About Mel
Mel’s made it her mission to bring laughter, smiles and warmth to as many people as possible. Her philosophy on life: “You’ve got to laugh at it”.
Born and raised in Cape Town, Mel Jones describes herself as “the favourite” of three siblings. She is a single mother, an award-winning comedian, an energetic MC, writer, former radio presenter and award-winning radio producer.
Her whirlwind romance with comedy started when she was fondly received for her performance in a local comedy gala only 6 short weeks after doing her very first open mic spot. Since then, you may have heard her on the radio as co-presenter of the very popular Breakfast Show On KFM, seen her on SABC3’s Comedy Showcase, the Phat Joe show, the King Size Comedy Tour, the Blacks Only Comedy Show, Mind The Gap, The Heavyweight Comedy Jam, Kings & Queens of Comedy, the critically acclaimed comedy & sketch show, Bitches, the Vodacom Funny Festival, where she was their very first female host, Comedy Central, Friday Funnies on Expresso, the Jo’burg International Comedy Festival, the Cape Town International Comedy Festival, as a celebrity contestant on the local TV gameshow, Noot Vir Noot, as part of an all-female line-up on a Showmax comedy special, as a writer and performer on SABC2’s comedy sketch show, Comedy Mixtape, on SABC2’s standup comedy show, HILARITY, Laugh Africa comedy festival, the Comic’s Choice awards and she is hugely popular as a corporate comedian, MC and keynote speaker.
She’s been featured in a book called ‘Mitchell’s Plain – A Place in the Sun’ which led to an award-winning production, in which she starred. The production was also showcased at the Suidoosterfees at the Artscape in Cape Town for 2 years in a row. And, staying true to her roots has earned her a title of one of 12 ‘Mitchell’s Plain Heroes’. These people were selected as individuals who uplift the community and inspire young people who grow up in similar surroundings. Her humble beginnings could be one of the reasons why she delivered such a remarkable performance as the MC and storyteller in the musical comedy, “JOLTYD” at the Baxter theatre.
The comedy shows, ‘Doing It for the Money’, ‘Still Doing It’ and her solo show, Just Me with an “L”, have been met with great reviews as a Cape Town hit.
Mel takes laughter and hilarity very seriously and, as the first female stand-up comedian to tour the country, she is a pioneer amongst a growing group of female comedians in South Africa.
