Pheto, the formidable doctor who presents Sedibeng

GASEBALWE SERETSE
Staff Writer | Friday July 2, 2010 00:00

 

This new job would most certainly endear Pheto to thousands of Batswana and interestingly, her husband is none other than the famous gospel star, Bafana 'Phempheretlhe' Pheto of Lekunutu Le Morena fame.

'I have always wished to be a presenter and when I saw an advert on Btv to the effect that they were looking for a new presenter, I thought I should give it a try,' Pheto told Arts & Culture in an interview.

Since Sedibeng is popular, it is safe to assume that Pheto had to compete with hundreds of aspirants who applied for the job some time early last year and fortunately she was one of the few shortlisted.

According to Pheto, it took a long time before she got a response from Btv as she only got to know that she had clinched the job early this month (June).

This was most certainly another 'gift' for the dentist who gave birth to the latest addition to the family, Pearl, four months ago.

This makes this young woman a family woman, dentist and presenter all rolled into one and she says that determination and dedication is what helps her hold down the three jobs simultaneously.

The 33-year-old Pheto told Arts & Culture that she although she was a first-time presenter, she is comfortable in the new job and she has quickly adjusted.

The presenter says being a presenter for Sedibeng does not take much of her time as she spends only a week in the studio.

The Serowe-born presenter demonstrated that she was a force to reckon with since she has always been a straight A student a school.

After finishing her national service in Kanye in 1993, she entered the University of Botswana (UB) where she did her Pre-Entry Science Course (PESC) before proceeding to study for her Bachelor of Science (Bsc).

Pheto then went to the University of Missouri in St Louis, United States of America (US) in 1997 and in the same year she transferred to Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska State, where she continued studying for her Bsc graduating in May, 1999.

In August of the same year, she decided to study dentistry in the same university.

'I chose to be a dentist because I felt being a general practitioner would deny me the chance of specialising,' Pheto told Arts & Culture in an earlier explanation.

It was while still at the dental school that she married Phempheretlhe in June 1999 and the two celebrated the 10th anniversary of their wedding in June last year. They have three children, Phenyo (6), Pako (3) and Pearl (four months).

According to Pheto, when she met her husband when he was not the celebrity he would later become and the common denominator in their marriage was Christianity not their careers.

Pheto further says that the young couple have always supported each other's careers such that after they married, Pheto put his successful career on hold in 2002 and relocated to the US where they nurture their young marriage.She says that she has always supported her husband's career.

'When you get married to someone, you identify with his or her dreams and that becomes your vocation to help him or her to achieve that dream.'

Pheto says that despite the female attention that her husband got as a gospel artist, she never feels threatened because she trusts him as a man of God.

The presenter also asserts that her husband and children are supportive of her new job, which has made things easier for her.

Phempheretlhe also told Arts & Culture that he supports his wife's new job.

'I have no problem with my wife being a presenter and I support her as she always supported me as a musician,' Phempheretlhe told Arts & Culture in an interview.

Although Phempheretlhe was once a leading musician in the country, he has since shifted his focus on business although he recently released a DVD of his latest album. Now it is time for the other half of this enviable couple to have share of the limelight.

Nowadays, the young dentist is working hard to improve her Setswana because in Sedibeng, she is not expected to pepper her Setswana with English, which has proved to be a challenge.

'As you know, it is common for young Batswana to throw a few English words and phrases into their conversations even when they are supposed to be speaking in Setswana and that has to change because in Sedibeng I am supposed to speak in perfect Setswana,' she told Arts & Culture.

According to the presenter, a typical day for shooting Sedibeng begins with her speaking to her producer to familiarise herself with the items in the programme. If she has to interview a personality, she acquaints herself with her or him by chatting to him prior to the studio interview. Before getting into the studio, she would meet the make-up artists to do facials her making and then change into the wardrobe provided by Truworths.

She told Arts & Culture that when she made her debut, she was naturally nervous because she knew that the whole country would be watching her but nowadays she is comfortable in front of the cameras.

One can only hope that this woman whose motto is, 'try to aim for the moon and if you miss you will land on one of the stars,' will realise her full potential