Melanie Rice Biography: Age, Husband & Journalist

Melanie Rice is a highly respected South African television journalist, producer, and news anchor, best known for her long-standing association with e.tv and eNCA. She currently co-anchors the flagship 8:00 PM e.tv News bulletin and serves as the executive producer of the investigative program Judge for Yourself.

Biography Profile

Full Name: Melanie Jane Rice
Age: 45 – 50 years old
Place of Birth: Cape Town, South Africa
Occupation: Journalist, Producer, and News Anchor
Nationality: South African

Early Life and Education of Melanie Rice

Melanie Jane Rice was born and raised in Cape Town. She developed interest in News Reporting at young age.

Melanie has a strong academic foundation in the humanities and journalism. She completed both her BA and Honours degrees in English Literature at Stellenbosch University, where she also studied political science.

She later moved to the United States to attend Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism in Chicago, earning her Master’s degree in Journalism in 1998—just before the launch of private television news in South Africa.

Professional Career

The Launch of e.tv (1998–1999)

Melanie Rice was among the original team of journalists who helped launch e.tv, South Africa’s first free-to-air television network. Starting as a cub reporter, she contributed to the channel’s very first news bulletin in January 1999—marking a historic moment in the country’s broadcasting landscape.

Reporting Highlights

In her early career, Rice covered several major breaking stories, including:

The complex separation surgery of conjoined twins at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital
A fatal helicopter crash in the Cape Town CBD

These stories helped establish her reputation as a reliable and composed field reporter.

Anchoring and Leadership

Rice steadily rose through the ranks to become anchor of the Late Edition and later joined e.tv’s management team. In 2009, she stepped away from full-time broadcasting to focus on her family.

Diverse Media Roles

During her hiatus, she remained active in media through a variety of roles:

International correspondent for TRT World
Talk show host on CapeTalk (567 AM)
Documentary producer with Sabido Productions

Return to Broadcast (2018–Present)

In 2018, Rice returned to the eMedia group as an anchor for Open News. She later resumed her prominent role on the flagship 8:00 PM e.tv News bulletin, reaffirming her place as one of South Africa’s most trusted news figures.

Personal Life and Advocacy

Melanie Rice is married to David Dalling who is the founder of Kovco Green. She and her husband have been together for roughly 17 years ago (as of 2026), with the ceremony famously officiated by Judge Dennis Davis in a wine cellar. She has three children. In 2009, she took a significant break from her career specifically to focus on her young family after having “three babies in four years”.

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