Peter Makurube
It can only happen in South Africa: the most popular morning show radio host in the country is hardly known beyond his audience of 1,7-million.
DJ Chomane Chomane started out at Lesedi FM as a junior presenter, and he had to deal with the bureaucrats of the old SABC. At the time each African language station had a white manager who was a so-called expert in his chosen “Bantu” language. Freedom of speech was an expression used only in the “undesirable” pamphlets of the liberation movements.
These days Chomane is a superstar “free to serve my country by utilising the position I have in society”. He took over the job from Thuso Motaung – the radio equivalent of stepping into Madiba’s shoes. “My boss, Pulapula Mothibi, is a former presenter, so I’m lucky. He simply gave me all the power to change the show and put my stamp on it,” explains Chomane, as he tweaks buttons in his underground studio. He is a one-man team, producing and taking calls.
Chomane is a friend and confidant for his fans. “The biggest mistake made by many DJs is that they fail to make the listeners feel like they are part of the show. With me my listeners know they are part of the show and therefore jointly responsible for its success.”
Unlike many stations, Lesedi has listeners across the spectrum. Chomane gets calls from Afrikaans, English and Tsonga listeners.
His show was established in 1996 when Mothibi took over the management of Lesedi Stereo from veteran broadcaster Teboho Koekoe. Chomane was moved to the morning slot while Motaung took up a new responsibility with a taxi show that has turned into a powerful forum for the beleaguered industry.
Chomane had to start from scratch, but as he puts it: “I wanted to involve my listeners instead of sitting alone and talking all morning”. The format worked wonders as thousands tuned in. Now the lines are buzzing every morning with excited fans wishing to “just hear your voice and speak to you”.
“Some people go for months trying to get through, and when they do it’s a thrill for them,” says the lord of the microphone. When he took over, many black leaders in sport, the academics and even those in the government were listening to the English stations. None of them would be caught dead listening to a Sesotho station, but “I’ve changed all that”.
He has since hosted some of the top black personalities. A regular is Orlando Pirates and South African Football Association head Irvin Khoza. Chomane remembers that “Khoza used to speak English until I told him on air to speak Sesotho because people don’t hear what he is saying.”
Boxers, soccer players, doctors and lawyers have all been on his show, speaking Sesotho. “Our people should realise that being educated does not mean you have to turn your back on your language or your people. This country needs building and the bulk of work should be carried by the educated elite. I make sure they come on the radio to pass on the knowledge they have.”
Chomane grew up in the Free State. “I was born into a very poor family. All my parents could do was to send me to school, so that I should not experience their poverty-stricken life,” he says.
The tiny town of Viljoenskroon was too small for ambitious Chomane. He moved to Soweto when he finished his teacher training course. He taught at various schools, where he also wrote plays to help keep the kids off the streets.
“I was bound to end up in a profession like radio. When the kids were bored I’d entertain them with a contraption I used to pretend was the radio. The kids loved it as I moved from class to class talking into the makeshift speaker.
“After [the 1976 riots] it became difficult to enjoy teaching as children lost respect for teachers and the system collapsed.”
He joined the SABC in 1981. He has hosted Kgetsi ya Dimo, a popular quiz show and one of the oldest programmes on radio. “I still host that programme with Thuso Motaung. We have been around the country many times and it has been a boost for my popularity.”
These two are the most popular broadcasters in Southern Africa. Their market worth, however, is well below that of DJs on English-medium stations with a fraction of their audience.
Politicians like former Gauteng premier Tokyo Sexwale and Premier Mathole Motshekga have appeared on Chomane’s programme. But he is waiting for the big fish, Thabo Mbeki. “I’d like him to come on the show to speak about Thabo the person, not the politician. I’d like him to speak Sesotho, not this English we hear every day from our leaders’ lips,” chides Chomane.
“Our people suffered under apartheid and our duty is to help rebuild the country, not to criticise all the time. We have been criticised for 300 years and I feel this is the time to encourage people towards excellence. Let’s be positive.”
Lesedi FM is on 88,4. Chomane broadcasts between 7am and 9.30am, Monday to Friday