Thetshelesani on the move

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Thetshelesani Tshipani honed his radio skills at the now-defunct Kingdom FM under the leadership of Seth Dagada, who had mentored him into a fully-fledged radio presenter. 

“Kingdom FM laid a foundation for me to become the type of a radio personality I wanted to be,” he said. “The experience had prepared me for the present time in the industry.”

Speaking of the “present time” in the industry, Tshipani hosts Sumbandila on Makhado FM at 06:00 to 09:00 on weekdays.

Thetshelesani holds a media studies degree from the University of Venda. He attended Nzwelule Primary School and he matriculated at Ratshikwekwete Secondary School. He had grown up at Tshaulu tshaha Bohwana village, and he later relocated to Ha-Manavhela village in the Vuwani area.

“I fell in love with radio during my varsity days,” he said. “It's something I never thought I had in me or at least thought I was capable of, because I was the quiet type and all I wanted to do was delve into print media.”

He said his love for radio got an injection when he had to do practical sessions at the radio station as part of his media studies programme. “From there the love of radio grew in me,” he said. “What I love most about radio is the way one expresses their true self and being able to connect with listeners and the fun that comes with it.”

He joined Makhado FM early this year after a friend had informed him that the radio station was looking for new and fresh radio presenters. “I applied and came for interviews, and a week later I got a call that I had passed the interviews and that I should come and start, with immediate effect,” he said.

He said he adhered to ICASA's rules and regulations, which kept radio practitioners grounded all the time. “As presenters we need to be patient all the time and know how to deal with listeners who are rude or behave otherwise,” Thetshelesani said. “I have a personal motto which keeps me active all the time: 'Go big or go home'. It basically means I am seizing the moment now or never; it's either I do it now or never again. I am a hard worker.”

He loves the South African cultural diversity that made him fall in love with the different languages and people from varied social backgrounds. “I am sort of a multilingual myself, so being a South African, in simpler terms, is awesome,” he said. “I want to see myself up there in the radio industry – so, just watch this space!”

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.