Baleseng, legendary radio personality

GASEBALWE SERETSE
Staff Writer | Friday January 22, 2010 00:00

 

Those of us who grew up in the 80s would clearly remember Baleseng Baleseng's charming voice from unforgettable programmes such as Thibang Diphotlha.  Many would concede that agricultural programmes are not everyone's cup of tea including die-hard farmers but this man from the Tloung ward in Kanye somehow managed to establish a strong audience throughout his career that spawned over three decades.

The 68-year-old strongly believes that for one to be a good radio announcer or presenter, he or she should be able to leave their listeners spellbound and always looking forward to hearing from them again.

'Even now at my old age, if I were to go on air, I am bound to keep my listeners engaged until I leave the studio,' says the man who is now known as Kgosi Baleseng Baleseng.

One of the things worth mentioning is that he got on radio by pure chance when he was working for the Ministry of Agriculture.

The former radio personality says that when Radio Botswana moved from the old capital of Lobatse, management realised the need to outsource from other departments and that is how he ended up working for Radio Botswana.

The versatile Baleseng was born in 1942 to Motsopye and Motloung Baleseng Monnamme of Tloung ward in Kanye. According to Baleseng, his people are the Batloung who originally came from South Africa as part of the Barolong. He goes on to say that the Batloung are some of the first Batswana to settle in present-day Botswana and that they arrived even before the Bangwaketse who are presently dominant in Kanye and outlying villages.

The Batloung first settled around the present-day Lobatse area. When the Bangwaketse arrived in the area, which is mostly known as Ga Ngwaketse, they found the Batloung there and intermarried with them. He points out that the Bangwaketse showed signs of dominance soon after settling among the Batloung though the latter resisted. When the Bangwaketse realised that their neighbours were mightier, they engaged other Tswana merafe and brought the Batloung under subjection after defeating them in a series of wars.

'Our forebears made an agreement long time ago to live side by side therefore I call myself a Mongwaketse though I always stress that my totem is the elephant, the totem of the Batloung,' he says matter- of-factly.

He says both his paternal and maternal grandfathers were headmen and his father was a trusted lieutenant of the late Kgosikgolo of the Bangwaketse, Kgosi Bathoen II. As he grew up, he was a close friend of the brother of the current Kgosikgolo of the Bangwaketse, Kgosi Seatla Gaseitsewe. His upbringing was like that of other Batswana males of his time who were expected to herd both goats and cattle.

Baleseng asserts that during his heydays, he was an ardent horse-rider and at times he even rode the royal horses.

'My father was strict with me and he used to whip me a lot to correct me and I am happy because that moulded me into who I am to day,' he asserts. The young Baleseng attended a number of primary schools in Kanye before proceeding to the Bakgatla National School in Mochudi. It was there that he met the man whom he says is one of his greatest mentors ever, Ray Molomo.

Baleseng believes that Molomo was one of the greatest teachers of his time and does not hesitate to say that he admires the man who was at one time a minister of education.  It was while studying in Mochudi that he met another teacher who also became a minister, the recently deceased, Diane Molefe better known as RD Molefe.

After finishing his Junior Certificate he worked for the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) as a driver. Soon after, he studied for a number  of certificate courses (that were mainly agriculture-based) with different educational institutions  all over southern Africa. After he qualified as an agricultural demonstrator, he joined the Ministry of Agriculture. While at Radio Botswana, he did a considerable number of broadcasting courses one of which landed him in Radio Netherlands, in Hilvesum, Holland.

His stint in the Netherlands motivated him  to start the ever-popular  Thibang diphotlha as soon as he came back home. And as they say, the rest is history.

Followers of Thibang diphotlha would remember such spot announcements or jingles like the one that discouraged poor toilet habits, which affect the health of livestock:

Mma! Mma! mala a me a botlhoko! (Mom I have a running stomach!)
Sianela  kwa morago! (Relieve yourself behind the kraal!)

Hee mosimanyana ke wena, kotamologa hoo. Batho ba ke bone ba ba tsenyang  dikgomo tsa rona malwetse. (Hey you boy, why are you relieving yourself behind the kraal? These are the kind of people who infect our cattle with diseases!)

How about the one that promoted the Optic spray? Tshaba mosadi! (Get out of the way woman)

Ga e bone mma e tla a go thula! (That cow does not see it will run over you)

Ke tla a e shanyetsa ka Optic spray (Do not worry, I will spray it with Optic spray).

Another spot announcement discouraged the fact that many Batswana believed that the San/ Basarwa were responsible for bush fires in the country. The misconception was that the San burnt fire so that they could spot their potential trophies from a distance and the catch-line was, 'Lo a ba akela, lo a ba akela Masarwa a modimo!' loosely translated, 'You are wrongly incriminating the poor San!'

Baleseng's efforts at Radio Botswana were phenomenal in that all his initiatives were instant hits. Some of the programmes he helped initiate at the radio station include Sethitho le boitumelo, Setshwantsho  and  Re batliseng. Others are Molemi ithute and Pitso ya balemi, which were started by others.

Perhaps one of the most followed initiatives of the legendary Baleseng is the ever-popular Kalola matlho that is featured on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve on RB1. This is a feel good special programme that seeks to entertain RB1 listeners late into the night even before the station starts broadcasting for 24 hours.

During his tenure at the radio station, he worked with RB 1 greats such as Potlako Molefe, Kgosiitsile Mmamapilo, Phillip 'Mokgankgara' Moshotle and Jeffrey Motshidisi, Oteng Ramasia, Otukile Masolotate, Peter Molosi, Keoagile Loeto and Kereemang Marula.

He reminiscences that one of his protgs, Mokgankgara, who started off as a librarian at Radio Botswana became a living legend in his own right. By the time he retired from the Ministry of Agriculture in 1994, Baleseng was a commissioner of the agricultural management association. After retirement, he became a full-time farmer. Soon afterwards, he was recruited by the tribal administration and he became a court president at the Woodhall Customary Court.

'The reason why I was recruited to be a court president was that some people in the tribal administration remembered that I had at one point studied a course that included law as a subject,' says the Kgosi.

It seems like his potential was quickly recognised because he was made part of the Customary Court of Appeal in Gaborone where he is currently based. Some of the outstanding achievements by Baleseng include founding Mahalapye Hotspurs and receiving the Presidential Order of Meritorious Services award in 1999.

This father of 11 children is married to Rebaone Baleseng and is a gospel singer in his spare time.