holds a degree in Political Science from a prestigious university. Outside of his storytelling work, he enjoys reading and video games.
