Ramona Maloy

Ramona Maloy is a South African reality television personality who became widely known after appearing on Big Brother Mzansi Season 6, Bazozwa in 2026. At 37, she was the oldest housemate in the season and brought a different kind of energy to a house largely filled with younger contestants.

Originally from Montagu in the Western Cape, Ramona entered the Big Brother house with plenty of life experience and a strong belief in respect, compassion and treating people well. Although she was officially listed as unemployed when she joined the show, her time in the house showed that there was much more to her personality than her occupation suggested.

Early Life and Background

Ramona Maloy comes from Montagu, Western Cape, South Africa. Not much reliable information has been publicly shared about her childhood, family background or formal education, so much of her early life remains private.

What she did make clear when she entered Big Brother Mzansi was that her life experiences had shaped the person she had become.

Ramona described her journey through life as a series of lessons. She believed those experiences had prepared her for the opportunity to enter the Big Brother house and compete for the grand prize.

For her, age was not something that should hold a person back. Instead, she saw getting older as an opportunity to gain knowledge and wisdom and eventually pass those lessons on to younger people.

Before Big Brother Mzansi

When Ramona joined Big Brother Mzansi, her occupation was listed as unemployed. Unlike some of the contestants who entered the house with established careers in entertainment, business or media, Ramona’s strength was largely the life experience she had accumulated over the years.

She entered the show believing that she had been preparing for such a moment without necessarily knowing exactly when it would arrive.

Her outlook was simple: life had taught her important lessons, and she wanted to put those lessons to use inside the Big Brother house.

Joining Big Brother Mzansi

Ramona became one of the housemates on Season 6 of Big Brother Mzansi, which was titled Bazozwa.

At 37 years old, she stood out immediately because of her age. She was significantly older than many of the other contestants, giving her a different perspective on the relationships, arguments and challenges taking place in the house.

Before entering the competition, Ramona said that she believed respect should go both ways. She wanted love and respect to be important parts of the atmosphere in the house.

She also described her love language as consistency, compassion and holding space for other people.

That description gave viewers an early glimpse into how Ramona wanted to interact with her fellow housemates.

Ramona’s Personality

One of the most memorable things about Ramona was that she did not always behave like a typical reality-TV contestant.

She could be serious and outspoken, but she also had a playful and unusual side. According to TRUELOVE, she became known for spending time in the garden stretching and talking to trees, something that became one of the more amusing aspects of her personality on the show.

She also became known for her cooking.

Ramona later described cooking as one of her favourite experiences in the house. Having access to a fully equipped kitchen and ingredients allowed her to enjoy something she clearly valued.

Her personality therefore had several sides: she could be nurturing and motherly, but she could also be eccentric, outspoken and unpredictable.

The Mother Figure in the House

Ramona’s age naturally placed her in a different position from many of the younger housemates.

She sometimes took on something of a mother-figure role, particularly through cooking and offering her perspective on life.

But being older did not mean she always felt fully accepted by the younger contestants.

After her eviction, Ramona said that she sometimes felt she experienced discrimination because of her age. She explained that people in their 30s and 40s can sometimes be viewed differently by younger people.

For Ramona, however, ageing represented something positive. She saw it as gaining knowledge and wisdom that could be shared with younger generations.

The Transphobia Controversy

Ramona’s time on Big Brother Mzansi was also connected to one of the season’s biggest controversies.

During the show, comments were made about fellow housemate Ilano, who made history as the first openly tran$gender contestant in Big Brother Mzansi.

Ramona and another housemate, Thandeka Tshabalala, became involved in the controversy surrounding remarks directed at Ilano. The incident generated significant criticism from viewers and eventually resulted in disciplinary action from the show.

The controversy became much bigger than a disagreement between housemates. It sparked conversations about transgender representation, discrimination and respect on South African reality television. A formal broadcasting complaint later referenced the conduct of both Ramona and Thandeka during the programme.

It became one of the most controversial parts of Ramona’s time on the show.

Her Big Brother Highlights

Despite the controversies, Ramona has said that she had many positive memories from her time in the house.

One of her biggest highlights was cooking.

She also enjoyed spending time outdoors, particularly in the garden. Her unusual habit of stretching and talking to the trees became part of the character that viewers associated with her.

Another memorable experience was the matric wager. Ramona explained that growing up, she never had a matric ball, so participating in the house’s version of the event was particularly meaningful to her.

These moments showed a softer and more playful side of Ramona that could sometimes be overshadowed by the conflicts in the house.

Eviction from Big Brother Mzansi

Ramona’s journey came to an end during Week 7 of the competition.

On 22 February 2026, she was evicted alongside fellow housemate Tumi “Tumi the Barber” Mohwaduba in a surprise double eviction.

Although she did not reach the final, Ramona had already made her mark on the season.

Her age, distinctive personality, cooking skills and involvement in some of the season’s biggest conversations made her one of the more memorable contestants.

Ramona Maloy Life After Big Brother

Ramona did not simply disappear after leaving the show.

In the months following her eviction, she began looking toward new creative and collaborative opportunities in Sandton and Johannesburg.

In April 2026, she reached out to her supporters for help as she worked on her next chapter. She described herself as being in an “in-between moment” while creating and looking for collaboration opportunities.

Her post-show activities suggest that she sees Big Brother as a starting point rather than the end of her public journey.

Ramona Maloy’s Approach to Relationships

Before entering the house, Ramona said that her love language was consistency, compassion and holding space.

Those words say a lot about the kind of relationships she values.

For Ramona, affection is not necessarily about grand romantic gestures. It is about showing up consistently, listening to another person and giving them room to be themselves.

She also emphasized respect, making it clear that she expected the same respect she was prepared to give others.

What Makes Ramona Stand Out?

Ramona stood out because she was different.

At 37, she entered a reality show dominated by younger personalities and refused to treat her age as a disadvantage.

She brought life experience, humour, cooking skills and an unconventional personality into the house. She could be nurturing one moment and completely unpredictable the next.

Her willingness to talk openly about ageing also gave her journey another dimension. Rather than seeing her age as something embarrassing or limiting, Ramona presented it as a source of knowledge.

That attitude became an important part of her identity on the show.