The larger than life Cebo

GASEBALWE SERETSE
Staff Writer | Friday December 7, 2007 00:00

 

Manyaapelo's breakfast show, Bosele, on Motsweding FM has a following of more than 2.9 million people in South Africa alone. During an interview with Mmegi, the modest Manyaapelo reveals that he was shocked to discover that that he has a remarkable fan base in Botswana.

'It came as a surprise to me to realise that because the people of Botswana are very honest and humble people. They love you for what you are and you can never find any pretence with them,' says the radio presenter.
Manyaapelo describes himself as a great soccer fan, which he says has always been his first love.

'Football is my religion and nothing will ever stop me from loving it,' Manyaapelo says.
The veteran broadcaster says that he started his career as a freelance sports commentator in 1985 until 1997 when he was asked to stand in for somebody in the breakfast slot and the rest - as they say - is history.

Since joining radio, Manyaapelo has covered 99 cup finals, including six World Cups. He hopes to be able to cover the 100th cup final next time and wants it to be a 'special broadcast'.

Although the presenter says that he supports some specific football teams, he has 'outgrown the stage of being emotional about a team'. Manyaapelo says he is so passionate about the sport that he would do anything to make it develop. In his endeavour to see football develop in Botswana, he has helped advance the soccer careers of Dipsy Selolwane, Mogogi Gabonamong and Jomo Moatlhaping, among others. One of his favourite local footballers is Pontsho Moloi. He says that he hopes he will be able to somehow help advance his career.
'My dream is to empower the youth and sit back and see them achieving great things,' says the broadcaster.

The 39-year-old Manyaapelo says he follows Botswana football and often crosses the border to come and watch a game during weekends. He has in the process attended the Coca-Cola Cup, Orange Kabelano and the Mascom Premier League award presentation ceremonies.

Apart from football, Manyaapelo is passionate about Setswana as a lingua franca. He believes that folk music could be effectively used as a medium to promote it.
During the last BOMU awards, he got the chance to meet one of the leading traditional dance groups Culture Spears.

After the ceremony he started talking to the artistes and asking them to give him their CD. They told him that they had none with them and that the available ones were in a village 60km away from Gaborone.
'They went to collect the CD and when I woke up the following morning, they were sitting outside my hotel room waiting to give it to me,' says the broadcaster.

Manyaapelo says that really touched him and that from that time onwards, he made it a point that he was going to do everything in his power to promote the group. Through his efforts, Culture Spears have been able to perform all over Gauteng, Free State and other South African provinces.

They also performed for South African President Thabo Mbeki during his visit to Botswana and at the South African embassy in Paris, France. Now he is working on nominating them for the next Kora Awards. The presenter also says that he is eyeing the upcoming Shumba Ratshega whom he believes stands a chance of being Botswana's next great export after Culture Spears.

He says that while promoting Culture Spears, he realized that there were some loopholes in the process so he would rectify that and hopefully Shumba Ratshega won't be affected by the same loopholes.
Interestingly, Manyaapelo points out that Batswana of Botswana are leading as far as Setswana folk music is concerned. He says this has motivated South African Batswana to also venture in the genre.

Manyaapelo says that he is the one who fought for the inclusion of Setswana category in the South African Music Awards (SAMA) and that a South African group won an award in the category.
Manyaapelo says that he is a family-oriented man and that he and his wife Tidimalo are proud parents of three boys and a girl.

Although both he and his journalist wife are apart most of the time, whenever they meet they make up for the lost time by spending quality time travelling together.
'I strongly believe that a holiday is a right, not a privilege so whenever we get the chance we travel together as a family,' says Manyaaapelo.

Whenever the family is home, Manyaapelo, a TV fanatic watches soccer. According to him, he has told his family members that when its time for soccer, they have to give him time to watch it in peace because it is the sport that 'feeds us'.
The humble Manyaapelo dismisses the insinuation that he is a celebrity with a wave of hand. He considers himself the 'boy next door' and that whenever he meets people, he mingles with them like an ordinary person. He adds that he despises being given 'royal treatment' as he believes that that is exclusively for royals.

'When I arrived here, I told my hosts that I would like to visit Old Naledi and have a drink with the ordinary folk out there. I am a township boy and I do not like the glitz and the glamour that some people in the media industry like,' he says.
Manyaapelo says that one of the reasons why he likes Batswana is that most 'are civilised as well as respectful'. He points out that in South Africa, sometimes he meets overzealous fans who want his attention while he is on a family outing.

 
He further says that the only concern he has about Batswana is that they are not aggressive enough and that can make them lose out on some opportunities.
'Botswana has got a good economy and governance, Batswana should really exploit that to better their lives,' says the broadcaster who clearly holds the people of Botswana in high regard.
Manyaapelo and his co-workers at Motsweding are in Botswana to cover the Botswana Musicians Union (BOMU) awards to be held on Sunday.