After completing his matric year, Bafana Zondo pursued studies in hospitality at Parktown College in Johannesburg. Financial constraints led him to start as a waiter at Primi Piatti in Rosebank. After graduating, he moved on to work overseas in the USA as a server and worked his way up to restaurant manager.
After 8 years of working abroad, Bafana came back and started his wine journey at Bertus Basson's Overture Restaurant at Hidden Valley as a junior wine steward for two years. During this period, he enrolled for a wine course at Cape Wine Academy. He was then promoted to head sommelier/restaurant manager at Overture.
He joined Quoin Rock in 2019 as a head waiter and was promoted to assistant restaurant manager. When Quoin Rock expanded their offerings, he was promoted to wine lounge manager.
In 2023, he was appointed as the head sommelier of Dusk Restaurant in Stellenbosch, the thought provoking restaurant concept conceived by chefs Darren Badenhorst and Callan Austin.
In 2024, he was selected for the South African Sommeliers Association's Team South Africa, an elite group of the nation's most skilled sommeliers dedicated to representing South Africa in international wine competitions.
In his free time, he loves spending time with his kids. He also enjoy reading, especially wine books, and watching wine videos.